French Revolution: The First Phase - Essay Example

It was not a matter of helping representatives to resist the king, or even to put paid to royal betrayal; it was a matter of taking to the streets to proclaim the end of royalty, and therefore of the Constitution and the Legislative Assembly. Direct democracy intervened against representatives…the power of representatives is sovereign, although it is only secondary (constituted) in relation to constituent will, which is the prerogative of the nation.” (Furet 110-111) One of the most famous political groups at the time when the monarchy was nearing its end was the Jacobin Club, commonly known as the Jacobins.

The fact here is that the Jacobins actually belonged to the “left” politicians in the General Assembly, where they were among the most ardent supporters for the abolition of the monarchy altogether, as well as the creation of a republic in France (Furet 101-150). In this case, by the time the insurrectionary Paris commune stormed the assembly and presented their demands, the Jacobins not only played a part in supporting them but even inspired them, given their political advocacy for patriotism, liberty, and the establishment of the Republic (Furet 101-150).

In fact, the Jacobins were even seen as less selfish than other parties, the most patriotic, and as well as being the most sympathetic to the sentiments of the Parisian populace (Furet 101-150). Aside from the Jacobins, another faction also played a major role in the overthrow of the monarchy: the Sans-culottes. The Sans-culottes were mainly composed of the lower classes, which included the urban laborers, the workingmen, and as well as the small shopkeepers; they were also known as the most “left” on the groups that composed the French Revolution, wherein they mainly forwarded issues of popular democracy, and as well as social and economic equality (Furet 101-150).

In this case, the Sans-culottes played a major role in rallying the communards to demand the ouster of the monarchy, through insurrection if necessary, and the establishment of the republic (Furet 101-150).