Was the French Revolution inevitable? PDF

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This essay debates whether or not the French Revolution in 1789 was bound to happen or not....

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Was the French Revolution inevitable? The French Revolution, which was arguably one of the most important time periods in French history, was ‘the political upheaval that ended with the overthrow of the Bourbon monarchy in France and marked a watershed in European history’ 1. It created big change within a country that had been striving for change, and brought with it violence and bloodshed that would last for 10 years. The question of the inevitability of the French Revolution has risen during the time it has been studied and it seems that the circumstances which it had stemmed from had made the Revolution look inevitable. Due to the difficulties within the economy and the Enlightenment, which brought about new ideas and put more emphasis on freedom, it seemed as though some change was inevitable as the clergy and nobility enjoyed a finer lifestyle. This of course did not sit well with the Third Estate who made up most of France as they were burdened with most, if not all, of the taxation. The monarchy did not help with the furthering problems within France either as their spending caused royal finances to worsen more than they had and took out loans they were barely able to pay back. This taken together did not necessarily mean that it was inevitable that a Revolution would occur, merely that major change had to happen within France as the need for it grew the further into the eighteenth century we go. The change, not the Revolution, that was arguably inevitably going to occur within France stemmed for many reasons, one of which would be the economic inequality between the First/Second Estate and the Third Estate which was dominant during this period. Taxes, which the clergy were exempt from and the nobility were exempt from several of, 2 fell mostly, if not wholly, upon the people who were ‘least able to pay them’.3 This of course would set about a want for change amongst the Third Estate as they considered what they had to pay as ‘being over-taxed’. This clearly shows that they were unhappy with their current economic situation and shows the beginnings of the minds of the Third Estate thinking of the unfair treatment they were getting. People of government status were even beginning to view the taxation as unfairly distributed. For example, Jacques Necker, who was Louis XVI’s second minister of the treasury and was regarded highly by French citizens, 4 wrote in his report about the king’s finances, ‘Compte rendu au roi’, ‘The reduction of expenses — which is always the wish of the public — belongs to the King’.5 This shows that the public needs for a reduction in ‘expenses’ (taxes) was wanted and had been noticed by someone of high regard. This further insinuates that change within economy was what the people of France, primarily the Third Estate, and also people within the Parliament circle as Necker demonstrates, wanted. There is no obvious talk of a Revolution here, but a need for financial help from the king who had control over France’s finances. It was rare for people of a higher status to be for the people of France, so for

1 Wright, Edmund, Dictionary of World History, Third Edition, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015), page 241. 2 Hobsbawm, Eric. The Age of Revolution 1789 – 1848, (London: Abacus, 1977), page 76. 3 Doyle, William. The French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction, (Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2001.) page 26. 4 ‘Necker biography’ (Last updated in 2015) Date Accessed: 6th December 2015, Available online: http://bastille-day.com/biography/necker 5 Alpha History ‘Extracts from Necker’s Compte Rendu (1781)’ (2012) Date accessed: December 6th 2015, Available online: http://alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution/extracts-from-neckers-compte-rendu-1781/

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someone of Necker’s status to recognise a problem within the economy and point it out to the king, it shows that there was an inevitable change that needed to happen, but not a revolution. Other factors that had contributed to the economic problems within France that created a need for change could have been avoided. For example, the debt that had been accumulated during the reign of King Louis XVI. For example, he had offered his help in the War of Independence between America and Britain, which he had paid for through loans rather than gaining the money through taxes, which arguably would have been a much better way to raise money.6 The Nobility had even saw a problem with this and had ‘recognised that some emergencies necessitated higher taxes’.7 This shows that the king had gone too far in his spending on military use if the nobles had a problem with it as they were often seen to only think of themselves and no one else, suggesting that the king had damaged the finances even further than they had been already.8 By spending more money and having more loans to pay, this would have meant less money circulated throughout France, meaning more tax rises and further dissatisfaction from the Third Estate as it would have been them who suffered having to pay taxes. Furthermore, debt increased due to Marie Antoinette, who was the Queen of France before the French Revolution, as she liked to live a luxurious lifestyle. She liked to wear extravagant wigs and clothing that were expensive, which royal finances could not afford, due to the reasons previously mentioned. Still she continued to buy the latest fashions anyway. 9 The spending of both the king and queen could have been avoided as these were not things the two of them needed to do, and they had done them both of their own accord, suggesting that they could have helped the royal finances become stable had they chosen not to indulge themselves in such ways. Therefore, the monarchy played a part in worsening the economic conditions within France, and contributed further to the need for change. This, however, does not confirm that the French Revolution was inevitable, just that the need for change was becoming clearer both within royal spending as well as within the French economy. During the period of economic unrest that was causing the Third Estate to become increasingly distressed, the Enlightenment had spread all over Europe, France was no exception. As economic tensions risen between the Third Estate and the First Estate, the Enlightenment brought along with it doubt concerning traditional values and stressed freedom amongst the people. In France , the Enlightenment was seen to be ‘associated with the philosophes, the literary men, scientists, and thinkers who were united in their belief in the supremacy of reason and their desire to see practical change to combat inequality and injustice’ which already suggests the Enlightenment would have some effect on the minds of those who sought themselves as wrongly treated as there was a ‘desire to see practical change’ for the things the people of France were beginning to think about.10 Philosophes had begun to take great influence during this time as they had started to openly metaphorically attack the Church and the privileges it held, which saw a decline in respect for them as people were listening to the 6 Doyle, William. The French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction, page 20. 7 Doyle, William. The French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction, page 26. 8 Doyle, William. The French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction, page 26. 9 Doug Shultz (dir.) ‘The French Revolution’ broadcast on The History Channel, produced by The History Channel, 2005 10 Wright, Edmund, Dictionary of World History, Third Edition, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015), page 212

