Category: History - European
The old Monarchy in France.--Survivals of free institutions. --Centralised despotism of the Crown.--The Intendant's position and powers.--Evils of the system.--The Government sensitive to criticism but all-pervading.--Class divisions.--The nobles and their privileges.--The rui...
The old Monarchy in France.--Survivals of free institutions. --Centralised despotism of the Crown.--The Intendant's position and powers.--Evils of the system.--The Government se...
2. CHAPTER II.The intellectual revolt of the eighteenth century.--Repudiation of authority and dogma.--Rise of the new political philosophy.--The literary leaders.--Montesquieu.--Voltaire.--D...
3. CHAPTER III.Meeting of the States-General.--The Commons insist on the separation of the three Orders.--Deadlock for six weeks.--The Commons constitute themselves the National Assembly on th...
4. CHAPTER IV.Inclination of the Assembly to follow out its theories blindly without regard to consequences.--Hopes of a strong Government frustrated by the decree of the 7th November.--Resul...
5. CHAPTER V.No real party-government in the Assembly.--Gradual formation of parties.--The Conservative Right and its various groups.--Maury and Cazalés.--Mounier, Malouet and their friends....
6. CHAPTER VI.The Revolution consists of two separate movements, one mainly political, the other mainly social.--Pause in the Revolution in 1791.--Apathy of the majority of voters.--Classes w...
7. CHAPTER VII.Attitude of the European Powers towards the Revolution.--Catherine of Russia.--Gustavus of Sweden.--Joseph of Austria.--Frederick William of Prussia.--Spain and England.--Troubl...
8. CHAPTER VIII.The Elections of 1792.--Parties in the Convention.--The Girondists and their advisers.--Madame Roland.--The part played by women in the French Revolution.--Difference between th...
9. CHAPTER IX.The Constitution of '93.--Conflict between Jacobin theory and Jacobin practice.--The Constitution suspended.--Intimidation of the Convention.--Services of its Committees to the...
10. CHAPTER X.Ascendency of the party of the Commune.--A second party, that of the Dantonists, arises.--Danton's attitude.--His great services to the Revolution.--His weariness of faction and...
11. CHAPTER XI.Results of the fall of Robespierre.--Progress of the reaction against the Terror.--The Mountain, the Right, and the Thermidorians.--Fréron and the Jeunes Gens.--Closing of the J...
12. CHAPTER I.Historians have not yet determined where the French Revolution properly begins. But even warring schools agree that the object of that great movement, apart from its accidents a...
13. CHAPTER II.The decay of the old society was accompanied in France by a decay of the ideas which were inseparably associated with it, and which, long kept alive by authoritative sanctions,...
14. CHAPTER III.On the 5th May, 1789, the States-General were opened by Louis at Versailles. From the first the Government betrayed its helplessness, and its total inability to appreciate the s...
15. CHAPTER IV.After its arrival in Paris, the Assembly continued, amid many interruptions, the work of constructing the new constitution, and the same blind attachment to captivating theories...
16. CHAPTER V.It was one of the misfortunes of the Constituent Assembly that it never learned the arts of party government. When the preliminary struggle between the Commons and the privilege...
17. CHAPTER VI.The French Revolution can be divided into many periods, and several parties directed it in turn. But, broadly speaking, besides its minor phases, it contained two movements, suc...
18. CHAPTER VII.It is a mistake to imagine that the European Powers attacked the Revolution in France. It was the Revolution which attacked them. The diplomatists of the eighteenth century view...
19. CHAPTER VIII.The first sitting of the National Convention was held on the 21st September, 1792. The Parisian deputies, elected two or three weeks before, under the eyes of the Insurrectionar...
20. CHAPTER IX.The first step taken by the Jacobins, after the defeat of their opponents in the Convention, to conciliate public opinion in France, was the proclamation of a new constitution....
21. CHAPTER X.It was in November, 1793, and under the influence of the Commune of Paris, that the Revolution reached its climax. The party of the Commune was undoubtedly strong. It had behind...
22. CHAPTER XI.With the fall of Robespierre the Terror came to an end. The men who overthrew him were many of them worse men than he. They did not intend to repudiate his system. They had acte...