Divisions Appear: The Flight of the King
On June 20 1791 the King tried to flee France, leaving behind a letter damning the revolution. He was caught at Varennes the next day and brought back to Paris, which he would never again leave. This is arguably the second great turning point in the Revolution, for the king had condemned it and all that had been done in the public's name. One question was raised above all else: how could he stay in charge of the France he had attacked and tried to flee? A series of mob attacks on royal symbols followed.
The National Assembly, confused and unsure of how to act, declared that the king had been kidnapped, but news of his attempted flight spread across France, raising the spectre of Austrian armies coming to help him. Memberships of political clubs rose as people flocked to discuss what should be done, especially among the Jacobins who argued for his deposition. When a revolt broke out in Paris, petitioning against the king, the National Guard was called in; they crushed the revolt in the 'Massacre of the Champ de Mars'. In contrast, a group called the Feuillants argued for another try at building a constitution around the king.
The Constitution of 1791 and a New France
On September 1791 the new constitution was ready and put to the king; he accepted on the 13th. In two years the Constituent Assembly had wholly changed the structure of life in France, going further than the cahiers had ever suggested and wiping away the ancient regime. However, the constitution, especially its reforms of religious life, had created fault lines down which the people of France could split, meaning millions now had doubts over a revolution which had begin with immense popularity.
- The king was renamed 'King of the French'. He could not propose laws and had a veto which only blocked legislation for a maximum of three years. He could appoint ministers, but the legislature could remove them.
- Royal income was decided by a vote in the legislature.
- The legislature was one single assembly of 745 members which lasted for two years at a time.
- Each seat was voted for by active citizens, a new class which was established in a decree of October 1789. These were men over 25 who paid tax equivalent to three days labour, approximately 4.3 million people. However, these just elected a second group of citizens, who paid the equivalent of ten days labour in tax, roughly 45,000 people. These then met in a further assembly to elect the legislative deputies, but only men who owned land and paid 54 days worth of tax could be selecyed. Even at the time this looked at odds with the Declaration of the Rights of Man and caused controversy.
- All venal offices were gone; instead all public offices were to be elected, even parish priests.
- The old legal system was swept away and replaced by a new system based around elected Justices of the Peace.
- All the old administrative divisions of France were removed and replaced by 83 roughly equal departments which were subdivided into districts and communes, all run by elected councils. Government was now dependant upon thousands of elected officials.
- Cities were divided into sections, each with their own assembly. Paris had 48.
- Jews and Protestants were given the same rights as Catholics and allowed to stand for election, although the motion allowing Jews was only narrowly passed.
- Tithes, vestry frees and pluralism were banned; instead the clergy were to be paid a salary from the national coffers.
- All local militias were brought under the umbrella of the National Guard. A national uniform was introduced and only active citizens were allowed to join.
- On June 19th 1890 nobility and all associated titles and awards were banned.
- Most old taxes were abolished, to be replaced with a new land tax, as well as taxes on movable items and profits. There were to be no exceptions. While the old taxes were supposed to be collected as the new system was put in place, many refused to pay.
- Church lands were nationalised, mainly as a way to help pay off the huge debts which the revolutionary government had both inherited from the old regime and run up itself (compensation payments to the holders of venal offices alone ran to 800 million livres). Much was sold off, mainly to the bourgeoisie.
- Assignats, which quickly became a source of paper money, were issued based on the church lands.
- Monasteries and convents were abolished.
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