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philosophes.11 Now that the Church’s privileges were out in the open, people who had already been doubting the state of equality In France, could see for themselves the difference in privileges they held. They now had proof that there was a difference in terms of economic and social privileges, which arguably would have strengthened their want to change their position in the French society. Philosophes played a big role in initiating this, an example being Rousseau who stated in his book ‘Social Contract’, ‘Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains’.12 This best describes the state of the Third Estate during the period before the French Revolution as they had hardly any freedoms and were made to pay the country for people who were simply privileged because of their name. Arguably, quotes like this would be very effective on those who felt they were wrongly treated and plant new ideas in their head, causing them to further push for change. Furthermore, as Lefebvre states, ‘the philosophes… proved themselves united in their appeal to natural law and in maintaining that reason should play an autonomous role in initiating reform’ suggesting that it was not just the Third Estate pushing for change, but the philosophes were also dedicating themselves to pushing for some sort of ‘reform’ within France. 13 So the Enlightenment brought with it others who had seen the imbalance within French economy, politics, etc. and gave them reason to push for a change within the country. The Enlightenment, combined with the economic distress, was bound to further open the eyes of the Third Estate, who were being wrongly treated as emphasised by philosophes, further and cause them to think of the freedom the Enlightenment stressed to ordinary people. The Enlightenment gave the people proof that there was inequalities and a lack of freedom, therefore pushing the need for change further. Still, the Enlightenment did not push for a Revolution, and further shows that the French Revolution was not inevitable. Furthermore, people considered to be in the Third Estate were clearly beginning to think of the rights they held during the period before the Revolution, an example of this being the Declaration of the Rights of Man that was presented by the National Assembly in 1789. 14 As Iain Hampsher-Monk states, the Rights of Man ‘invoked and set standards for action’ clearly showing that that the National Assembly and the people they stood for wanted some change to happen, however it does not show any want or need for a Revolution.15 It suggests that the Third Estate, which was affected by the inequalities within economy that the First and Second Estates were not affected by, merely wanted everyone to share the same equality and freedom within France. For example, the Declaration states as it’s first ‘right’ that ‘Men are born, and always continue, free and equal in respect of their rights. Civil distinctions, therefore, can be founded only on public utility’ which shows the people who the National Assembly simply wanted the same freedoms that the minority of the population of France did. 16 Using this as their first right shows that they are stressing for equal freedom amongst the people of France as they make this point first and make it very clear throughout the rest of the Declaration that 11 Lefebvre, Georges. The French Revolution, 2nd Edition, From its Origins to 1793 (London: Routledge, 2001) page 62. 12 Lefebvre, Georges. The French Revolution, 2nd Edition, From its Origins to 1793, page 63. 13 Lefebvre, Georges. The French Revolution, 2nd Edition, From its Origins to 1793, page 63. 14 Hampsher-Monk, Iain, The Impact of the French Revolution: Texts from Britain in the 1790s, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005) page 34. 15 Hampsher-Monk, Iain, The Impact of the French Revolution: Texts from Britain in the 1790s, page 33. 16 Hampsher-Monk, Iain, The Impact of the French Revolution: Texts from Britain in the 1790s, page 35

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this is what they want. There is no mention in the Declaration of wanting to replace or remove the monarchy, which is very much what happened within the Revolution. Along with this, there are various artworks and posters that were made during this period that stressed the same need for equality and freedom: 17

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These pieces demonstrate one of the ‘mottos’ that was used during the time of the French Revolution, ‘liberté, égalité, fraternité’ (which translates to ‘liberty, equality, fraternity’) that is called a ‘tripartite motto’ that uses three words to express one idea.19 These sorts of posters were made even during the Revolution, suggesting that achieving freedom and liberty was their true objective, even if the situation had turned into revolution. These images do not 17 Unattributed. Unité indivisibilité de la République. Liberté, égalité, fraternité, ou la mort Dieu, peuple, loi : [estampe], [ca 1792]. 1 est. : eau-forte, coul. ; 39 x 26 cm (f.) available online: http://purl.stanford.edu/bw644zd1258. (accessed 2015-12-09). 18 Unattributed. Unité, indivisibilité de la République, liberté égalité, fraternité ou la mort calendrier pour l'an 2.eme de la Republique française : [estampe], [1793]. 1 est. : eau-forte, coul. ; 72,5 x 51 cm (tr. c.) Available online: http://purl.stanford.edu/mw839rw9242. (accessed 2015-12-09). 19 ‘National Motto of France’ (2015) Date accessed: 8th December 2015, Available online: http://www.frenchmoments.eu/national-motto-of-france/

