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King Louis XVI faced with insurmountable financial difficulties, especially the massive and growing debt, appointed Jacques Necker finance minister. It was popular choice as Necker had written on the need for reform. Even
Necker, however, was able to resolve the problem of the crushing deficit. Facing bankruptcy of the Royal Treasury, bankers insisted that Louis summon the Estates General, a body that could approve new taxes. French kings had not convened the Estates General for 175 years. Louis finally complied and summoned the Estates General. It proved a disaterous mistake. Louis and his ministers very quickly lost control. After 6 weeks of deadlock and radical demands by the Third Estate, Luis decided to close the whole effort. The Third Estate, however, defied the King and after being shut out, adjourned to of all places the royal tennis Court wherev they took a fateful oath -- the Tennis Court Oath. This turned the Estates Generalm into the National Assembly. At the same time, the restive people of Paris began to organize, effectively launching the Revolution. Rumors began to circulate in Paris that Louis was moving troops to suppress the National Assembly and bring order to Paris. He reportedly was concentrating 30,000 troops around the city. The people of Paris to defend themselves established a Parisian city government--the Commune. And perhaps more importantly, they formed a National Guard. The need for gunpowder briught them to the Bastille, here the attackn on the Bastill became the date from which the Revolution is dated (July 14).
King Louis XVI faced with insurmountable financial difficulties, especially the massive and growing debt, appointed Jacques Necker finance minister. It was popular choice as Necker had written on the need for reform. Even
Necker, however, was able to resolve the problem of the crushing deficit. Facing bankruptcy of the Royal Treasury, bankers insisted Louis summon the Estates General, a body that could approve new taxes. Evn before Louis XIV, French kings had reduced the Estates General to irelevancy. The monarchy had not convened the Estates General for 175 years. Louis finally complied and summoned the Estates General. The Estates General met
at Versailles (May 5). They were was divided into three chambers representing respectively the aristocracy, the
clergy, and the commoners. The Third Estate were well-to-do commoners, people of property or position mainly, but
commoners all the same, and as such, people without significant political rights. But the time was ripe for change
and events moved swiftly. Many in the Third Estate whose ideas were steepedv in the Enlightenment resented the fact that they represented 97 percent of the population, but were dominated by the other two estates. From the beginning the Third Estate calleds for sweeping reforms in French society and demand that the clergy and aristocracy begin paying taxes. They were joined by members of the junior clergy and some aristocrats who were all influebnced by the Enlightenment. The First and Second Estates, however, blocked all attempts at action, even moderate reform.
Louis after 6 weeks of deadlock becomes concerned about the increasingly radical demands of the Third Estate and decided to close the Estates General and send the deputies home. The Deputies arrived and find the doors locked. They refused, however, to close the session and go home. They retired to of all places, the Royal Tennis Court and here they took a fateful oath--Thec Tennis Court Oath. They pledged not close the session without a constitution (June 17). The Third Estate without the other two estates, which were becoming irrelevant, declared itself a new National Assembly. Louis was shocked, but hesitated to take action against them.
Rumors began to circulate in Paris that Louis was moving troops to suppress the new National Assembly and bring
order to Paris. He reportedly was concentrating 30,000 troops around the city. The people of Paris to defend
themselves established a Parisian city government--the Commune. And even more importantly they form a National Guard. They raided Paris armories for weapons, but lacked gun powder. Paris is further incensed when Louis dismissed Necker. It is at this time Paris mobs began to descend on the Bastille, a medieval fortress, where stores of gun powder were known to exist. The Bastille was a forbiddingg fortress located at the center of Paris. It was seen as a symbol of royal despotism. The Bastille towered over the surrounding area. Parisians looked on the Bastille with foreboding. Terrible tortures were thought to take place within dark dugeons of the fortress. A huge mob unexpectedly attacked the Bastille and overwhelmed the small guard (July 14). The mob expected to free prisoners, but there were none. Governor de Launay in command of the Bastille was dragged through the streets and eventually hanged. It is at this time that the red, white, and blue cockade appears which would become the tri-color flag. Red and blue were the colors of Paris. White represented the Bourbons. In the evening, the blodied mob which appeared before the Hôtel de Ville--the Paris city hall. It would would become the headquarters of the revolutionries. The Hotel de Ville features prominbntlly in French history and the location was the seat of Paris Government even before the building was construted (14th century). the people of Paris proceed to demolish the Bastille stone by stone by hand.
The National Assembly did not denounce the violence and bloodshed in Paris. Instead, they adopted the
Declaration of the Rights of Man, one of the great documents of Western Civilization. The Declaration abolished
class distinctions and asserts sovereignty for the people. This was a break with the absolute monarchy, but notyet monasrchy itself. The monarchy in fact was not mentioned. Thus the National Assembly with the Declaration executed a coup, seizing power from the King. France at this time bruiefly became a constitutional monarchy. The National Assembly asserted a new system of justice under responsible laws. They proceeded to take a series of ground breaking actions. The Assembly established press freedom. And they abolished feudal privileges (August 4).
With increased press freedom, a fiery newspaper editor Jean Paul Marat becomes influential in Paris,. Marat
was a former doctor. He failed at most attempts to earn a living. He descended into poverty and actually lived
for a time in the Paris sewer. There he contracted a serious skin disease and has to soak in medicinal baths. He
finally finds his calling in life, writing incendiary hate-filled editorials. His paper The People's Friend quickly becomes very popular in Paris. It is essentially an outlet for Marat's venom. Parisian are prepared to believe any thing Marat writes about the monarchy. He invents plots against the Revolution with a paranoid zeal. And his prescription for the threats to the Revolution is blood.
Marat continues to write inflammatory articles castigating the monarchy and accusing the King and Queen of
intrigues against the Revolution. One articles accuses the King and Queen of dancing on the tri-color at a
sumptuous court affair. The next day a mob led by the formidable Parisian fish women descended on Versailles (October 5). Louis fearful of the gathering mob signed the Declaration of the Rights of Man. The mob demands that the royal family accompany them back to Paris. He hesitates. Reacting furiously, the mob tear through the palace and almost kill the Queen. They do kill the palace guards and with the guards' heads on pikes escort the royal family back to Paris. They are installed in Les Tuileries Palace. But econsed in Paris they are now essentially the prisoners of the Paris mob and the National Assembly. Louis XIV had built Versailles in part to remove himself from Paris and the threat of the Paris mob. Now Louis and the RitalmFamily wreundervthe control of the Paris mob.
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