Sans-culottes and the collapse of the constitutional experiment; the…

The idea

The constitutional experiment collapsed in 1792 due to the militant intervention of the sans-culottes, driven by economic hardship and foreign invasion threats. Their radicalism culminated in the storming of the Tuileries on 10 August, overthrowing the monarchy and rendering the 1791 Constitution void. As Prussian forces advanced on Paris, panic gripped the capital, leading to the brutal September Massacres where sans-culottes slaughtered over a thousand prisoners, fearing a royalist uprising. In this climate of extreme fear, elections for the National Convention were held. Despite universal male suffrage, voter turnout was exceptionally low due to intimidation, resulting in a radicalised assembly tasked with deciding the King's fate.

What earns the marks

• Analyse the socio-economic and political grievances of the sans-culottes that drove their militant actions in 1792.
• Evaluate the events of the journée of 10 August 1792 (storming of the Tuileries) as the definitive end of the constitutional monarchy.
• Assess the causes of the September Massacres, focusing on the impact of the Brunswick Manifesto, military defeats, and inflammatory journalism.
• Examine the nature of the elections to the National Convention, noting the introduction of universal male suffrage but the reality of low turnout and voter intimidation.
• Explain how the collapse of the constitutional experiment shifted power from the Legislative Assembly to the radical Paris Commune.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Treating the sans-culottes as a formal political party.

  Put it right: They were a diverse socio-economic group of urban workers and artisans, not a structured organisation.

• Stating that the September Massacres were officially ordered by the government.

  Put it right: They were spontaneous acts of mob violence, though tolerated by figures like Danton.

• Assuming the elections to the National Convention represented the whole French population.

  Put it right: Despite universal male suffrage, fear and exclusion meant only about 6 percent of eligible men voted.

Exam tips

• Use the Brunswick Manifesto as a key piece of evidence linking external military threats to internal radicalisation and the fall of the monarchy.
• Contrast the legal framework of the 1791 Constitution with the extra-legal, violent methods used by the sans-culottes to dismantle it.
• Discuss the September Massacres as a turning point that alienated moderate supporters of the Revolution both in France and abroad.