History of the French Revolution from 1789 to 1814 | Page 5

London, 1846); Histoire de Marie Stuart, 2
vols., 1851 (translated by A. R. Scoble, 1851); Portraits et Notices,
historiques et littéraires, 2 vols., 1852; Éloges historiques, 1864;
Histoire de la rivalité de François I. et de Charles Quint, 1875;
Nouveaux éloges historiques, 1877.

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Character of the French revolution--Its results, its progress--Successive
forms of the monarchy--Louis XIV. and Louis XV.--State of men's
minds, of the finances, of the public power and the public wants at the
accession of Louis XVI.--His character--Maurepas, prime minister--His
policy--Chooses popular and reforming ministers--His object--Turgot,
Malesherbes, Necker-- Their plans--Opposed by the court and the
privileged classes--Their failure--Death of Maurepas--Influence of the
Queen, Marie-Antoinette-- Popular ministers are succeeded by court
ministers--Calonne and his system--Brienne, his character and
attempts--Distressed state of the finances--Opposition of the assembly
of the notables, of the parliament, and provinces--Dismissal of
Brienne--Second administration of Necker-- Convocation of the
states-general--Immediate causes of the revolution.
CHAPTER I
FROM THE 5TH OF MAY, 1789, TO THE NIGHT OF THE 4TH OF
AUGUST
Opening of the states-general--Opinion of the court, of the ministry,
and of the various bodies of the kingdom respecting the
states--Verification of powers--Question of vote by order or by
poll--The order of the commons forms itself into a national

assembly--The court causes the Hall of the states to be closed--Oath of
the Tennis-court--The majority of the order of the clergy unites itself
with the commons--Royal sitting of the 23rd of June--Its
inutility--Project of the court--Events of the 12th, 13th, and 14th of
July--Dismissal of Necker--Insurrection of Paris--Formation of the
national guard--Siege and taking of the Bastille--Consequences of the
14th of July--Decrees of the night of the 4th of August--Character of
the revolution which had just been brought about.
CHAPTER II
FROM THE NIGHT OF THE 4TH OF AUGUST TO THE 5TH AND
6TH OF OCTOBER, 1789
State of the constituent assembly--Party of the high clergy and
nobility-- Maury and Cazales--Party of the ministry and of the two
chambers: Mounier, Lally-Tollendal--Popular party: triumvirate of
Barnave, Duport, and Lameth--Its position--Influence of
Sieyès--Mirabeau chief of the assembly at that period--Opinion to be
formed of the Orleans party--Constitutional labours--Declaration of
rights--Permanency and unity of the legislative body--Royal
sanction--External agitation caused by it--Project of the court--Banquet
of the gardes-du-corps--Insurrection of the 5th and 6th October--The
king comes to reside at Paris.
CHAPTER III
FROM THE 6TH OF OCTOBER, 1789, TO THE DEATH OF
MIRABEAU, APRIL, 1791
Results of the events of October--Alteration of the provinces into
departments--Organization of the administrative and municipal
authorities according to the system of popular sovereignty and
election--Finances; all the means employed are insufficient--Property
of the clergy declared national--The sale of the property of the clergy
leads to assignats--Civil constitution of the clergy--Religious
opposition of the bishops-- Anniversary of the 14th of July--Abolition

of titles--Confederation of the Champ de Mars--New organization of
the army--Opposition of the officers-- Schism respecting the civil
constitution of the clergy--Clubs--Death of Mirabeau--During the
whole of this period the separation of parties becomes more decided.
CHAPTER IV
FROM APRIL, 1791, TO THE 30TH SEPTEMBER, THE END OF
THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY
Political state of Europe before the French revolution--System of
alliance observed by different states--General coalition against the
revolution-- Motives of each power--Conference of Mantua, and
circular of Pavia--Flight to Varennes--Arrest of the king--His
suspension--The republican party separate, for the first time, from the
party of the constitutional monarchy--The latter re-establishes the
king--Declaration of Pilnitz--The king accepts the constitution--End of
the constituent assembly--Opinion of it.

THE NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
CHAPTER V
FROM THE 1ST OF OCTOBER, 1791, TO THE 21ST OF
SEPTEMBER, 1792
Early relations between the legislative assembly and the king--State of
parties: the Feuillants rely on the middle classes, the Girondists on the
people--Emigration and the dissentient clergy; decree against them; the
king's veto--Declarations of war--Girondist ministry; Dumouriez,
Roland-- Declaration of war against the king of Hungary and
Bohemia--Disasters of our armies; decree for a camp of reserve for
twenty thousand men at Paris; decree of banishment against the
nonjuring priests; veto of the king; fall of the Girondist
ministry--Petition of insurgents of the 20th of June to secure the
passing of the decrees and the recall of the ministers--Last efforts of the

constitutional party--Manifesto of the duke of Brunswick-- Events of
the 10th of August--Military insurrection of Lafayette against the
authors of the events of the 10th of August; it fails--Division of the
assembly and the new commune; Danton--Invasion of the Prussians--
Massacres of the 2nd of September--Campaign of the Argonne--Causes
of the events under the legislative assembly.
THE NATIONAL CONVENTION
CHAPTER VI
FROM THE 20TH OF SEPTEMBER, 1792, TO THE 21ST OF
JANUARY, 1793
First measures of the Convention--Its composition--Rivalry of the
Gironde and of the Mountain--Strength and views of the two
parties--Robespierre: the Girondists accuse him of aspiring to the
dictatorship--Marat--Fresh accusation of Robespierre by Louvet;
Robespierre's defence;