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VCE Revolutions (French): Area of Study Two (1781-1795)

  • August Decrees

    August Decrees
    National Assembly initially abolishes feudalism outright then qualifies the reform.
  • Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen

    Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
  • Assembly votes to give King suspensive veto and not to have a two-house parliament

    Assembly votes to give King suspensive veto and not to have a two-house parliament
  • Women's March on Versailles

    Women's March on Versailles
    The political awareness of at least some of the women is already clear from the very nature of their action. It directly targeted the centres of power - the Hotel de Ville in Paris, the National Assembly and the palace at Versailles. Its object was to bring pressure to bear on the Commune, the deputies and the King, to get them to do something about the Food Crisis. (Garrioch, 1999)
  • The October Days

    The October Days
    King, royal family then Assembly move to Paris.
  • Nationalisation of Church property

  • Abolition of religious orders apart from teaching and medical services

  • Rationalisation of France into 83 administrative departments

  • Creation of the 'municipal' sections of Paris

  • Abolition of nobility and all other honorific distinctions

  • The Civil Constitution of the Clergy is decreed

  • Lafayette's Festival of Federation

  • Reorganisation of judiciary; abolition of parlements

    Reorganisation of judiciary; abolition of parlements
  • Assembly assumes control of national treasury, abolishes law courts of old regime

  • Assembly demands that priests swear oath of loyalty to Civil Constitution of the Clergy

  • Checking of oath of the clergy

  • Abolition of guilds and corporations

  • The Pope condemns the Civil Constitution of the Clergy

  • The crowd violently prevents the royal family from leaving Paris for Saint-Cloud

  • The Le Chapelier law restricts working-class organisation, including strikes

  • The Flight to Varennes

    The royal family attempted to escape France to safety in Austria, but were recognised at Varennes and brought back to Paris.
  • Royal family returned to Paris, Assembly only suspends the King

  • The King is reinstated

  • Petition, demonstration and massacre on the Champ de Mars

  • European nations form a coalition against revolutionary France

  • Rebellion of slaves in French colony of Saint-Domingue

  • Declaration of Pillnitz

  • The King approves the Constitution (1791) and swears loyalty to the nation. The first parliament, the National Constituent Assembly, is dissolved.

  • Meeting of the second parliament, the Legislative Assembly

  • Brissot first suggests revolutionary war

  • Assembly orders emigrated nobles to return or lose their property

  • Assembly decrees Committees of Surveillance

  • Assembly renews order to refractory priests to take the oath of loyalty

  • First political assassination: Le Pelletier

  • France makes ultimatum to Austria

  • France declares war on Austria

  • First use of the guillotine

  • Assembly passes new law against refractory priests

  • Brissotin ministry dismissed. Prussia declares war on France

  • The first revolutionary upheaval: the san-culottes invade the Tuileries Palace and humiliate the King

  • Decree of the Country in Danger

  • The Brunswick Manifesto

  • The federal troops (volunteers from Marseilles) arrive in Paris

  • The radical Paris 'sections' demand that the King be dethroned

  • The second revolutionary upheaval: the crowd invades the Tuileries and overthrows the monarchy

  • The Extraordinary Tribunal is established

  • Lafayette defects. Prussian troops cross border into France

  • Prussians capture Verdun, the last fortress before Paris

  • Panic in Paris: 'September Massacres' of prisoners

  • The third parliament, the National Convention, meets

  • The Republic is proclaimed

  • The King is brought to trial, is interrogated and makes his defence

    This lasted from the 3rd to the 26th of December.
  • Condemnation of the King, passing of death sentence, vote against reprieve.

    This occurred between the 7th to the 18th of January 1793.
  • Execution of the King

  • France declares war on Great Britain and the Dutch Republic

  • Assembly declares consciption of an army of 300 000 men

  • Food shortages, food riots in Paris

    These lasted for two days.
  • Creation of the Revolutionary Tribunal

  • Rebellion in the Vendee region begins

  • Creation of revolutionary committees

  • Disbanding of revolutionary armies

  • Creation of Committee of Public Safety

  • Unsuccessful attempt by Girondins to try Marat

    This occurred from the 13th to 24th of April 1793
  • Federalist rebellion in Marseilles

  • Convention decrees the Maximum on food prices

  • Appointment of the Commission of Twelve

  • Popular uprising in Paris against the Girondins

  • Popular pressure leads to the purge of Girondins from the Convention

  • The 'Jacobin' Constitution of 1793 is accepted by the Convention

  • Danton quits Committee of Public Safety

  • Second political assassination: the death of Marat

    Second political assassination: the death of Marat
  • The Economic Terror: the death penalty is introduced for hoarding

  • Robespierre accepts membership of the Committee of Public Safety

    Robespierre accepts membership of the Committee of Public Safety
  • Decree of mass levy of troops

  • The Convention bows to popular pressure to introduce government by Terror

  • The Battle of Hondschoote: a turning point for the French war effort

  • Law of Suspects facilitates arrest on almost any pretext

  • The Maximum is made general

  • Declaration of 'revolutionary government' (government by emergency measures)

  • Trial of the Girondins, culminating in their execution

    This occurred between 24th to 31st of October 1793
  • Formal decree of revolutionary government

  • Successful rebellion in Saint-Domingue forces Convention to abolish slavery

  • Arrest and execution of the left-wing radical Hebertists

    This occurred between 13th to 24th March 1794
  • Trial and execution of Danton and Desmoulins

  • Festival of the Supreme Being

  • Introduction of wage controls in Paris

  • Fall of Robespierre and close associates

  • Execution of Robespierre and associates

  • Trial of Jacobins such as Billaud-Varenne

    Trial of Jacobins such as Billaud-Varenne
  • The rebellion of Germinal

  • The rebellion of Prairal

  • Constitution of 1795

  • Rebellion of Vendemaire

  • The Convention closes down

  • The Directory is established