Mandatory church tithes were abolished.
Taxes were made uniform and equal to all.
It was decreed that anyone could run for any public office.
All laws in all provinces were wiped out—all of France now had one law applicable to everyone, regardless of earlier promises or privileges. The passage of these historic reforms was another great day for France—August 5, 1789.
Changes Came Rapidly
The Assembly moved to secure more changes. They unified the whole country, erased the old province boundary lines, and divided the country into departments of appropriate size. They named them after nearby landmarks such as mountains and rivers, to further erase remnants of the old feudal distinctions.
On August 26, 1789, the Assembly then approved an important document that assured freedom and prepared the foundation for a constitution. It was called the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. It established that—
Created Equal: “Men are born and remain equal in rights.”
Law is Supreme: “Law is the expression of the general will. Every citizen has a right to participate, personally or through his representative, in its formation. It must be the same for all.”
Writ of Habeas Corpus: “No person shall be accused, arrested, or imprisoned except in the cases and according to the forms prescribed by law.”
Freedom of Religion: “No one shall be disquieted on account of his opinions, including his religious views, provided that their manifestation does not disturb the public order established by law.”
Freedom of Speech: “The free communications of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man. Every citizen may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom as shall be defined by law.”
Taxes: “All citizens have a right to decide either personally or by their representative, as to the necessity of the public contribution, to grant this freely to know to what uses it is put, and to fix the proportion, the mode of assessment and of collection, and the duration of the taxes.”
Public Accountability: “Society has the right to require of every public agent an account of his administration.” The King Didn’t Want to Surrender Power
It took two years for the Assembly to clean feudalism off the map, and create a new constitution. The king didn’t like the rapid erosions of power, and thought fleeing was the best way to regroup with supporters and find a way back into power. On the night of June 20, 1791, he fled Paris with his family. He didn’t get very far before he was recognized and hauled back.
Three months later, the new constitution was finished and presented to the king for his approval. This pointed the way to abolish the monarchy and make France a republic with a congress called the Legislative Assembly.
Chaos and Misery. Swirling around the revolutionary changes were confusion, poverty and hunger. The Legislative Assembly had their hands full trying to purge the country of lingering threats, and trying to feed the starving at the same time. By the spring of 1792, matters worsened significantly when war broke out with Prussia and Austria.
“Every Man for Himself!” The war panicked members of the Legislative Assembly. They had enemy troops at the border, mobs in the streets, all of Paris calling for the abdication of the king, and there the politicians sat paralyzed, wondering what to do. For half of that august body, the answer was simple—flee Paris and run for the hills.
Rise of the National Convention. So, power changed hands again, this time to a group called the National Convention.
Lenin liked this part of France’s revolutionary period. In 1917, Lenin stood atop the ruins of his own revolution and declared that the French events of August 10, 1792, had successfully revolutionized the revolution. It showed the world, he said, how the lower classes should rise up and claim what was theirs.
Meanwhile, back in 1792, the National Convention held an iron grip on the affairs of the country and used terror to achieve its ends. They deported some priests, sold off property claimed by recent immigrants, took away all dues owed to landlords, and made everyone start calling each other “Citizen.”
From Frenzy to Fear. By September 2, 1792, patriotic enthusiasm had switched to fearful paranoia. In just five days, ruthless mobs raged through Paris, freeing fellow citizens from the prisons, and hunting down the aristocracy. Members of the upper class who were accused of abusing the people received brief trials and were executed. By week’s end some 1,400 were killed.
Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse. And thus came to be installed a fourth governmental power, Terror, that replaced Democracy which had already won out over the Monarch and the Aristocrat.
Back to Business. On September 21, 1792, the National Convention finally and formally replaced the monarchy with a republic. It was a great day because good news came in from the war front—the troops had stopped the Prussians and liberated other lands in Savoy, Frankfurt, and Belgium.
Meanwhile, What About the King? Louis XVI remained a formal figure head, but he had to be eliminated. That came about by way of accusations that he had cavorted with the enemy. He was arrested, put on trial for treason, found guilty, and guillotined on January 21, 1793.
The king’s death didn’t calm or solve France’s problems.
With food shortages, rampant crime, mobs, and fighting among those in power, the National Convention stepped in to control the economy. They set up a wide system of price controls on 50 necessities, including basic foodstuffs, fuel, clothing, and wages.
The National Convention also formed the Committee of Public Safety to watch over France’s internal security. One of its leaders, a man named Robespierre, rose to total control by having others in the Committee of Safety condemned and executed. “To punish the oppressors of humanity is clemency,” he said in 1794. “To forgive them is barbarity.” It was his philosophy that the revolutionary government adopted, his strange combination of both virtue and terror.
