The French Revolution, Part 3: The “Radical” Phase & Reaction

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HIS 102 Western Civilization IIKara Heitz

Phase I – Liberal (1789-1792)

Phase II – Radical (1792-1794)

Phase III – Moderate (1795-1799)

Napoleon (1799-1815)

Phases of French Revolution

End of the “Liberal” Phase

• By 1792, France had:

– Constitutional monarchy

– Abolished feudalism

– Legal equality for all men; ~2/3 could vote

– Primary beneficiaries: middle class (bourgeoisie)

• Why doesn’t French Revolution end here?

Radical Political Actors• Sans-culottes

– Urban working classes

– Many can’t vote or run for office under 1791 Constitution

– Involved in urban revolts and “street” politics

Radical Political Actors• Jacobins

– Radical political faction within National Assembly

– Grow in numbers and power with 1792 elections

– 900 Jacobin clubs across France

– Mainly from middle class but supporters of “radical” equality

Why did the Revolution radicalize?

1) External pressures

• French fears of foreign invasion

• Collaboration with nobles who had fled the country

• Wars of the First Coalition (1792-1797)

Why did the Revolution radicalize?2) Internal pressures

• Questions about King’s loyalty

• Civil Wars in France– Vendée revolts (Royalist peasants)– Federalist revolts in major cities

(though Paris had too much power)– Rumors of royalist plots by nobility

• Continuing economic crisis & perisitent food shortages

The Vendée rebels in 1793.

Revolts and Invasions 1792-1794Yellow: loyal to the Revolution; Light green: Royalist revolts; Dark green: Federalist revolts; Purple: countries fighting against France; Orange: areas conquered by France

End of the French Monarchy

• Questioning the King’s loyalty

• Storming of the Tuileries (Aug. 10, 1792)

– Sans-culottes massacre kings guards

End of the French Monarchy

• Republic declared (Sept. 22, 1792)

– Universal male suffrage

– New social rights

• King Louis XVI executed (Jan. 21, 1793)

The Reign of Terror (1793-1794)

• New constitution suspended– “State of Emergency”

• Committee of Public Safety– Robespierre

• Purging of the “enemies of the revolution”– Guillotine

The Reign of Terror• 1793-1795

– 200,000-400,000 imprisoned

– ~40,000-50,000 executed– Of those, 16,000

guillotined

• Initially under some legal framework but later becomes increasingly arbitrary

• Who was executed?

Revolutionary Tribunal, 1793

Satirical political cartoon where Robespierre guillotining the executioner after having guillotined everyone else in France (1794)

Moderate Phase (1795-1799)

• Thermadorian Reaction

– July 28th, 1794: Robespierre and his supporters guillotined

Moderate Phase (1795-1799)

• Another new Constitution (Sept. 1795)– “Liberal” rights but no

“social” rights– Bring back more limited

suffrage

• Directory– Tolerated by most but not

well-liked – Increasingly relied on the

military for order– Opens the door for …..

Napoleon