2H France in Revolution, 1774–1815 (A-level only) – The experiment in constitutional monarchy, 1789–1792 — AQA A-Level History

This topic examines the crucial transition from absolutist collapse in 1789 to the formal establishment and rapid demise of France's first constitutional monarchy under the Constitution of 1791. It encompasses the institutional, legal, fiscal, and religious restructuring undertaken by the National Constituent Assembly, alongside the mounting popular and factional pressures that challenged moderate rule.

Understanding this period is central to AQA A-Level Component 2H, as it bridges the initial revolutionary idealism of 1789 with the radical terror of 1792-1794. Students evaluate how unresolved ideological tensions, the King's reluctance to relinquish divine-right prerogatives, religious schism, and the pressures of foreign war combined to derail the moderate constitutional experiment.

• →The Constitution of 1791 and the Dual Executive: The balance of power between an elected Legislative Assembly and a hereditary King holding a suspensive veto.
• →Administrative and Legal Rationalisation: The replacement of ancien regime venality, parlements, and intendants with 83 uniform departments and elected juries.
• →The Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790): The state-led reform of the Gallican Church that mandated clerical oaths, sparked nationwide religious division, and alienated the Papacy.
• →The Rise of Political Clubs and Factionalism: The ideological divergence between moderates (Feuillants), radicals (Jacobins, Cordeliers), and the emergence of the sans-culottes.
• →War and the Fall of the Monarchy: The impact of the April 1792 declaration of war, the Brunswick Manifesto, and the 10 August 1792 insurrection on the Tuileries.

• 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.

• 💡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.
• 💡Differentiate sharply between the National Constituent Assembly (1789-September 1791) and the Legislative Assembly (October 1791-September 1792); remember Robespierre's 'Self-Denying Ordinance' prevented members of the former from sitting in the latter.
• 💡Always link political developments in Paris with provincial reactions, especially when discussing peasant unrest, tax compliance, and the reception of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy.
• 💡Avoid descriptive narratives of events like the Flight to Varennes or the October Days; instead, dissect their precise structural and psychological consequences on the constitutional settlement.

• 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.
• Believing that the revolutionary deputies intended to depose Louis XVI and establish a republic from 1789. (Correction: Prior to the Flight to Varennes in June 1791, republicanism was virtually non-existent among deputies; the overwhelming consensus favored retaining Louis XVI within a constitutional monarchy modeled on liberal Enlightenment principles.)
• Assuming that economic problems were fully solved by the confiscation of church property. (Correction: While nationalising Church land (biens nationaux) provided backing for the assignat currency, over-issue of assignats triggered rapid depreciation, hyperinflation, and food shortages that continually radicalised the Parisian working classes.)

1. 1Day 1-3: Map out the National Assembly's institutional, fiscal, and judicial reforms; create a comparative table of successes versus structural weaknesses.
2. 2Day 4-6: Study the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790) and the Flight to Varennes (1791), evaluating how each eroded the political consensus.
3. 3Day 7-9: Analyse the Legislative Assembly, the rise of the Brissotin/Girondin war faction, and the external pressures that culminated in war in April 1792.
4. 4Day 10-12: Write timed thematic essays focusing on the causes behind the failure of constitutional monarchy and the fall of the Tuileries on 10 August 1792.

• 📋Depth Essay (Assess the validity of a view...): Requires a sustained, thematic argument balancing multiple causal factors (e.g. royal obstinacy, popular radicalism, war) with consistent evaluation.
• 📋Primary Source Evaluation (Compulsory Question 1): Analysis of three contemporary extracts from 1789-1792 regarding provenance, tone, context, and historical value to assess a particular viewpoint.