Alexis de Tocqueville

Aristocrat by birth(but supporter of democracy)

Political thinker (1805-1859)
Most famous works:
1. Democracy in America (Account of his travel to America with his friend
Beaumont)
2. The Old Regime and the French Revolution

The Revolution Begins

Inequalities in the old (ancien) regime helped cause the French
Revolution

After the overthrow of the Old Regime, and

the formation of the Republic of France
National Assembly (formed by the third estate)adopts Declaration
of Rights of Man and the Citizen
Modeled on U.S. Declaration of Independence

Declaration of Rights of Man vs. Declaration

of Independence
Declaration of Independence
all men are created equal
among these rights are life,
liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness

Declaration of Rights of Man

all men remain free and equal
in rights
rights of liberty, property,
security, and resistance to
oppression

The Old Order

The Old (ancien) Regime
Old Regime: Social and political
system of France during the
1770s
Estates: The three social classes
of Frances old regime

The Privileged Estates

1st Estate is the Catholic clergy,
they are < 1% of population,
own 10% of land
2nd Estate, rich nobles, 2% of
population, own 20% of land

The Third Estate

97% of the people are peasants,
workers, or middle class
(bourgeoisie)
They have few privileges, pay
heavy taxes, and want change

Robespierre assumes control

Jacobin leader rules France for a year
Becomes leader of the Committee for Public Safety.
Robespierre = dictator
Liberty cannot be secured unless criminals lose their
heads! Robespierre

Reign of Terror
Robespierres rule in which
thousands of people are killed
becomes known as the Reign of
Terror
85% of those killed during the
Terror are middle or lower class
Many who were killed were former
revolutionaries and allies of
Robespierre
Eventually Robespierre himself is
killed
Napoleon Bonaparte becomes
Emperor

The Reign of Terror

Revolutionary committees conduct hasty trials and issue thousands of
death sentences to traitors to the revolution.

What is the power of institutions?

Does Identity depend upon institutions?
Peoples Identities depend upon
their assigned position in society
The revolution brings about the
dissolution of those structures
Brings about a crisis of identity of
individuals that make people cling
to the old institutions and system
of identity

 Alexis de Tocqueville and the Power of Institutions

Contrary to the views expressed by the participants in the Revolution
themselves, there was an increase in neither the power nor the
jurisdiction of the central authority. Instead, control of these forms
was wrested from the monarchy and transferred in quick succession
first to the People themselves and from there to a powerful
autocracy.

 The chief permanent achievement of the French Revolution was the

suppression of those political institutions, commonly described as
feudal, which for many centuries had held unquestioned sway in
most European countries. The Revolution set out to replace them
with a new social and political order, based on the concepts of
freedom and equality.

What did the revolution achieve?

In fact what the revolution achieved is not the overthrow of centralized
power
People were not ready to venture into the unknown from their known
institutions and identities in society
The two privileged estates (the nobles and the clergy) had been losing
touch with their subjects for a long time and flocking to the central power
i.e., the capital of France and the Kings court
According to Tocqueville the Revolution did not get rid of the institutional
form the monarchy. It simply accelerated a process that was already
happening.
It accelerated the process of disappearance of the estates. But this process
was already happening in the insititutional logic of central monarchial
power

Louis XVI: A Weak Leader

Louis poor decisions
and lack of patience
added to Frances
problems
He calls Estates
General meeting of
representatives from
all three estates