The Last Act: Actions and Circumstances leading to the Overthrow of the Monarchy in France, 1792

In the morning of 21 January 1793, Louis XVI said his last words: “I die perfectly innocent of all the pretended crimes laid to my charge (…) I pray that my blood may be of use in restoring happiness to France - And you, unhappy people!" Immediately after, orders were given to push the blade into his neck. This may be interpreted as a symbol for the overthrow of the monarchy, but it was merely meant to suppress the chance of a failure in the Republic. In fact, the monarchy had been dissolved long before in August 1792. This radical change in an extremely monarchical France is not isolated from a series of events occurring in 1792. The following essay will examine the short-term actions and circumstances that led to the overthrow of the French monarchy.

On 20 April 1792, France declared war on Austria, which became supported by the Prussian army few weeks later. At this point, the French army was badly prepared for war. 6,000 experienced officers had emigrated from the country, so the army relied mainly on newly enlisted volunteers, which were helpful as men were needed to fight the war, but at the same time, they had not received proper training to build organization and discipline. For this reason, when the French army departed to the Austrian Netherlands, they realized the opponent army of Austria and Prussia, led by Charles William Ferdinand, was much prepared for armed conflict. This caused a stir within the French army: they panicked and retreated to Lille, a city in Northern France. Afterwards, the commander was killed and many military men deserted to the Austrian-Prussian army. This fact facilitated the invasion of Northern France by the allied army. This war contributed to the eventual overthrow of the monarchy because it seemed that the royal family had no interest whatsoever in winning the war or in supporting the revolution. In fact, the royalty viewed war as an opportunity to show that the new government would crumble under the pressure of foreign powers, leading the way to the re-establishment of the monarchy. This statement is backed up by the fact that Marie Antoinette kept in touch with the Austrian government and sent details of the strategies and plans of the French army. Later on, in November of the same year, a hidden iron safe containing correspondence between Louis XVI and the Austrian government would be found in the Tuileries to confirm such rumours.

Even when the revolution was very popular in France, some French people were still unsatisfied, so they desired a restoration of the authority of the monarchy and of the Catholic Church. These ideas were a threat to the campaign for settling the Revolution and at this point, there was no actual impediment for such counter-revolutionaries to take action. For this reason, on 27 May 1792, the Assembly passed three laws to avoid the spread of counter-revolutionary ideas: 1) deportation of refractory priests, 2) ceasing functions of the King’s Guard and 3) setting up a military base for 20,000 fédérés. Because these were not financial laws, the King was able to use suspensive veto on these. This decision was not well received by revolutionaries because they saw that vetoes gave Louis XVI an opportunity to depose the government ran by the Assembly via a military coup. The banning of these laws could be considered as a reminder for the revolutionaries on the importance of abolishing the monarchy. It built upon further disdain and distrust for the key, strong feelings that would lead revolutionaries forward.

On 11 July 1792, the Assembly declared a state of emergency under a decree named la patrie en danger in response to Prussia joining Austria. The French government saw this alliance as a threat because Prussia had built a strong disciplined army. By declaring a state of emergency, the French government was intending to persuade Frenchmen about the importance of their participation in the war with the aim of recruiting as many men as possible. It could be said that selectivity was not an option anymore in the French army, the lack of preparation had to be compensated with a significant quantity of military men. By asking ordinary citizens to fight, they had to give a certain drive or reward for doing so. For this reason, the Sections and the fédérés. Convinced the Assembly to allow participation of passive citizens into the National Guard and assemblies in the sections. In a way, the declaration of la patrie en danger could be considered a step towards the downfall of the monarchy precisely because of the stronger influence of the sans-culottes and
Fédérés, that supported extremist revolutionary ideas.

This heightened influence of the sans-culottes dates back to 20 June 1792, the anniversary of the Tennis Court Oath and of the flight of Varennes. 8,000 demonstrators, led by the Sections, displayed an armed demonstration in the Tuileries to show their discontent with the royal vetoes set by the King. The aim of this demonstration was to reverse the King’s decisions, however, Louis XVI was determined to maintain his vetoes. In spite of this, at this point, it was clear that the sans-culottes deserved recognition of their level of political involvement in the Paris Sections. They had earned far stronger influence than the bourgeoisie in the Assembly.