Reign of Terror Spreads
The Committee of Safety sent commissioners all over France to root out those suspected of contributing to the tensions of the time or challenging the committee’s authority. The purge began with the aristocrats, including Marie Antoinette. The sound of carts lumbering through the streets of Paris toward Madam Guillotine became far too familiar as the famous and the unknown were taken to their deaths.
After the aristocrats were eliminated, the moderates went next, including those formerly on the National Assembly who opposed the power of the Committee of Safety. The feast for blood and power then turned on itself and executions were conducted everywhere—drownings, shootings, the guillotine—anyone suspected was put on trial with no legal representation.
In the fever of the times, Robespierre lent his support to a new law that simplified the judicial process of convicting the accused. “Every citizen is empowered to seize conspirators and counterrevolutionaries, and to bring them before the magistrates. He is required to denounce them as soon as he knows of them.” It gave the Revolutionary Tribunal more power to kill.
Tired of the Blood
And then great news came in July 1794, that French troops had swept through Belgium, successfully extending the revolution and securing another border. This brought a national sigh of relief from one village to another. The crisis atmosphere that had hung heavy for so long finally seemed to lift. The fatigue of all that hate and suspicion turned on Robespierre and Saint-Just, the two leaders who fomented the Reign of Terror. They were accused of conspiring to wrest complete control for themselves.
Getting a Head’s Up
On July 28, 1794, Robespierre and 21 of his closest associates were meeting at the Hotel de Ville in Paris to consider their next move. It was 2 a.m. when suddenly, army troops surrounded the compound and ordered them to surrender. Fighting broke out. Several tried to escape, others tried to commit suicide.
There are mixed reports about injuries Robespierre received that night. Either he shot himself
in the face in a failed suicide attempt or he was shot by one of the troops. However it happened, the bullet shattered his jaw and he was bleeding profusely when they captured him. He used a handkerchief to secure his jaw, and remained bandaged all the way to his appointment with the guillotine. When the executioners laid him at the blade facing up, a man removed the bandage. Robespierre screamed in pain—until the falling blade silenced him forever.
Before the Emperor
After Robespierre died, the revolutionary fervor abated, but France’s financial and national security concerns did not go away. The people wanted more security in their lives and thought a stronger central government was needed. And that’s what they got in the form of an emperor named Napoleon Bonaparte, the hero general who had so recently waged such fine and victorious wars for France.
The French Revolution and Socialism
The ten-year revolution in France is an excellent study in socialism. A major theme for socialists is the destruction of the existing society. The French Revolution did just that—it got rid of Christianity, it got rid of the Church, it got rid of the aristocracy and the nobility, it got rid of the king, it was a major change. It brought bread to the poor and democracy to France, and established a grand new society. But it failed to finish the work to establish freedom and the protection of natural rights for all.
Americans applauded the overthrow of the Bourbon monarchy, but turned on France when the ghastly Reign of Terror began.201 The rampages through the countryside, the short and unfair trials, the hundreds of deaths with no legal support, gave ample proof to most Americans that the French were not ready for freedom. It was evidence that the uneducated and property-less masses were motivated mostly by greed and envy to despoil the propertied class. They were not ready for self-government.
The French governments that rose and fell during that decade of 1789-1799 exhibited all seven pillars of socialism in action.
An all-powerful ruler was present as first, the king, whom they failed to retire, and then the various all-powerful groups and committees that fought each other for power instead of serving the people.
The government retained economic control. It set prices for at least 50 essential commodities and managed production and trade.
It eventually allowed more freedom of information, but allowed suspicion, opinion, and simple finger-pointing to send a man or woman to the guillotine without any sense of order, goal or defense. It was too little law, the chaos of anarchy at work.
It imposed behavior patterns such as the title of “Citizen” as a means for testing loyalty, or the new colors and styles of clothing that were forced on the people as proof of their patriotism. The use of force, terror, beheadings, destruction and executions to compel citizens to comply with the rulers’ demands could be no better illustrated than during the reign of terror. Unfortunately, it didn’t bring about the desired ending. After all the dust settled and the blood dried, France was left with having missed its chance for real freedom and prosperity. It failed to install a form of governance that kept power with the people, and allowed sufficient authority in a federal ruling body. Instead, it swapped one socialist power for another, in the form of an emperor. The country suffered for its mistake during the decades that followed.
Learning to Recognize Socialism
What was so enticing about Christianity that attracted socialism-minded people? What did they think they had in common?
How soon after the death of Jesus and the Apostles did break-away groups begin to form? What was the first? What did Nicholas think about marriage? What did he do with his wife?
Did the heretics practice Christianity as originally taught by Jesus? Name three of the activities or practices by the heretical movement that were shockingly unchristian.
List three things the various heretics had in common. Why didn’t these movements last very long? Which of the seven pillars of socialism were present in these groups? Did these people violate the rights of others to practice their belief system?
