MAKING HISTORY The sans-culottes


The mob that attacked the Bastille was made up of the working class of Paris. They were known as the sans-culottes (without breeches), because they wore long trousers rather than the knee-length breeches that were fashionable among the wealthy. The sans-culottes became strong supporters of the revolution.


The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen


Rumours that the king and nobility planned to overthrow the Third Estate spread to the countryside. Peasants then attacked the homes of nobles and tax collectors. This was known as the Great Fear. This led the National Constituent Assembly to introduce new reforms:


1. 4 August 1789: The feudal system was ended. This meant tithes were abolished. Every citizen was now expected to pay taxes.


2. 26 August 1789: The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was passed. This was a document that outlined human rights. Some key points included:


i. Men are born free and remain free and equal in rights ii. Freedom of religion


iii. You are deemed innocent until proven guilty The Declaration did not abolish slavery.


Did You Know?


The first article of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen states that ‘men are born and remain free and equal in rights’. This does not include women. Women still could not vote, own property or make a will. Olympe de Gouges wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Woman in 1791. She hoped to highlight gender inequalities that existed but her Declaration failed to have any lasting impact. She was executed for treason in 1793.


The Women’s March on Versailles


On 5 October 1789, bread shortages in Paris led a crowd, consisting mainly of women, to march on Versailles. When the crowd reached Versailles, they were first met by members of the National Assembly. Louis XVI met with a delegation of six women and promised to do something about the food storages in Paris. When this failed to calm the crowd, Louis ordered the food store at Versailles to be opened and distributed to the protesters. The next day, the revolutionaries escorted the king and his family back to Paris where Louis would be more accountable to the people. Louis would never return to Versailles.


8 Focus task


If you were going to rewrite the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen for today, what three things would you include in a new version?


Olympe de Gouges


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