The French Revolution: From Crisis to Assembly

1. A Growing Financial Crisis

   1. France's involvement in various wars, particularly the American War of Independence, had plunged the nation into immense debt.

   2. To meet regular expenses like maintaining the army, the court, and government offices, Louis XVI needed to raise taxes.

   3. The First and Second Estates were exempt from taxation, The King knew that any new taxes would have to be approved by the Estates-General.

2. The Estates-General:

   The Estates-General was a political body to which the three estates sent their representatives. The monarch alone had the power to decide when to call a meeting of this body. Its last meeting had been held in 1614!

   On May 5, 1789, Louis XVI called a meeting of the Estates-General to pass proposals for new taxes. The First and Second Estates sent 600 representatives. The Third Estate sent 600 members. Peasants, artisans, and women were denied entry to the assembly, although their grievances and demands were listed in some 40,000 letters that the representatives had brought with them.

3. The Demand for One Person, One Vote

   The primary point of debate was the voting system. In the past, each Estate had one vote, meaning the First and Second Estates could always outvote the Third Estate. This time, the Third Estate demanded that each member would have one vote. This was a revolutionary idea, reflecting the democratic principles put forth by philosophers like Rousseau in his book The Social Contract.

   Louis XVI, committed to the old system, rejected this proposal. As a result, the representatives of the Third Estate walked out of the assembly in protest.

4. The Tennis Court Oath

   On June 20, 1789, the representatives of the Third Estate assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court on the grounds of Versailles. They declared themselves a National Assembly and swore not to disperse until they had drafted a constitution for France that would limit the powers of the monarch. This momentous event, known as the Tennis Court Oath, marked a decisive shift in the revolution. It was led by Mirabeau, a nobleman who believed in the need to do away with a society of feudal privilege, and Abbé Sieyès, a priest who wrote a powerful pamphlet called 'What is the Third Estate?'.

   
   

5. The Bastille Falls: A Symbol of Tyranny

   While the National Assembly was busy drafting a constitution, the rest of France was in turmoil.

   A severe winter had led to a bad harvest, and the price of bread soared. Bakers hoarded supplies, leading to long queues and angry crowds.

   On July 14, 1789, the agitated crowd stormed and destroyed the Bastille, a fortress-prison that symbolised the king's despotic power.

   
   

The fall of the Bastille was not just an attack on a prison; it was a symbolic blow against the Ancien Régime and the beginning of popular uprisings across the country. In the countryside, rumors spread that the lords of the manor had hired bands of brigands to destroy ripe crops. Frightened peasants in several districts seized hoes and pitchforks and attacked chateaux.

The King's Retreat and the End of Feudalism

Faced with the power of his revolting subjects, Louis XVI finally accorded recognition to the National Assembly and accepted the principle that his powers would from now on be checked by a constitution. On the night of August 4, 1789, the Assembly passed a decree abolishing the feudal system of obligations and taxes. Members of the clergy were also forced to give up their privileges. Tithes were abolished, and lands owned by the Church were confiscated.

Topic 2 demonstrates how financial crisis, coupled with deeply ingrained social inequality, provided the perfect storm for a revolution. The courageous actions of the Third Estate, from their demands in the Estates-General to the Tennis Court Oath and the symbolic fall of the Bastille, effectively dismantled the foundations of the Ancien Régime and set France on an irreversible path towards a new political order. The stage was now set for the drafting of a constitution and the declaration of fundamental rights.