Louis XVI, needing to raise taxes, could not impose them at will. Instead, he required approval from the Estates General, a political assembly representing the three estates. The last meeting before 1789,  was in 1614.

Development led to Uprising 

Meeting of the Estates General in 1789: On 5 May 1789, Louis XVI convened Estates General to propose new taxes.

• • A grand hall in Versailles hosted 300 representatives, each from the first and second estates. 600 from the third estate, who had to stand at the back.
  • Notably, peasants, artisans, and women were excluded but their issues were represented through 40,000 letters brought by their representatives.
• Voting Dispute: Each estate had one collective vote, the third estate, influenced by democratic principles like those from Rousseau’s Social Contract, demanded one vote per member. 
  • Louis XVI refused, leading the third estate to exit in protest.
• Formation of the National Assembly: On 20 June 1789, third estate gathered at an indoor tennis court. (Refer to figure 4.3) 
• • Proclaiming themselves the National Assembly, they vowed to draft a constitution to reduce the monarch’s power.
• Leadership: Provided by included Mirabeau, a noble advocating against feudal privilege, and Abbé Sieyès, who authored a significant pamphlet ‘What is the Third Estate?’

Cause of Uprising Across France

When the National Assembly deliberated, France was in chaos. Following were the factors included:

• Ransacking of Stores: Harsh winter causing poor harvests and rising bread prices. Bakers hoarding supplies, leading to angry women ransacking stores.
• Destruction of Bastille: Louis XVI positioned troops in Paris, which culminated in the destruction of the Bastille on 14 July.
• Perceived Threat: Rural rumors that manor lords had hired brigands to destroy crops, sparking peasants to attack chateaux, plunder grain, and burn manorial records. 
  • Many nobles, in response, fled their homes or even the country.

Monarchy’s Response to the Uprising

Recognition of National Assembly: Louis XVI, seeing his subjects’ revolt, recognized the National Assembly and agreed that his power would be constitutionally restrained. (Refer to Figure 4.4)  

• • On 4 August 1789, the Assembly abolished feudal obligations and taxes.
• Clergy privileges were rescinded: Church lands were taken, providing the government with assets approximating 2 billion livres.

Establishment of New Constitution,1791 

Transformation to a Constitutional Monarchy: Constitution’s primary goal was to decentralize power from monarch to various institutions i.e. legislature, executive, and judiciary.

• • This shift transformed France from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. 
• Electoral System Under New Constitution: Power to legislate was vested in the National Assembly. Citizens voted for electors.
  • These electors then selected National Assembly members. Only “active citizens” could vote. 
  • To be an active citizen, a man had to be over 25 and pay taxes equivalent to at least three days of a laborer’s wage.
• Passive Citizens: Men did not meet these criteria, and all women were deemed “passive citizens” and lacked voting rights.
• Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen: Constitution emphasized rights as ‘natural and inalienable’, meaning they were innate to all humans and couldn’t be revoked.
  • These rights included the right to life, freedom of speech, opinion freedom, and legal equality. The state was obligated to safeguard these natural rights for every citizen.

Conclusion 

The French Revolution’s eruption, fueled by Enlightenment ideals, shattered the absolute monarchy. Years of turmoil culminated in a democratic constitution, replacing the old regime and permanently altering France’s political course.

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