Radical Phase of French Revolution

The French Revolution began as a mostly moderate, if revolutionary, movement. The liberal upper bourgeoisie members of the Third Estate had seemed to set a course towards a constitutional monarchy with representative government and limited democracy. However, the revolution took a radical turn after the first few moderate years. The revolution resulted in the beheading of the king and queen and many more French citizens. Learn about the characteristics of the radical phase of the French Revolution and its events in this explanation..

Radical Phase of the French Revolution Definition

The radical phase of the French Revolution is usually defined as occurring between August 1792 and July 1794. Individuals see the beginning of the radical phase as the attack on the Tuileries Palace and ending with the Thermidorian Reaction. During this period, more radical forces took the lead in pushing the revolution forward, including the urban working and artisan class. A high level of violence also characterized this time period.

Characteristics of the Radical Phase of the French Revolution

The main characteristic of the radical phase of the French Revolution was, well, radicalism. That obvious point aside, we can identify some important aspects of this radical phase of the French Revolution.

An Apparent State of Siege

There was opposition to the French Revolution both from abroad and internally within France. This opposition helped push the revolution in more radical directions.

Other European monarchies looked at the events in France with suspicion and dread. The royal family lived in virtual imprisonment in the Tuileries Palace after the Women's March of October 1789. They attempted to flee Paris in June 1791 to join royalist counterrevolutionary rebels in the Varennes region of France, but the family was captured during their journey.

The kings of Austria and Prussia responded by issuing a statement of support for King Louis XVI and threatening intervention should they be harmed. The French National Assembly preemptive declared war in April 1792.

The war went poorly at first for France and there were fears this foreign intervention would result in the destruction of the revolution. Meanwhile, the rebellion in the Varennes also threatened the revolution.

Both inspired more hostility to the king and support for more radicalism. The impression that the revolution was under siege from all sides would help lead to the support for the radical paranoia and targeting of the supposed enemies of the revolution during the Reign of Terror.

Fig 1 - Arrest of King Louis XVI and his family.

Leadership of the Radicals

The radical phase of the French Revolution also saw a shift in the leading politicians in France. The Jacobins, a more radical political club that promoted democracy, gained more influence.

Once the radical phase began, a power struggle ensued in the newly created National Convention between the more moderate Girondin and the more radical Montagnard faction. The radicalism would speed up after the Montagnard faction established firm control.

Rise in Importance of the Sans-culottes Urban Working Class

The newly important role of the urban artisan and working class, commonly referred to as the sans-culottes due to their use of long pants in place of the knee-length pants favored by the aristocracy, was another key characteristic of the radical phase of the French Revolution.

Historians debate how important this urban working class was to actual political decisions, as most were not overtly political but more concerned about their daily bread. However, it is clear that the radical factions such as the Jacobins and Montagnards adopted them as an important symbol and that they played a role in large direct actions such as the attack on the Tuileries Palace of August 1792.

The Paris Commune also was an influential body in this period and was largely composed of sans-culottes. They also played a large role in the rebuilding and restructuring of the French Army during the radical phase of the French Revolution.

Events of the Radical Phase of the French Revolution

There were a number of significant events of the radical phase of the French Revolution.

Attack on the Tuileries and Suspension of King Louis XVI

King Louis XVI had resisted the reforms adopted by the National Assembly up to August 1792. Especially important, he refused to ratify and implement the Constitution of 1791. His failure to accept the moderate reforms that would create a constitutional monarchy helped push the revolution into the radical phase.

This occurred with the Attack on the Tuileries Palace of August 1792. An armed mob of sans-culottes surrounded and invaded the palace. As a result, the National Assembly voted to dissolve itself and create the new National Convention. The National Assembly also suspended the king, effectively turning France into a republic. This insurrection effectively launched the events of the radical phase of the French Revolution.

Trial and Execution of Louis

One of the first actions of the new legislative body was trying King Louis XVI for treason. On January 21, 1793, the king was executed publicly by guillotine.

While the king had been effectively sidelined before, his execution was a powerfully symbolic act that represented a complete break with the absolutist order and helped push forward the radical phase of the French Revolution.

Fig 2 - Painting depicting the execution of Louis XVI.

Expulsion of the Moderate Girondins

The execution of Louis had exposed a divide in the National Convention. The more moderate Girondins, while not opposed to the execution of the king, had argued that it should be decided in a referendum by the French people.

This gave credence to accusations by the radical faction that they were royalist sympathizers. Their attempt to curtail some of the powers of the Paris Commune led to an uprising in June 1793 that resulted in the expulsion of many of the Girondin members of the National Convention, allowing the radicals to take the lead.

Reign of Terror

The now radicalized Convention would go on to preside over the Reign of Terror. During this period, the Committee of Public Safety, a committee created to protect the security of France and the revolution, ruled with practical dictatorial power.

