French Revolution

The bourgeois revolution against feudal-despotic system which broke out in France in 1789 shook whole Europe.

At the end of the 18th century, the feudal absolutism in France became extremely decayed. At that time, the domestic estates were very strict and class oppression was very severe. The clergy belonged to the first estate, the nobility to the second, and the bourgeoisie, the urban poor, the workers and the peasants to the third. The feudal ruling class, as the first and second estates, enjoyed supreme privileges, and was tyrannical and extravagant. The broad masses of working people were exploited, oppressed and in a powerless status. The rising bourgeoisie was also oppressed and discriminated against by the feudal ruling class. The feudal relations of production seriously hindered the development of capitalism. Therefore, the overthrow of feudal rule and the abolition of feudal privileges became the common demand of the bourgeoisie and the masses of working people at that time.

After the ascension of King Louis XVI to the French throne in 1774, French politics became more and more corrupt, and the financial crisis began to become more serious. In the spring of 1789, a series of peasant riots broke out, demanding the distribution of land and the abolition of feudal tributes and privileges of the nobility. In many places, the peasants refused to pay taxes, killed the lords and seized the land. The cities also suffered from severe food shortages, and the commoners rose up to demand a change in the status quo, and the revolutionary sentiment of the people grew.

The feudal ruling class, represented by the King, carried out several financial reforms in order to save itself from imminent extinction, but all of them ended in failure. In May 1789, forced by the situation, Louis XVI convened the “Estates General” in Versailles. The bourgeoisie, representing the Third Estate, withdrew from the assembly meeting due to discrimination and declared that it would convene its own National Assembly (later renamed to Constituent Assembly). The king and the feudal nobility mobilized their troops and plotted to dissolve the Constituent Assembly by force. They also aimed the cannons on the Bastille fortress at densely populated urban areas in an attempt to carry out a bloody massacre of the people.

The frantic suppression by the feudal dynasty greatly angered the French people. In July, the revolutionary mood of the people of Paris grew even higher. They poured into the streets and clashed with the army. Under the heroic struggle of the people, the Royal Army was defeated, and Paris gradually fell into the hands of the people. On July 14, the people of Paris took up arms and stormed the Bastille fortress, which was the symbol of the French feudal rule, and won the victory against the feudal system. This day later became French National Day (Bastille Day).

As the revolution progressed, power shifted from the Crown to the hands of the Constituent Assembly. The Constitutionalists, who represented the interests of the big bourgeoisie and the liberal nobility, took power. In August 1789, the Declaration of the Rights of Man was adopted, and later the Constitution of 1791 was drawn up. However, the Constitutionalists were afraid of the people and did not want to radically abolish the feudal system. On August 10, 1792, the people of Paris revolted for the second time, expelled the Constitutionalists, deposed Louis XVI from the throne, put an end to the Constitutional Monarchy, and established the French Republic. In January 1793, Louis XVI was guillotined under the strong demand of the people.