On 25 July 1792, Charles Fendinand, Duke of Brunswick and commander of the Austrian-Prussian forces signed the Brunswick Manifesto, a document that would be published in Paris on 1 August 1792. The Brunswick Manifesto expressed a lack of interest in conquering French territory or intervening in its government, but it emphasizes on its support for the royal family and Austria-Prussia’s willingness to attack, without any exception, those who did not follow the King. The following is the eighth and last mandate out of the manifesto, which captures the basis of the document:
That the inhabitants of the towns and villages who may dare to defend themselves against [our troops], either in the open country or through windows, doors, and openings in their houses, shall be punished immediately according to the most stringent laws of war, and their houses shall be burned or destroyed.
That the inhabitants of the towns and villages who may dare to defend themselves against [our troops], either in the open country or through windows, doors, and openings in their houses, shall be punished immediately according to the most stringent laws of war, and their houses shall be burned or destroyed.

Rather than fear, Frenchmen were angry because they did feel that a foreign nation was interfering in national affairs. The protection to the king and its family claimed on the document had an adverse effect upon his position. 47 of the 48 Sections voted in favour of the abolition of the monarchy and many people who were counter-revolutionaries changed their minds once they realised the ways by which the King intended to maintain his authority. Given to this effect on French society, the Brunswick Manifesto constitutes a vital piece in the success of the abolishment of the monarchy.

The Brunswick Manifesto also claimed “If the chateau of the Tuileries is entered by force or attacked (…) we will inflict an ever memorable vengeance by delivering over the city of Paris to military execution and complete destruction.” Yet, eight days later, a revolutionary Commune to organize and attack on the palace of the Tuileries. On 10 August 1792, 2,000 fédérés and members of the National Guard arrived to the palace, where the royal family was been kept under protection from 3,000 troops. 2,000 were National Guards and the remaining 1,000 were Swiss mercenaries that had no opinion whatsoever on the outcome of the revolution, so they would not defect. The fédérés and revolutionary guards went into the courtyards and were later joined by the members of the National Guard protecting the palace. The Swiss fired and in return, the invaders responded with grapeshot. In the end, Louis XVI ordered the Swiss to cease fire, which caused the death of 600 Swiss; 390 attackers were wounded or killed. The storming of the Tuileries Palace was the ultimate cause for the dissolution of the monarchy because first off, it could be seen as a challenge to the Brunswick Manifesto, a particular way of expressing the lack of effect it had on revolutionaries. More importantly, the Assembly was obliged to give the newly formed Commune the right to decide what would be the fate of the King from then on, so his powers were removed and he was imprisoned. At this point, constitutional monarchists that were deputies were hiding because they feared for their safety, so this made it possible for revolutionaries to proclaim a Republic.

The actions and circumstances expressed above are connected to each other in the sense that are part of the route towards the overthrow of the monarchy. It could be argued that, in 1792, France entered a cause and effect cycle that would inevitably lead to the rise of the Republic. The Jacobins, who eventually were called the Montagnards, were beneficiaries of these events because they heightened their legitimacy in the Convention. For instance, the publication of the Brunswick Manifesto and the use of royal vetoes were not introduced by the Montagnards, but for their benefit, they changed the overturned the opinions of many former supporters of a constitutional monarchy. These gave revolutionaries the ability to respond with the declaration of a state of emergency and with the Attack of the Tuilleries. Therefore, in a way, the defeat of the royalty could be partially attributed to an error in calculation of the King and the foreign powers backing him up, and a “stroke of luck” for the revolutionaries.

Bibliography

* Doyle, W. (2000). The Execution of Louis XVI and the End of the French Monarchy. History Today. [online] Available at: http://www.historytoday.com/william-doyle/execution-louis-xvi-and-end-french-monarchy [Accessed 9 Nov. 2014] * Dylan, R. (2008). France in Revolution. 4th ed. London: Hodder Education, pp.84-90. * Alpha History, (2013). The Brunswick Manifesto (1792). [online] Available at: http://alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution/brunswick-manifesto-1793/ [Accessed 8 Nov. 2014]. * "French Revolutionary Wars." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2014. Retrieved November 08, 2014 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-FrenchReWr.html