2H France in Revolution, 1774–1815 (A-level only) – The experiment in constitutional monarchy, 1789–1792 — AQA A-Level History
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2H France in Revolution, 1774–1815 (A-level only) – The experiment in constitutional monarchy, 1789–1792 explained
Between May and October 1789, royal authority collapsed as revolution spread across France.
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In Versailles, the Estates-General transformed into the National Assembly, defying Louis XVI through the Tennis Court Oath. Simultaneously, Paris radicalised due to economic hardship and troop mobilisations, culminating in the storming of the Bastille on 14 July. This urban revolt triggered rural uprisings known as the Great Fear, where peasants attacked châteaux and destroyed feudal records, forcing the Assembly to abolish feudalism in the August Decrees. Finally, the October Days saw a Parisian crowd, largely women protesting bread shortages, march to Versailles and force the royal family to relocate to Paris, effectively making them prisoners of the revolution and shifting the political centre of gravity.
The attempts to establish a constitutional monarchy: church reforms; political, judicial and administrative reforms; economic and social change
The National Constituent Assembly sought to build a constitutional monarchy through sweeping reforms. Politically, power was decentralised into 83 departments, and voting was restricted to tax-paying 'active citizens'. Judicial reforms introduced elected judges and juries, replacing arbitrary royal justice. Economically, internal customs barriers were abolished, and the Le Chapelier Law banned trade unions to promote free trade. Socially, hereditary noble titles were abolished. Crucially, church reforms, notably the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, nationalised church lands and forced priests to swear loyalty to the state. This deeply divided France, alienating devout Catholics and fatally undermining the consensus needed for the new regime to survive.
Reaction to change internally and externally: the political clubs; the King and the flight to Varennes; the demonstration at the Champs de Mars; the origins and impact of war
Between 1789 and 1792, internal and external reactions fractured the revolution. Internally, political clubs like the Jacobins and Cordeliers mobilised the masses. Louis XVI’s Flight to Varennes in June 1791 shattered trust, proving his opposition to the constitution. This sparked republican demands, culminating in the Champs de Mars massacre in July 1791, where the National Guard fired on protesters, fatally dividing the revolutionary consensus. Externally, European monarchs reacted with alarm. The origins of the 1792 war lay in Girondin desires to export revolution and the King’s hope for a French defeat. The war's disastrous early impact radicalised politics, heightening paranoia and sealing the fate of the constitutional monarchy.
Sans-culottes and the collapse of the constitutional experiment; the September massacres and elections to the national Convention
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.
Your focus
- Trace the sequence of events from the Estates-General to the October Days.
- Explain the relationship between economic distress and popular uprisings in Paris and the provinces.
- Analyse the impact of the Great Fear on the dismantling of the feudal system.
Show all 12 objectives
- Describe the key features of the political, judicial, and administrative reforms introduced by the National Assembly.
- Analyse the economic and social changes, including the impact of free trade policies on different social classes.
- Evaluate the consequences of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy on the viability of the constitutional monarchy.
- Explain the differing aims and memberships of the major political clubs in Paris.
- Analyse the consequences of the Flight to Varennes on the public perception of Louis XVI.
- Evaluate the causes of the French Revolutionary Wars and their immediate impact on domestic stability.
- Define the socio-economic characteristics and political demands of the sans-culottes.
- Explain the sequence of events leading to the overthrow of the monarchy on 10 August 1792.
- Analyse the causes and political consequences of the September Massacres and the subsequent Convention elections.
2H France in Revolution, 1774–1815 (A-level only) – The experiment in constitutional monarchy, 1789–1792 exam tips
Marking Points
- Explain the transition from the Estates-General to the National Assembly at Versailles.
- Analyse the causes and significance of the storming of the Bastille in Paris.
- Evaluate the impact of the Great Fear in the countryside on the August Decrees.
- Assess the political consequences of the October Days and the royal family's move to Paris.
- Evaluate the impact of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy on the stability of the constitutional monarchy.
- Analyse the distinction between 'active' and 'passive' citizens in the new political framework.
- Assess the effectiveness of administrative decentralisation into 83 departments.
- Explain the economic rationale and social consequences of the Le Chapelier Law and the abolition of internal tariffs.
- Analyse the role of political clubs, specifically the Jacobins and Cordeliers, in radicalising the Parisian populace and driving political debate.
- Evaluate the significance of the Flight to Varennes (June 1791) in destroying the viability of a constitutional monarchy and eroding trust in Louis XVI.
- Assess the Champs de Mars massacre (July 1791) as a turning point that fractured the alliance between moderate constitutionalists and radical republicans.
- Explain the origins of the Revolutionary War, including the Brissotin (Girondin) faction's push for conflict and the external threat posed by the Declaration of Pillnitz.
- Examine the impact of early military defeats in 1792 on internal French politics, specifically how it fuelled fear of counter-revolution and radicalised the masses.
- 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.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Link urban and rural developments to show how the revolution radicalised across different geographic areas.
- 💡Use the August Decrees as a bridge connecting the rural Great Fear to the political decisions made in Versailles.
- 💡When discussing the October Days, emphasise the shift in power from the Crown in Versailles to the crowd and Assembly in Paris.
- 💡Argue how the Civil Constitution of the Clergy acted as a turning point that fractured support for the revolution.
- 💡Contrast the liberal economic reforms, which benefited the bourgeoisie, with the social realities faced by the urban poor.
- 💡Use the administrative division into 83 departments as evidence of the Assembly's desire to dismantle the old absolutist structures.
- 💡Link the Flight to Varennes directly to the Champs de Mars demonstration to show a clear chain of cause and effect in the radicalisation process.
- 💡When discussing the origins of war, contrast the motives of the Girondins, who wanted to secure the revolution, with those of the King, who hoped for a French defeat.
- 💡Use the growth of the political clubs as concrete evidence of the increasing politicisation of the Parisian working classes.
- 💡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.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing the Great Fear with the Reign of Terror; the Great Fear was a rural panic in 1789, whereas the Terror was a period of state-sanctioned violence in 1793-1794.
- Assuming the October Days were solely a political movement; correct this by emphasising the economic trigger of bread shortages among Parisian women.
- Stating that the storming of the Bastille immediately ended the monarchy; correct this by noting it forced Louis XVI to share power, beginning the constitutional monarchy phase.
- Claiming the Assembly introduced universal suffrage; correct this by explaining the property qualifications that created 'active' and 'passive' citizens.
- Viewing church reforms purely as an attack on religion; correct this by explaining the financial motivation behind nationalising church lands to back the assignats.
- Assuming the King had no power in the new constitution; correct this by detailing his suspensive veto and role as head of the executive.
- Confusing the Jacobins and the Cordeliers; the Cordeliers were more radical earlier on and open to passive citizens, unlike the initially moderate and middle-class Jacobins.
- Assuming the King fled to escape France entirely; he intended to reach the loyalist stronghold of Montmédy near the border to negotiate from a position of strength.
- Claiming the war was purely defensive; the Girondins actively pushed for war to flush out traitors and unite the nation, while the King supported it hoping France would lose.
- Treating the sans-culottes as a formal political party; 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; 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; despite universal male suffrage, fear and exclusion meant only about 6 percent of eligible men voted.