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suggest that revolution was what was intended from the start, they put across the idea that the people are sticking to their objective and this is what they intend achieve. Therefore, this shows that the French Revolution was not inevitable because again, these suggest inevitable change, not a violent and dramatic change throughout the country. In conclusion, the Revolution itself was not inevitable, rather the need for change within economic situations and the clarity of the rights people held within France was inevitably going to cause some form of change. The inequality in the economy between the First/Second and Third Estate, along with the ideas that came along with the Enlightenment, had clearly caused the Third Estate to question their rights as people within France. Arguably, if something had been done to bring about change quicker, or something had been done to initiate change, before the people became angry enough to start a revolution, then the French Revolution would most likely have never happened as change is what was needed and wanted. As a result of Louis’ foolishness and the growing divide between the three Estates, a Revolution happened. Taken together, all of these events were what lead to the French Revolution as the change people were practically begging for was not happening, so it was taken into the people’s own hands and lead to dramatic change within France. So in that sense, because nothing was done and all of the above had happened, change was inevitable. However, if the change the Third Estate wanted had been granted to them by the king and he had not been foolish with the money he had left, the Revolution would have arguably been preventable as he would have been giving the people what they needed. Alas, this did not happen and it led to unfortunate events that created big change within France. Gemma Renshaw

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Primary Sources: Printed Sources: Hampsher-Monk, Iain, The Impact of the French Revolution: Texts from Britain in the 1790s, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005) Images: Unattributed. Unité, indivisibilité de la République, liberté égalité, fraternité ou la mort calendrier pour l'an 2.eme de la Republique française : [estampe], [1793]. 1 est. : eau-forte, coul. ; 72,5 x 51 cm (tr. c.) Available online: http://purl.stanford.edu/mw839rw9242. (accessed 2015-12-09). Unattributed. Unité indivisibilité de la République. Liberté, égalité, fraternité, ou la mort Dieu, peuple, loi : [estampe], [ca 1792]. 1 est. : eau-forte, coul. ; 39 x 26 cm (f.) available online: http://purl.stanford.edu/bw644zd1258. (accessed 2015-12-09). Internet The Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media (George Mason University) and the American Social History Project (City University of New York) ‘All French Revolution Documents’ (2001) Date accessed: December 8th 2015 Available online: https://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/allfr.html

Secondary Sources: Books: Davies, Peter. The French Revolution : A Beginner's Guide, (London: Oneworld Publications, 2009) Doyle, William. The French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction, (Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2001.) Doyle, William. The French Revolution, (Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2001.) Hobsbawm, Eric. The Age of Revolution 1789 – 1848, (London: Abacus, 1977) Lefebvre, Georges. The French Revolution, 2nd Edition, From its Origins to 1793 (London: Routledge, 2001) Martin, Dave, The French Revolution, (London: Hodder Education, 2013) Outram, Dorinda, The Enlightenment, Third Edition (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 2013)

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Doug Shultz (dir.) ‘The French Revolution’ broadcast on The History Channel, produced by The History Channel, 2005 Internet: Alpha History ‘Extracts from Necker’s Compte Rendu (1781)’ (2012) Date accessed: December 6th 2015 Available online: http://alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution/extracts-from-neckers-compterendu-1781/ Mr. Schwartz, ‘History 151 The French Revolution: Causes, Outcomes, Conflicting Interpretations’ (no date specified) Date accessed: 26th November 2015 Available online: https://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist151s03/french_rev_causes_consequences. html ‘National Motto of France’ (2015) Date accessed: 8th December 2015, Available online: http://www.frenchmoments.eu/national-motto-of-france/ ‘Necker biography’ (Last updated in 2015) Date Accessed: 7th December 2015, Available online: http://bastille-day.com/biography/necker Sailus, Christopher ‘The Causes of the French Revolution: Economic & Social Conditions’ (no date specified) Date accessed: 26th November 2015 Available online: http://study.com/academy/lesson/the-causes-of-the-french-revolutioneconomic-social-conditions.html Rana, Vikram ‘Causes of French Revolution: Political, Social and Economic Causes’ (no date specified) Available online: http://alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution/extracts-from-neckers-compterendu-1781/ Journal Articles: Gruder, Vivian R., ‘Whither Revisionism? Political Perspectives on the Ancien Régime’, French Historical Studies, 20:2 (1997), 245-285 White, Eugene Nelson, ‘The French Revolution and the Politics of Government Finance’, The Journal of Economic History, Vol. 55, No. 2, (June 1995), 227 – 255...