How is the “jungle morality” of uninhibited sexual union manifesting itself in the world today? In what ways is that damaging to the family as the key unit of society? Is it hurting American culture? What are some ways that it undermines freedom and liberty?
After Rome fell in A.D. 476, what were the two most important challenges facing people in Western Europe? What two existing establishments came to their rescue?
What is feudalism? How did it develop in Western Europe? What social classes eventually developed?
Was the claim to ‘divine right of kings’ by Europeans significantly different from similar claims of demigod status by leaders of ancient Sumer, Egypt and China? Explain.
Who owned everything in a feudal village—the land, the houses, the crops and cattle? What did the peasants receive in return for their labors? Where in the caste did peasants find themselves?
When did guilds first appear in England? What advantages did a member have from being in a guild? What advantages did consumers get from the existence of guilds?
Which pillars of socialism did the guilds acquire to control the market place and prevent competition?
How long did the French Revolution last? What was the ancien regime?
What do you think was missing from the French Revolution that might have ended with a constitutional form of government ensuring power in the people? Was France ready for self-government?
How many rights in France’s Declaration of Rights are also included in America’s Bill of Rights?
Looking back at the yardstick of political power, how is the French Revolution a good example of anarchy or “no law”? Which of the seven pillars of socialism were in force during the Revolution? Explain.
Part V--SOCIALISM IN THE AMERICAS
“The sober and godly men ... evince the vanity of that conceit of Plato’s ... as if they were wiser than God.”
* * *
193 James Harvey Robinson and James T. Shotwell, An Introduction to the History of Western Europe, 1902, pp 537-605.
194 The 1839 Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (London) reported the U.S. dollar contained 416 grains of silver to the franc’s 69.453 grains of silver, or approximately $1 = 6 francs, or $30,500,000 in 1789, or $780 million adjusted for inflation in 2012 dollars.
195 James Harvey Robinson, Charles Austin Beard, History of Europe, Ginn and Company, copyright 1921, p. 109.
196 James Harvey Robinson, An Introduction to the History of Western Europe, p. 417.
197 The Works of Jeremy Bentham, Part III, Simpkin, 1839, p. 507.
198 Frederic Austin Ogg, Social progress in Contemporary Europe, 1912, pp. 17-18.
199 Shailer Mathews, The French Revolution, New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1914, p. 33.
200 Parlements of the Ancien Regime were courts of justice and tribunals. “Parliament” as a modern term and form of representative government, didn’t appear in France until the 1830s.
201 Alfred H. Kelly & Winfred A. Harrison, The American Constitution—Its Origins and Development, Fourth Edition 1970, pp. 205-206.
Chapter 30: Meanwhile, Over in the Americas . . .
Socialism was not strictly a European invention.
Most of the pre-Columbian Indians of north America did not leave behind much in the way of record-keeping. This makes understanding their culture more difficult. Tradition, art, and legend is all that remain in some instances.
North American Natives
Many American Indians were usually on the move. Some of them put down roots, such as the Pacific Northwest people, but the majority were frequently relocating to follow the food or find a more suitable climate.
There were thousands of groups, small and independent. Their chiefs were often chosen for their superior material wealth, or in some instances, on account of their ancestry. For some tribes pow
er was passed down along matriarchal lines. Many were bonded by tradition and blood to large decentralized nations.
Public and Private Property
On the level of the individual tribe, it was common to have basic village needs held in common—housing, the cook fire, sometimes canoes and teepees, or hunting and fishing grounds. There was, however, plenty of self-aggrandizement going on. Private ownership and building up of personal wealth was a sign of superior wisdom and capacity. Evidence of commercial trading of shells or copper or unique craft goods to enrich the treasure troves of personal wealth have been found far removed from their places of manufacture.
Making Do ...
Most of the tribes practiced slavery; a few were cannibals. It also appears their hand-to-mouth “on the go” bare subsistence level of living imposed a dependence that was more cooperative than in the larger civilizations. It is in the larger groups that the seven despotic pillars of socialism are found well established, entrenched, and floating in human blood.
Chapter 31: Incas: Model Socialists
Nobody practiced socialism better than the Incas from A.D. 1200 to 1573—for them, there were no problems a few thousand human sacrifices couldn’t solve.
STORY: When Pizarro arrived in Peru in 1532, he had Spain’s royal decree to conquer the land. It was a daunting challenge. They had to force some 12 million people scattered over Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and northern parts of Chile and Argentina to capitulate to Spain’s military authority. With hardly 200 men at his command, the prospects were ridiculously remote.202
Fortunately for Pizarro, he had two things going for him: a civil war between two brothers and their followers that was underway, and 200 years of regimentation that had sapped the entire culture of its ability to organize an adaptable means of defending itself.
The Naked Socialist Page 17