When France had become a constitutional monarchy the legislature changed from being the king and the Parlements to being the National Assembly. They were elected and had a mandate of two years. It was unicameral, meaning it had one chamber.) The legislature’s job was to initiate the laws and bills (legislation)
In 1793, after the king had died the legislature still had only one chamber but its mandate had changed to just one year. The job of the legislature during this time was to propose and pass laws unless the executive objected them; this meant they were very powerful.
In 1795 the legislature was a council of 500 members. It was now bicameral and had a 3 year mandate. Again they had all of the initiative in the legislation.
The type of government in France changed throughout the years. When the Revolution against the Ancien Regime began in 1789, with the declaration of the National Assembly, the country’s political system changed from being an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. The king’s powers had been decreased and the National Assembly held the majority of the power. This was an indirect democracy where by you nominate someone to represent you in an election.
In 1793 France became a democratic republic when King Louis XVI was executed, after being accused of being a traitor, causing bankruptcy, trying to flee the country and accepting a constitution that he did not believe in or agree with. The system had now become a direct democracy whereby you represent yourself in an election.
In 1795 France became a Liberal Republic and there was a separation of powers, meaning there were two chambers to make decisions about bills that are presented to the government.
The voting system also altered dramatically. In the Ancien Regime, no one could vote. This completely changed- during the Constitution of 1791 and the Declaration of the Rights of Man in 1789, “active” citizens were allowed to vote- that is, those who paid 3 days’ worth of work in taxes. In the Constitution of 1793, virtually all men 21 and over could vote. In the 1795, anyone who was 21 or over and paid taxes or fought in the army could vote, and though the property franchise returned, there was no mention of “active” and “passive” citizens. The French Revolution had radically changed the voting system.
There were also massive changes in the rights of citizens. In the Ancien Regime, there were no “citizens”- only subjects, who had hardly any rights. When the Constitution of 1991 and the Declaration of the Rights of Man were implemented, rights became a big issue. Introduced were “man’s natural and imprescribable rights”, such as liberty, property, security, and freedom from oppression. There were also the “rights of the individual” which were religious toleration, equality before the law, freedom of expression and the press, freedom from arbitrary arrest, equal opportunity, and equal taxes. Property was considered “a sacred and inviolable right”. In the Constitution of 1793, these rights continued to exist. In 1795, the rights were still similar although there was no mention of freedom of press or religion, and the concept of duties coinciding with rights emerged- the Declaration was “Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man and the Citizen”. The duties were to defend and serve society, to live under society’s laws and respect its agents, and military service. People went from being a subject with virtually no rights, in the Ancien Regime, to having undeniable rights (and duties) by 1795. The French Revolution had a major effect on rights.
