The Legislative Assembly (1791–92)

The legislature, which served from 1791 to 1792 during the French Revolution, marked an important stage in the country’s political evolution.

Encompasses the significance of the legislature as it succeeded the National Constituent Assembly. During its short existence, the legislature grappled with political divisions, economic challenges, and external threats, ultimately witnessing the beginning of the radical phase of the revolution. Legislative debates and decisions during this period laid the groundwork for the republic and set the stage for later revolutionary developments, including the rise of political factions and the declaration of war against neighboring monarchies.

Provides an overview of key events and dynamics that characterize the legislature’s major role in shaping the course of the French Revolution.

The Legislative Assembly (1791–92)

Historical facts	The Legislative Assembly (1791–92)
Formation Year	1791
Duration	1791-1792
Significance	Legislative body during the French Revolution
Location	Paris, France
Key Figures	Maximilien Robespierre, Georges Danton, etc.
Purpose	Drafting and passing laws, shaping governance
Role in Revolution	Instrumental in radical political changes
Constitutional Role	Shaped by the ideals of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
Outcomes	Transitioned France towards a Republic
End of Term	Dissolved in 1792 during the radical phase

Introduction

Elections were held under the 1791 constitution, and the new legislature met on October 1, 1791. The legislature consisted of 745 members. However, they were all inexperienced, young, and new to the job. This was mainly because the National Assembly (1789–91), before its dissolution, passed a law that prohibited its members from voting in the legislature.

Political Groups in the Legislature

The Legislative Assembly was troubled by the rivalry of various political groups. Constitutionalists were supporters of the 1791 constitution and were in favor of a constitutional monarchy for France. They were prepared to accept a king with limited powers. The second political group was the Republicans, who were further divided into two main groups: the Girondins and the Jacobins. The Girondins were moderate and stood for the establishment of a republican form of government. The Jacobins were Republicans of the extreme type. They were ready to adopt all kinds of means for the establishment and security of a republican form of government. At first, the Girondins had a majority in the legislature, but gradually the influence of the Jacobins began to increase.

Anti-Clergy and Emigrant Laws

The Legislative Assembly passed two laws that had far-reaching consequences. According to the first law, all priests were required to act according to the civil constitution of the clergy. The second law dealt with those French nobles who had fled France (émigrés) and were persuading foreign governments to intervene on their behalf and crush the revolution in France. The law required them to return to France on a fixed date. If they failed to return, their property was to be confiscated. Louis XVI disapproved of both of these laws and eventually vetoed both. This was exactly what the Girondins wanted and were prepared for. By refusing to sign these laws, the king came to be seen as an enemy of the revolution. The Girondins went even further. They wished to make a traitor of the king himself, and for this, a foreign war was necessary. The Girondins thus deliberately decided to provoke a foreign war.

Foreign Intervention

Foreign powers’ interference in France’s internal affairs was becoming inevitable. The revolutionaries of France were determined to spread their ideas outside of France. The cause of France became “the cause of all nations against all kings”. Thus, the rulers of other European states were forced to wage war against revolutionary France to crush the revolution. Emigrant nobles waged a propaganda war in other European countries against the revolution in France. Under these circumstances, there was a great possibility of foreign intervention in France.

Pillnitz Declaration

On August 27, 1791, the Austrian Emperor Leopold II. and King Frederick William of Prussia issued the Pillnitz Declaration. In this declaration, both monarchs emphasized that the cause of the French king was the cause of the kings of Europe, and both Austria and Prussia were ready to intervene in France if the rulers of other countries joined hands with them.

The threat of foreign war

The French people resented the threat of foreign intervention, and this strengthened the resolve of the Girondins, who were in favor of war, thus allowing them to end the monarchy in France. Only the extreme Jacobins, who broke away from the Girondins, were against the war. They feared that the war would result in either a restored monarchy or a dictatorship. Except for the ‘extreme Jacobins’ under Robespierre and Danton, all other parties began to prepare for foreign war.

Revolutionary War

The foreign war was provoked by the French revolutionaries, who, through Louis XVI (Emperor Leopold II died on March 1, 1792), sent the Austrian Emperor Francis II an ultimatum regarding emigrants. Emperor Francis II was the nephew of Maia Antoinette. In response to the request, the Austrian emperor demanded the restoration of the feudal rights of the German princes, which the revolutionaries had abolished. As the dispute between Austria and Revolutionary France continued, war was declared on April 20, 1792. The declaration of war was approved by all parties in the Legislative Assembly, with only seven members voting against it.

