Legislative Assembly (France)
Encyclopedia
During the French Revolution
, the Legislative Assembly was the legislature of France from 1 October 1791 to September 1792. It provided the focus of political debate and revolutionary law-making between the periods of the National Constituent Assembly
and of the National Convention
.
The Legislative Assembly was driven by two opposing groups. The members of the first group were primarily moderate members of the bourgeoisie that favored a constitutional monarchy
, represented by the Feuillants
, who felt that the revolution had already achieved its goal. The second group was the democratic faction, for whom the king
could no longer be trusted, represented by the new members of the Jacobin club
. This group claimed that more revolutionary measures were necessary.
dissolved itself on 30 September 1791. Upon Robespierre
's motion it had decreed that none of its members should be capable of sitting in the next legislature. Its successor body, the Legislative Assembly, operating under the liberal
French Constitution of 1791
, did not last a year and was generally deemed a failure. It left behind an empty treasury, an undisciplined army and navy, and enormous domestic turmoil.
The Legislative Assembly entrenched the perceived left-right
political spectrum
that is still commonly used today.
and its affiliated societies throughout France.
The Legislative Assembly first met on 1 October 1791. It consisted of 745 members, and some historians have attempted to argue that they were mostly from the middle class, though this is not universally accepted. The members were generally young, and, since none had sat in the previous Assembly, they largely lacked national political experience. They tended to be people who had made their name through successful political careers in local politics.
The Right
within the assembly (in the wider picture of national politics they are better seen as moderates, since the 'real' right wing of monarchists were outside the assembly and in some cases outside the country as émigrés at this time) consisted of about 165 "Feuillant
s", guided chiefly by persons outside the House, because those had been made incapable of re-election. The Left
, generally dominant during this period, consisted of about 330 "Jacobins
", a term which still included the party afterwards known as the Girondins or Girondists. The Left as a whole was openly anti-émigré and anticlerical. They also generally, although often not openly, favored a republic. In these views, they were reinforced by the less privileged classes in Paris and throughout France. The remainder of the House, about 250 deputies, generally belonged to no definite party. The king's ministers, named by him and excluded from the Assembly, are described by the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica as "mostly persons of little mark."
.
The 27 August 1791 Declaration of Pillnitz
already threatened France with attack by its neighbors. With both King Louis XVI
and the majority of the legislature favoring war, albeit for different reasons, this led in April 1792 to the first of the French Revolutionary Wars
.
In the early days of the Legislative Assembly, the king vetoed many of their radical measures:
A sparsely populated session of the Legislative Assembly, almost all of them Jacobins
, suspended Louis from office and voted that a convention should be summoned to give France a new constitution. At this point, the government of France descended into chaos. The new, anti-monarchical government had no root in law and little hold on public opinion
. It could not lean on the Assembly, a mere shrunken remnant, whose days were numbered. It remained dependent on the power which had set it up, the revolutionary Commune of Paris. The Commune could therefore extort what concessions it pleased. It got the custody of the king and his family, who were imprisoned in the Temple
. Having obtained an indefinite power of arrest, it soon filled the prisons of Paris. With the invasion of France on 19 August 1792 under the leadership of the Duke of Brunswick, a prison bloodbath ensued, a prelude to the Reign of Terror
.
The ensuing elections to the Convention were by almost universal suffrage, but indifference or intimidation reduced the voters to a small number. Many who had sat in the National Constituent Assembly and many more who had sat in the Legislative Assembly were returned. The Convention met on 20 September 1792 and became the new de facto government of France.
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, the Legislative Assembly was the legislature of France from 1 October 1791 to September 1792. It provided the focus of political debate and revolutionary law-making between the periods of the National Constituent Assembly
National Constituent Assembly
The National Constituent Assembly was formed from the National Assembly on 9 July 1789, during the first stages of the French Revolution. It dissolved on 30 September 1791 and was succeeded by the Legislative Assembly.-Background:...
and of the National Convention
National Convention
During the French Revolution, the National Convention or Convention, in France, comprised the constitutional and legislative assembly which sat from 20 September 1792 to 26 October 1795 . It held executive power in France during the first years of the French First Republic...
.
The Legislative Assembly was driven by two opposing groups. The members of the first group were primarily moderate members of the bourgeoisie that favored a constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
, represented by the Feuillants
Feuillant (political group)
The Feuillants were a political grouping that emerged during the French Revolution. It came into existence from a split within the Jacobins from those opposing the overthrow of the king and proposing a constitutional monarchy. The deputies publicly split with the Jacobins when they published a...
, who felt that the revolution had already achieved its goal. The second group was the democratic faction, for whom the king
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
could no longer be trusted, represented by the new members of the Jacobin club
Jacobin Club
The Jacobin Club was the most famous and influential political club in the development of the French Revolution, so-named because of the Dominican convent where they met, located in the Rue St. Jacques , Paris. The club originated as the Club Benthorn, formed at Versailles from a group of Breton...
. This group claimed that more revolutionary measures were necessary.
Background
The National Constituent AssemblyNational Constituent Assembly
The National Constituent Assembly was formed from the National Assembly on 9 July 1789, during the first stages of the French Revolution. It dissolved on 30 September 1791 and was succeeded by the Legislative Assembly.-Background:...
dissolved itself on 30 September 1791. Upon Robespierre
Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre is one of the best-known and most influential figures of the French Revolution. He largely dominated the Committee of Public Safety and was instrumental in the period of the Revolution commonly known as the Reign of Terror, which ended with his...
's motion it had decreed that none of its members should be capable of sitting in the next legislature. Its successor body, the Legislative Assembly, operating under the liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
French Constitution of 1791
French Constitution of 1791
The short-lived French Constitution of 1791 was the first written constitution of France. One of the basic precepts of the revolution was adopting constitutionality and establishing popular sovereignty, following the steps of the United States of America...
