Causes and consequences of the French Revolution's establishment of the First Republic

¶ … Birth of the First French Republic

The first French Republic was established in 1792 in the aftermath of the 1789 Revolution and abolishment of the monarchy. The National Convention held a meeting in September 1792 that culminated with a vote to put an end to the monarchy and establish the first French Republic. The 1789 Revolution that acted as a catalyst for the abolishment of the monarchy and eventual establishment of the first French Republic gave the people the unprecedented opportunity to confront King Louis XIV who had dominated their lives. As the National Convention voted for the establishment of the first French Republic through abolishing the monarchy, it also tried Louis XVI for treason. The king was found guilty of treason and executed at the beginning of 1793. Given its role in the establishment of the first French Republic, the 1789 Revolution was a complex event with significant impacts on the French society, especially government. Notably, this revolution had far reaching impacts on the rest of Europe and other parts of the world. The Revolution's role in the creation of the first French Republic was largely attributable to its contribution to the fall of kings. However, there are other circumstances and events that contributed to the establishment of the first French Republic.

Cause of the Birth of the First French Republic

The birth of the first French Republic in 1792 was a culmination of a series of events and causes that influenced the National Convention's decision to put an end to the monarchy and establish the republic. Some of the major causes or incidents that contributed to the birth of the first French Republic include

The Revolution

One of the major factors that influenced the birth of the first French Republic is the French Revolution whose second phase started with the general mobilization on 1st September 1792 in which citizens were sent to the front. The first phase of the French Revolution can be traced back to 1789 when the mobilization gave French people the unprecedented opportunity to face the man who had dominated their lives and harass him.[footnoteRef:2] Before the first phase of the French Revolution, Montjoi complained that it had been yoked by the tyranny of self-styled seigneurs without titles to the revolutionary National Assembly. Together with Fraisse, Montjoi was one of the tiny communities in which St. Jean de Bouisse family was seigneur of. The family, through its men, had promised to plague Fraisse and Montjoi to death using old habits. As a result, the first phase of the French Revolution was regarded as the unexpected opportunity for these communities to confront the family that had dominated their lives. It was one of those few lifetime opportunities for ordinary people like the indigent, peasant, traders, and laborers felt much confident to express their dissatisfaction and directly address their authorities. These communities utilized various methods to express themselves during the Revolution including channels of the records of local government like neighborhood meetings or village councils. In some cases, they utilized legal action or protests to express their dissatisfaction. [2: Peter McPhee, Living the French Revolution, 1789-99 (New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan) 2006:1]

On the other hand, the second phase of the Revolution gave impetus to the political and social upheaval whose culmination was the abolishment of the monarchy and the establishment of the first French Republic. The general mobilization resulted in sending citizens to the front in order to express themselves against the existing political and social classes. This mobilization was crucial to efforts by citizens to abolish the monarchy since nearly 1,200 Royalists held in Parisian prisons were massacred. As the general mobilization continued, more citizens joined to an extent that the Revolution had significant impact on the French society and economy. Actually, working people became active participants in the Revolution, which helped in enhancing its societal and economic impact.

The role of the Revolution in the birth of the first French Republic is that it was political and social upheaval that involved and influenced every French citizen albeit in largely contrasting manners. Since it gave citizens an unprecedented opportunity to express themselves, the Revolution had significant impacts on the creation of the first French Republic by giving citizens a suitable platform to engage in negotiation and confrontation with existing distant governments. In this case, the Revolution wasn't just a mere recalcitrant of several provincial communities being acted upon and only sporadically pouring out in violent revenge. The Revolution enjoyed several victories in its quest against distant government, which helped create the first French Republic. For instance, on September 20, 1792, the French forces defeated the invading force at Valmy, which implied that the Revolution would enjoy victory in its military battles. Following this victory, the National Convention, which was elected by the Legislative Assembly, met and abolished the monarchy on the first day of the Republican Calendar. The abolishment of the monarchy in turn paved way for the creation of the first French Republic as ratified by the Convention. The newly established republic received necessary support on November 19, 1792 when "Edict of Fraternity" offered help to "subject peoples."

Execution of Louis XVI

After the National Convention voted to abolish the monarchy and establish the first French Republic, King Louis XVI was tried for treason. The trial, which started on December 11, 1792, found King Louis XVI guilty of treason and he was eventually executed on January 21, 1793. The aftermath of Louis XVI's execution played an important role in the first French Republic. French people soon found themselves with another dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte, who crowned himself the country's emperor and revoked the republic. This was followed by a series of events and conflicts as the struggle to create a republic continued.

The Constitution of 1793

The first constitution of the Republican period was the Constitution of 1793, which was created by the Committee of Public Safety. This Constitution, which is also known as Jacobin Constitution was accepted by the National Convention on July 24, 1793 and played a major role in the creation of the first French Republic. The acceptance of this constitution by the Convention was preceded by several events during the two-year Reign of Terror period. On April 24, 1793, Marat was put on trial for complicity though later acquitted whereas maximum price of bread was imposed on May 4, 1793 because of the massive uprising. On May 27, 1793, an uprising of Paris Commune against the National Convention emerged resulting in the establishment of the Commune of Paris as the centre of power. This came after the expulsion of the Girondists or the party of compromise from all offices on June 2, 1793. Girondists were evicted as a means of bringing an end to their attempts to bring war. The main obstacle in Girondists' attempts to bring war was the acceptance of the Constitution of 1793, which stated that a declaration of war could only be made by a decree of the legislative body based on recommendations and sanctions by the king.[footnoteRef:5] [5: Sylvia Neely, A Concise History of the French Revolution (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.) 2008:145]

Reasoning Behind the French Republic

Even though the birth of the first French Republic was caused by many factors, the reasoning behind this republic can be understood through historiography. As previously mentioned, the major cause of the birth of this republic was the Revolution, which emerged as a struggle between bourgeois and proletariat. Actually, the Revolution emerged from demands for change from a growing bourgeoisie whose low societal status did not match the increasing economic wealth across the country. Through the series of events and incidents during the Revolution, the bourgeoisie overthrew the monarchy and nobility and created a more friendly system to the needs of capitalism. Therefore, the first reasoning behind the birth of the first French Republic was the class conflict during this period. According to Albert Mathiez, a French historian, the first French Republic was birthed following class conflict between the bourgeoisie and the san-culottes or proletariat in 1789. This conflict contributed to the emergence of the Revolution, which was crucial for the creation of first republic. Secondly, the first French Republic was birthed following specific contributions and experiences of individuals such as St. Jean de Bouisse family. Based on Richard Charles Cobb, a British historian, there are specific individuals like de Bouisse and King Louis XVI who made significant contributions or experiences that led to the emergence of the republic. In essence, the republic was brought by individual experiences or contributions instead of emergence of historical movements. Third, the first French Republic was brought by violence that characterized the Revolution. Francois Furet, a French historian, argues that violence became an important means for dealing with counter-revolutionaries during the Reign of Terror and acted as a catalyst for birthing the republic.

In conclusion, the birth of the first French Republic was ratified by the National Convention in 1792 after abolishment of the monarchy. The creation of this republic was fueled by a series of events before and after the meeting by the National Convention that fueled the Revolution. Some of the major causes of the birth of the first French Republic include the Revolution, execution of King Louis XVI, the Reign of Terror, and the Constitution of 1793. There are several reasons for the creation of this republic based on a historiography perspective such as the class conflict between bourgeoisie and proletariat, individual contributions and experiences, and pre-dominant violence during the Revolution.