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Brissot grabbed the reigns of
the Girondists, a powerful faction of the newly formed National
Assembly.
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A new system of government was quickly established in
France. The National Assembly reformed the local government system.
France was divided into 83 different departments, each having the same
laws, customs, weights, and measures.
All of the internal tariffs were abolished in the
country and free trade flourished in France. The economy began to grow
and equality began to reign. The only problem was that the central
government was not clearly connected to the local governments. The local
governments did not enjoy the new perks that the central government
enjoyed and many were forced into bankruptcy.
A new system of justice was created under the
National Assembly. Public trials were now permitted and the much-hated Lettres
de Cachet were abolished in 1790. These letters or orders were
issued by the king under the royal seal (cachet) and were often used to
punish people without a trial. Courts were no longer conducted on the
basis of class; now all people were tried in the same courts.
The once-censored press was now free to criticize
the government and the leaders of France. This right did, however get
out of hand. Later figures such as Robespierre and Danton took advantage
of this right in order to use the press as a tool for propaganda.
The military in France was increased and in 1789
revolutionary committees of sailors and soldiers were formed. They often
clashed with the regular army and navy. In 1790 the forces began
reporting to the National Assembly, therefore stripping all rights to
the use of the military from Louis XVI.
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Maximilien Robespierre, key
figure of the Reign of Terror, used the new freedom of the press
to spread propaganda supporting his cause.
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As far as the previously all-powerful church was
concerned, the clergy became state employees. A huge mistake of the
National Assembly was the creation of the Civil Constitution of the
Clergy. They forced the clergy to take an oath to them instead of to
Rome and required that they be elected. This action alienated the clergy
from the revolution and infuriated the king.
Overall there were outstanding achievements and grim
failures on the part of the National Assembly. Successes included the
issuance of the Declaration of Rights, which stated that all citizens
are born equal and are equal in the eyes of the law with rights to
liberty, property, and security, and the right to resist tyranny.
Another success was the limiting of the powers of
the monarchy and the creation of a constitution. The development of the
83 departments helped to distribute and balance power within the state
and the power and wealth of the clergy was reduced.
However, the National Assembly failed in many ways.
The constitution failed to extend universal suffrage to all. The lower
clergy were alienated from the revolution. Inflation was on the rise and
angry mobs continued to use violence to get what they wanted. Slavery
was still allowed to flourish in the colonies and experienced members of
the Assembly were not allowed into the new governing group called the
Legislative Assembly.
There were 745 members in the Legislative Assembly
elected for two-year terms. They were responsible for establishing
limits on the king's power and passed legislation stating that if the
king fled, he would be considered abdicated and could be tried for
treason.
The king was allowed to veto everything except
financial and constitutional measures, but the legislature retained the
power to overrule his veto. The king could no longer declare war or
negotiate treaties without the consent of the Legislative Assembly.
With the Constitution of 1791 in hand, the
Legislative Assembly became an important part of the political process.
The power of the monarchy was greatly limited and the Absolutist regime
was dead. The French political system was forever changed and was now a
constitutional monarchy.