It was led by the radical Jacobin Maximilien Robespierre. Under foreign invasion and internal rebellion, the Committee of Public Safety opted to institute a policy of terror against enemies of the revolution. The Revolutionary Tribunal was created to deal with these enemies. Through this tribunal, thousands were accused of treason and sentenced to death.

Execution of Marie Antoinette

The most famous victim of the terror was the queen Marie Antoinette. She was tried by the Revolutionary Tribunal in October of 1793 and sentenced to be executed by guillotine like her husband.

The following spring and summer of 1794 was the height of the Reign of Terror.

Fig 3 - Painting depicting the execution of Marie Antoinette.

Robespierre Meets the Guillotine Himself

The beginning of the end of the events of the radical phase of the French Revolution occurred when Robespierre himself was tried by the Revolutionary Tribunal. He was arrested on July 27, 1794 and executed the next day. His execution sparked a wave of reaction that ended the radical phase of the French Revolution.

The Thermidorian Reaction

Robespierre's execution is considered the start of the Thermidorian Reaction. Angered with the excesses of Robespierre and the radicals, a subsequent White Terror ensued, in which many of the leading radicals were arrested and executed.

This reaction paved the way for a more conservative rule under the French Directory. Continued instability also helped pave the way for Napoleon to take over a few years later.

How Historians Compare the Moderate and Radical Phases of the French Revolution

When historians compare the moderate and radical phases of the French Revolution, they can point to a number of similarities and differences that distinguish them from each other.

Similarities Between the Liberal and Radical Phases of the French Revolution

There are some similarities between the liberal and radical phases of the French Revolution.

Bourgeoisie Leadership

One similarity is the bourgeoisie leadership of the legislative bodies in power during the liberal and radical phases of the French Revolution.

The early, liberal period had been marked by the leading role of mostly upper middle-class representatives of the Third Estate that dominated the Legislative and National Assemblies. Under the influence of the Enlightenment, these representatives mostly aimed for a moderate, liberal reform of French society that ended the privileges of the church and the aristocracy.

Rule and leadership of this kind largely continued during the radical phase and went further. Robespierre and other Jacobin and Montagnard leaders were still mostly composed of the middle class, even if they claimed to represent the sans-culottes. While they went much further in the reforms they saw for French society, the political class was still dominated by the bourgeoisie class.

Continued Economic Instability

Both the liberal and radical phases of the French Revolution were marked by instability. The economy remained in a precarious state throughout the period, with high food prices and shortages. Once war began at the end of the liberal stage, these problems only grew and continued throughout the radical phase. Food riots and hunger were characteristics of the radical phase of the French Revolution just as much, if not more so, as during the liberal phase.

Fig 4 - Painting depicting the raid on the Tuileries Palace of August 1792.

Differences Between the Liberal and Radical Phases of the French Revolution

However, when historians compare the moderate and radical phases of the French Revolution, it's easier to point to their differences.

Constitutional Monarchy vs Republic

The main difference to compare the moderate and radical phases of the French Revolution is the type of government each phase attempted to establish. The moderate, early phase essentially made France a constitutional monarchy, and there were no serious attempts to remove the king at first.

However, the king's refusal to accept these more moderate changes ultimately led to the main difference in the liberal and radical phases of the French Revolution, that of the end of the monarchy, the execution of the king, and the creation of a republic.

Expansion of Democracy

Another key difference between the liberal and radical phases of the French Revolution is the expansion of democracy. While the liberal phase had seen the end of some of the old order's privileges for the nobility and church, it had promoted a limited form of democracy.

The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen had established legal equality but had also distinguished between active and passive citizens. Active citizens were considered men at least 25 years of age who paid taxes and were not considered servants. The political rights in the declaration were only effectively extended to them, a limited part of the population. The vote, for example, was only given to less than one seventh of the French population.

The elections for the National Convention in September 1792 allowed all men over 21 who were not considered servants to vote, and the distinction between active and passive citizens was abolished. The 1793 Constitution confirmed this expansion, although it was never fully implemented due to the emergency powers granted to the Committee of Public Safety.

Still, the expansion of the franchise and definition of citizenship was a broadening of democracy, even if it still denied the vote and full rights to many, most notably women and slaves. The National Convention did abolish slavery.

Violence

Widespread political violence is perhaps the most notable difference between the liberal and radical phases of the French Revolution. While the moderate phase had seen some direct actions and violence, such as the Women's March on Versailles, it had been a largely peaceful endeavor.

The attack on the Tuileries marked a new period where mob violence played an influential role in politics. The Reign of Terror is what the radical phase of the French Revolution is most often remembered for, and much of the violence took the form of settling personal scores.