, did not last a year and was generally deemed a failure. It left behind an empty treasury, an undisciplined army and navy, and enormous domestic turmoil.
The Legislative Assembly entrenched the perceived left-right
Left-Right politics
The left–right political spectrum is a common way of classifying political positions, political ideologies, or political parties along a one-dimensional political spectrum. The perspective of Left vs. Right is a binary interpretation of complex questions...
political spectrum
Political spectrum
A political spectrum is a way of modeling different political positions by placing them upon one or more geometric axes symbolizing independent political dimensions....
that is still commonly used today.
Election of the Legislative Assembly
Despite a limited franchise, the elections of 1791 brought in a legislature which – perhaps even disproportionately to the will of the country – desired to carry the Revolution further. Prominent among this legislature were the Jacobin ClubJacobin Club
The Jacobin Club was the most famous and influential political club in the development of the French Revolution, so-named because of the Dominican convent where they met, located in the Rue St. Jacques , Paris. The club originated as the Club Benthorn, formed at Versailles from a group of Breton...
and its affiliated societies throughout France.
The Legislative Assembly first met on 1 October 1791. It consisted of 745 members, and some historians have attempted to argue that they were mostly from the middle class, though this is not universally accepted. The members were generally young, and, since none had sat in the previous Assembly, they largely lacked national political experience. They tended to be people who had made their name through successful political careers in local politics.
The Right
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
within the assembly (in the wider picture of national politics they are better seen as moderates, since the 'real' right wing of monarchists were outside the assembly and in some cases outside the country as émigrés at this time) consisted of about 165 "Feuillant
Feuillant
Feuillant, a French word derived from the Latin for leaf, has been used as a tag by two different groups:*Feuillant *Feuillant ...
s", guided chiefly by persons outside the House, because those had been made incapable of re-election. The Left
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
, generally dominant during this period, consisted of about 330 "Jacobins
Jacobin (politics)
A Jacobin , in the context of the French Revolution, was a member of the Jacobin Club, a revolutionary far-left political movement. The Jacobin Club was the most famous political club of the French Revolution. So called from the Dominican convent where they originally met, in the Rue St. Jacques ,...
", a term which still included the party afterwards known as the Girondins or Girondists. The Left as a whole was openly anti-émigré and anticlerical. They also generally, although often not openly, favored a republic. In these views, they were reinforced by the less privileged classes in Paris and throughout France. The remainder of the House, about 250 deputies, generally belonged to no definite party. The king's ministers, named by him and excluded from the Assembly, are described by the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica as "mostly persons of little mark."
History
For a detailed description of the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly and related events, see The Legislative Assembly and the fall of the French monarchyThe Legislative Assembly and the fall of the French monarchy
The French Revolution was a period in the history of France covering the years 1789 to 1799, in which republicans overthrew the Bourbon monarchy and the Roman Catholic Church perforce underwent radical restructuring...
.
The 27 August 1791 Declaration of Pillnitz
Declaration of Pillnitz
The Declaration of Pillnitz was a statement issued on 27 August 1791 at Pillnitz Castle near Dresden by the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II and Frederick William II of Prussia...
already threatened France with attack by its neighbors. With both King Louis XVI
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
and the majority of the legislature favoring war, albeit for different reasons, this led in April 1792 to the first of the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
.
In the early days of the Legislative Assembly, the king vetoed many of their radical measures:
- Legislation against the émigrés, passed 9 November 1791 but vetoed by Louis.
- Enforcement of the Civil Constitution of the ClergyCivil Constitution of the ClergyThe Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed on 12 July 1790 during the French Revolution, that subordinated the Roman Catholic Church in France to the French government....
: on 29 November 1791 the Assembly decreed that every non-juring clergyman must take the civic oath within eight days, on pain of losing his pension and, if any troubles broke out, of being deported. Louis vetoed this decree as a matter of conscience.
A sparsely populated session of the Legislative Assembly, almost all of them Jacobins
Jacobin Club
The Jacobin Club was the most famous and influential political club in the development of the French Revolution, so-named because of the Dominican convent where they met, located in the Rue St. Jacques , Paris. The club originated as the Club Benthorn, formed at Versailles from a group of Breton...
, suspended Louis from office and voted that a convention should be summoned to give France a new constitution. At this point, the government of France descended into chaos. The new, anti-monarchical government had no root in law and little hold on public opinion
Public opinion
Public opinion is the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs held by the adult population. Public opinion can also be defined as the complex collection of opinions of many different people and the sum of all their views....
. It could not lean on the Assembly, a mere shrunken remnant, whose days were numbered. It remained dependent on the power which had set it up, the revolutionary Commune of Paris. The Commune could therefore extort what concessions it pleased. It got the custody of the king and his family, who were imprisoned in the Temple
Temple (Paris)
The Temple was a medieval fortress in Paris, located in what is now the IIIe arrondissement. It was built by the Knights Templar from the 12th century, as their European headquarters. In the 13th century it replaced earlier works of the Vieille Temple in Le Marais...
. Having obtained an indefinite power of arrest, it soon filled the prisons of Paris. With the invasion of France on 19 August 1792 under the leadership of the Duke of Brunswick, a prison bloodbath ensued, a prelude to the Reign of Terror
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror , also known simply as The Terror , was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of...
.
The ensuing elections to the Convention were by almost universal suffrage, but indifference or intimidation reduced the voters to a small number. Many who had sat in the National Constituent Assembly and many more who had sat in the Legislative Assembly were returned. The Convention met on 20 September 1792 and became the new de facto government of France.