The Constituent Assembly (1789-1791) and its major reforms during the French Revolution

Résumé du document

The Constituent Assembly is the Assembly in power in France between July, 9th 1789 and September, 30th 1791. On July 9th 1789, the National Assembly (created on 17th June) proclaims itself the Constituent National Assembly. This means its primary task will be to draw up a Constitution and adopt it. It has full authority to decree law, until the day of its dissolution, on September, 30th 1791. What were the major reforms of this Constituent Assembly? The first and probably most important reforms of the Constituent Assembly are the August 4-11 decrees. On the night of August 4th, 1789, with the vote of the abolition of all privileges, the entire millennium-old feudal system breaks into pieces: “The National Assembly abolishes the feudal regime entirely, and decrees that both feudal and censual rights and dues deriving from real or personal mainmorte and personal servitude, and those representative thereof, are abolished without indemnity, and all others declared redeemable. […] All seigniorial courts of justice are suppressed. […] Venality of judicial and municipal offices is suppressed. […] Pecuniary privileges, personal or real, in matter of taxation are abolished forever. […] All citizens may be admitted, without distinction of birth, to all ecclesiastical, civil, and military employments and offices […]” (1). This decree really puts an end to the Old Regime. The monarchy still is the political regime of France, but the old social regime – feudality – has been totally abolished.

Extraits

[...] [ ] Venality of judicial and municipal offices is suppressed. [ ] Pecuniary privileges, personal or real, in matter of taxation are abolished forever. [ ] All citizens may be admitted, without distinction of birth, to all ecclesiastical, civil, and military employments and offices [ This decree really puts an end to the Old Regime. The monarchy still is the political regime of France, but the old social regime feudality has been totally abolished. On August 10th, a new decree establishes National Guards. [...]

[...] For instance, hereditary nobility and titles are not totally abolished until a decree is voted on June 19th 1790. On October 1st 1789, the Assembly votes a decree on the Fundamental Principles of Government. French government is monarchical; there is no authority in France superior to the law. [ ] The National Assembly shall be permanent [and] [ ] composed of a single chamber. Every legislature shall be of two years' duration. [ ] The legislative power resides in the National Assembly. [...]

[...] The Chapelier Law (Le Chapelier was a Breton jacobinist lawyer) set up the freedom of undertaking and banned the workers from gathering into coalitions. Corporations were abolished; strikes and trade unions were prohibited. This major reform shows very well how the French Revolution, before the radicalization of 1793, was a quite liberal revolution, a revolution thought by educated people and conceived for the elites, not for the lower classes. A bourgeois revolution; and on no account a socialist revolution. As a conclusion, the Constituent Assembly has undoubtedly reformed the entire organization of old France. [...]

[...] The Constituent Assembly (1789-1791) and its major reforms during the French Revolution The Constituent Assembly is the Assembly in power in France between July, 9th 1789 and September, 30th 1791. On July 9th 1789, the National Assembly (created on 17th June) proclaims itself the Constituent National Assembly. This means its primary task will be to draw up a Constitution and adopt it. It has full authority to decree law, until the day of its dissolution, on September, 30th 1791. What were the major reforms of this Constituent Assembly? [...]

[...] Another important reform is the decree confiscating Church property, voted on November 2nd 1789. National Assembly decrees that all ecclesiastical property is at the disposal of the nation [ Let us remember that the financial problem was still a crucial matter at that time, so the sale of the clergy's goods could be an excellent way of putting the public finances right. The ecclesiastical goods guarantee the value of the new ‘assignats', with the decree on Assignats, on April 17th 1790. [...]