revolutionary transformations and new languages of freedom the transatlantic disruption between 1750...

Revolutionary transformations and new languages of freedom

• The transatlantic disruption between 1750 and 1850 had roots in the mercantilist system of the previous century


• As wealth increased, men and women demanded a relaxation of mercantilist restrictions - Demanded greater freedom to trade - Demanded more influence in governing

institutions

American and French Revolutions

• Readings: Smith, et al., 771-776

• D 18.7: “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen”


• Over time, these demands became more radical and revolutionary- Revolutionaries championed the concept of

popular sovereignty, free people, free trade, free markets, and free labor as a more just and efficient foundation for society (in America: must end slavery; in France, must end serfdom, feudalism)

Political reorderings • The spread of revolutionary ideas across the Atlantic

world in the second half of the eighteenth century followed the trail of Enlightenment ideas

• People disagreed over the meaning of terms such as liberty, independence, freedom, and equality

• We still do

Political reorderings – The Decision to Redesign the State

• Building a republican government – Articles of Confederation not working• Government weak and in debt for war• Couldn’t make trade agreements with

other countries (all states had to go along or did they)

• Unable to protect shipping of particular states

• During this time, the prospect of a

social revolution of women, slaves, and artisans was very real; elites labeled this "excesses of democracy"

• Shays's rebellion of 1786 protested negative effects of revolutionary wars on bankrupt farmer veterans from Western Massachusetts

Hamilton and Jefferson

Constitutional Convention

• Building a republican government • Scope of power of federal

government versus state power continued to be debated hotly

• Constitution a Compromise, but more Federalist (Hamiltonian )• The new constitution

substantially enhanced the power of the federal (national) government over state legislatures

• Anti-Federalists (Jefferson) insisted on the inclusion of a bill of rights to protect individual liberties from government interference

The French Revolution, 1789–1799

• The French Revolution, even more than the American Revolution, inspired other rebellions around the world, lasting into the twentieth century

• Origins and outbreak • Enlightenment ideas

against oppressive government had gained legitimacy among millions and helped propel the nation into revolution


• Origins and outbreak• Harvests had been poor for

years, leading many peasants to protest unreasonable tax burdens

• King Louis XVI opened the door for reform when he convened the Estates-General in 1788 to seek new forms of revenue to service the crown’s debt


Reform turned to revolution as members of the Third Estate (the common people) called for greater representation • Upon hearing of these

events, peasants rose up in the countryside to protest unfair feudal dues and obligations

• On July 14, 1789, a Parisian crowd attacked the Bastille, an infamous political prison


• Revolutionary transformation • In August, the Third Estate,

calling itself a national assembly, abolished feudal privileges of the nobility and clergy and passed a “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens” • It recognized political equality

and popular sovereignty • Some people suggested that

women be included as citizens, but women's petitions were rejected • Olympe de Gouges completed

“Declaration of the Rights of Women and Citizens”

•Key Questions:

• How much would popular violence influence rational political debate?

• Is popular sovereignty possible?

• How do you incorporate working class Parisians, peasants, and women into the polity?


• Revolutionary transformation• As the revolution gathered

speed, it split into different factions over the goals

• More elites fled country

• The Terror • Launched by radical

Jacobins, including Robespierre

• Eliminated all symbols of the old regime

Have People of Paris Become Source of Sovereignty?

• Law of Maximum (May 4, 1793)

• Invade Convention – Persuade Mountain to Arrest 31 Girondist Deputies for Treason (June 2, 1793)

• Ascendancy of Committee of Public Safety - Robespierre

Ended Serfdom

Constitution of 1793

“The aim of society is the happiness of all.”

“Public assistance is a sacred debt. Society owes a living to the unfortunate among its citizens, either by finding work for them or by guaranteeing the means of subsistence to those who are not in a fit condition to work.”

“Education is a necessity for all.”

“When the government violates the rights of the people, then insurrection …is the most sacred and necessary of duties.”

Women’s Clubs

• Universal Manhood suffrage proclaimed with Republic (September 1792)

• Women actively involved in clubs, Parisian sections, Convention (as hecklers)

• Women’s Clubs Closed (October 30, 1793)

Abolition of Slavery

• Abolition of slavery in French colonies (February 4, 1794)

The Revolution “Devours Its Own”

• Terror: Put on Trial “Enemies of the Nation” for crimes against “the nation,” “against the people”

• Arrest and execution of Hébertistes (March 13-24, 1794)

• Arrest and execution of Dantonists (March 30-April 6, 1794)

• Law of 22 Prairial II (June 10, 1794): “Every citizen is empowered to seize conspirators and counterrevolutionaries, and to bring them before the magistrates. He is required to denounce them as soon as he knows of them.”

• 40,000 Killed, 300,000 arrested


• The Terror• Tried to do away with

aristocratic and Catholic influences on the nation’s culture

• In 1794, moderates regained control of the government upon the execution of Robespierre

• In 1799, in light of ineffective government, Napoleon Bonaparte and other generals from the army organized a coup

The Terror in The French Revolution: Contrasting Images


• In 1804, Napoleon declared himself emperor of the French nation • Checked the excesses of the

Radical era but let many revolutionary changes continue

• Allowed religious freedom • Submitted a constitution to a

plebiscite • Code Napoleon codified the

nation’s laws into one legal framework emphasizing the equality of men and the protection of individual property

Napoleon’s empire, 1799–1815

• Napoleon envisioned a new Roman empire based on the principles he espoused in France

• His attempts to bring Europe under French rule laid the foundations for nineteenth-century nationalist strife • Strong local resistance

appeared in Spain, Germany, and Egypt

Napoleon’s empire, 1799–1815

• The Congress of Vienna could not turn the clock back completely• In many areas, some of

Napoleon’s reforms were kept in place, such as the abolition of serfdom among German states

• The nationalist sentiments that French troops stirred continued in places such as Germany and Italy

Question of Sovereignty Up for Grabs

revolutionary transformations and new languages of freedom the transatlantic disruption between 1750...

Documents

revolution slide

jefferson slide

government interference

feudalism slide

citizen slide

previous century slide

crowns debt slide

american revolution