ipl-logo

How Did The French Revolution Affected By The Sans-Culottes?

936 Words4 Pages

From the French Revolution forward, the urban poor or the “Sans-Culottes” as they were known, took many steps to acquire political, social, and economic security but were ultimately suppressed by the bourgeoisies to remain a voiceless class. The French Revolution as a whole did not positively affect the Sans-Culottes due mainly to a new political and social arrangement within French society that favored wealthy property owners. The Sans-Culottes did not become enfranchised, their worker associations were banned, inflation was rising, food prices were in flux, and public stability was undermined during war. Although the Sans-Culottes were typically absent from political discourse before the French Revolution, spending most of their time (working/sleeping) …show more content…

However, after the implementation of the new Constitution, all forms of worker organizations were officially banned (562). The rationale behind this was not only a product of the Enlightenment, which expounded ideas of individualism, but also a direct reaction to the conditions of the old regime in France, where social status was based on heritage and political representation was unevenly distributed between three Estates or categories of people (553). The National Constituent Assembly intending to uphold the principles fundamental to the revolution, saw these worker associations as being a relic of the old regime and were therefore abolished. With the removal of worker associations, any form of social unity, political voice, and economic stability for the Sans-Culottes was effectively …show more content…

In place of the prior governmental order—The National Convention—the Jacobins led by Robespierre, declared to create a new Republican Constitution. This was highly favored by the Sans-Culottes, who strongly believed in the principles of a Republic (Cats Massacre). Although initial legislation supported the interests of the Sans-Culottes, a loose judicial system had accompanied the transition of power giving way to swift and violent prosecution of any individuals’ deemed enemy to the state. From mid-1793 into 1794, some 25,000 individuals were executed—many of whom were members of the Sans-Culottes (578). In violently revolting against the original Revolutionary government, the Sans-Culottes were able to obtain some of their goals. However, building internal strife saw fruition following the creation of Revolutionary Tribunals, which effectively removed a large number of the Sans-Culottes as well as many of their most prominent leaders (577). In seeking violent and immediate change, the Sans-Culottes had helped facilitate a period destructive not only to their own members but also to their political

More about How Did The French Revolution Affected By The Sans-Culottes?

Open Document