The Revolutionary War, which began in April 1792, lasted almost without a break until 1815 and gave a new direction to the whole course of European history. In France, the war gave new intensity to the revolutionary movement. The Girondin leaders were swept from power, and the Jacobins gained control. The Bourbon monarchy was overthrown, and a new form of dictatorship was established in France.

France was not thoroughly prepared for the war. The Girondins could not prosecute the war, and the war progressed disastrously for France. It was a five-month story of defeat, humiliation, and invasion. The French army was disorganized due to a lack of proper leadership and discipline. There was no unity of command or confidence between officers and men. Some officers and soldiers deserted, which further weakened the morale of the French army.

Revolt, 20 June 1792

As the French armies were driven back from the frontiers, a civil war arising from religious differences threatened France with internal disorder. Faced with these twin problems, the Legislative Assembly passed two decrees. One decree ordered the deportation of all non-juror priests to penal colonies. A second decree established an army of 20,000 men to protect Paris. Louis XVI vetoed both of these measures. To force the king to sign these decrees, the Jacobins organized a huge popular demonstration against the king. On June 20, 1792, a huge mob marched to the Tuileries, forced open the fortress gates, and entered the royal family’s apartment. For three hours, the king stood before the crowd but refused to oblige. After the mob had subjected the King of France to bitter humiliation, he finally withdrew without resorting to any violence.

Manifesto of the Duke of Brunswick

The revolutionary movement in France began to gather strength. Under these circumstances, the Manifesto of the Duke of Brunswick, Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces against France, published on August 3, 1792, added fuel to the passions of the French revolutionaries. The manifesto was directed not only against the Jacobins but against all patriotic Frenchmen. With this manifesto, the Allies renounced interference in the internal affairs of France but ordered the French people to restore Louis XVI’s plenipotentiary powers, to obey the orders of the invaders, and not to resist or oppose Louis XVI or the Allies. The manifesto further declared that National Guardsmen under arms would be treated as rebels and that administrative officials and private citizens who resisted the invading armies would be punished according to the rules of war. If Paris and its inhabitants offered any insult or injury to the royal family or attacked the Tuileries, the allied monarchs would seek memorable revenge by delivering the city to military execution and destruction. Although Louis XVI repudiated the manifesto, his words carried no weight.

Revolt of August 10, 1792

Following the publication of the Duke of Brunswick’s Manifesto, Parisians organized a revolt on August 10, 1792. Louis XVI was more than ever suspected of secretly supporting the invaders. The municipal government of the Girondins in Paris was overthrown by the Jacobins, who organized a new municipal government. The Jacobins launched an uprising on August 10, 1792, to overthrow Louis XVI. At the end of the uprising, the revolutionary Paris Commune, led by Jacobin leader Danton, forced the Legislative Assembly to implement his recommendations. The Legislative Assembly suspended the king and temporarily deposed him. This led to the need to draw up a new constitution, as the 1791 constitution was monarchical. Therefore, the Legislative Assembly decided to call a convention to undertake the task of drafting a new constitution.

September Massacre, 1792

The King and Queen were imprisoned in the Temple, an old fortress in Paris. The Paris Commune also arrested a large number of suspects. The so-called September massacre followed. When news of the advance of Prussian and Austrian troops under the Duke of Brunswick reached Paris, panic reigned. The violent elements of the commune took advantage of this critical situation. Incited by Marat, one of the most fanatical and radical figures of the time, from September 2 to 6, 1792, radical revolutionaries continued to massacre political prisoners in Paris who were suspected of sympathizing with the royalist cause. Almost 1,200 people were brutally murdered.

Battle of Valmy

On September 20, 1792, the Allied forces were checked at Valma. The Battle of Valma was fought between the combined Prussian and Austrian forces led by the Duke of Brunswick and the French army. The Allied invasion of France was halted, and a retreat was begun, which soon turned into a rout. The French victory was a turning point in the wars of the French Revolution, which had begun five months earlier. The Battle of Valma marked the first of many victories for the troops of revolutionary France.

Conclusion

France was thus saved from the immediate danger of a further advance by the Allied Powers. The French victory at the Battle of Valmy restored confidence in the French forces. While France’s Revolutionary Ministry negotiated with the retreating Allied Powers, a National Convention was established to confront the internal and external dangers facing France and to draft a new constitution for the country.

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