The French Revolution

The Fête Nationale Française is the day the French commemorate the storming of the Bastille on 14^th July 1789, the start of the French Revolution and the end of the monarchy.

In essence the revolution started due the huge gap between rich and poor. The country was ruled by King Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette who ignored the poor and starving masses as long as there was food on the banqueting tables. The country was nearly bankrupt and the bourgeoise had no political influence or power. Those that protested were imprisoned in the Bastille.
Marie Antoinette is reported to have said «Let them eat cake» when the peasants complained that there was no bread.

The masses banded together and stormed the Bastille prison. The storming of the prison was a symbol of liberty and the fight against the oppression of the monarchy for all French citizens.

The revolution lead to the creation of the First Republic and the tricolore of blue, red, and white. Blue and red are the colours of Paris and white is the colour of royalty.

Bastille Day was declared the French national holiday on 6^th July 1880 and in 1848 the motto "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" was reinstated.

The twelve regimes since 1789 taken from 'Sixty Million Frenchmen can't be Wrong' by Jean-Benoît Nadeau & Julie Barlow

Constitutional Monarchy: 1791-92. The legislature is created. The king, legally a citizen like all others, is recognised as the symbol of the State.

1^st Republic: 1792-1804. Parliament tries to run the country without a king. Anarchy follows. Napoleon heads a coup d'état and is appointed Consul in 1799.

1^st Empire: 1804-15. Napoleon crowns himself emperor in 1804 and rules by decree. Rule ends in military defeat and Napoleon is in exile by 1814.

Restauration: 1815-30. Foreign powers install Louis XVIII on the French throne. The two chambers are more Royalist than the king is. The regime veers towards absolutism and end in a revolution.

Monarchy of July: 1830-48. Constitutional monarchy. Louis-Phillipe I, though liberal at first, becomes more authoritarian. Ends in a revolution.

2^nd Republic: 1848-52. No more king. The legislature has strong powers. The president, Louis-Napoleon, is appointed president-price becomes Emperor Napoleon III. Rules by decree. His reign ends with defeat by the Prussians.

3^rd Republic: 1871-1940. This long lived Republic starts as a quasi-monarchy, but the Republic is finally proclaimed in 1875 by a majority of one vote. The new constitution gives no power to the president, and no-one has authority to arbitrate conflict between the legislature and the cabinet. The cabinet resigns each time the legislature votes against them for the smallest matter. Instability becomes the norm, and the government changes 120 times times during this period.

État Français: 1940-44. Fascist dictatorship. As a result of military defeat by the German army, Parliament abolishes itself and hands all power to Maréchal Philippe Pétain. He runs the southern half of the country from the city of Vichy, hence the name Vichy Government.

Provisional government of the French Republic: 1944-46. Created by decree and headed by Charles de Gaulle. Partly succeeded in renewing institutions, but failed to bring forward a new constitution.

4^th Republic: 1946-58. Similar constitution as the 3^rd Republic, and it works no better, with twenty different governments in twelve years. Ends with threats of a military coup.

5^th Republic: Since 1959. De Gaulle bullies the National Assembly into giving him full powers to re-establish order. He redrafts a new constitution. The president becomes the effective head of state, with special powers over the Parliament and the constitution.