The Constitutional Monarchy 1789–1792

The period from October 1789 to August 1792 saw France attempt to build a new political order: a constitutional monarchy in which the king would share power with an elected legislature. This experiment ultimately failed, destroyed by the mutual distrust between Louis XVI and the revolutionaries, the divisive impact of religious reform, and the radicalising effect of war.

Key Definition: A constitutional monarchy is a system in which the monarch's powers are defined and limited by a written constitution. The French Constitution of 1791 was the revolution's attempt to create such a system.

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The Work of the National Constituent Assembly (1789–1791)

The Assembly undertook a comprehensive reorganisation of France:

Administrative Reform

• France was divided into 83 departments, replacing the old provinces with their tangled jurisdictions
• Departments subdivided into districts, cantons, and communes
• Officials were elected, not appointed by the crown

Legal Reform

• Lettres de cachet (arbitrary imprisonment orders) abolished
• Judicial torture abolished
• An independent judiciary established

Economic Reform