How did a group named after a pair of trousers become one of the most prominent movements of the French Revolution? The Sans-Culottes (literally translated as ‘without breeches’) consisted of the common people of the lower classes of 18th century France, who were unhappy with the harsh living conditions during the Ancien Régime and became radical partisans of the French Revolution in protest.
Ancien Régime
The Ancien Régime, often known as the Old Regime, was France’s political and social structure from the late Middle Ages until the French Revolution of 1789, where everyone was a subject of the King of France.
Sans-Culottes Meaning
The name ‘sans-culottes’ refers to their distinct clothing and lower-class status. At the time, culottes were fashionable silk knee-breeches worn by the nobility and the bourgeoisie. However, instead of wearing the breeches, the Sans-Culottes wore pantaloons or long trousers to disassociate themselves from the elite.
Bourgeoisie
A social class that consists of people from the middle and upper-middle classes.
Other distinctive pieces of clothing that the Sans-Culottes wore were:
Redrawn 19th-century version of original early 1790’s illustrations of the Sans-Culottes. Source: Augustin Challamel, Histoire-musée de la république Française, depuis l'assemblée des notables, Paris, Delloye, 1842, Wikimedia Commons
Sans-Culottes: 1792
The Sans-Culottes became a more prominent and active group between 1792 and 1794; the height of their influence started to emerge at a pivotal stage of the French Revolution. Although there is no exact date of their formation, they slowly increased in number and officially established themselves in France over the revolutionary period.
The French Revolution
The French Revolution was a period of significant political and societal change in France that began in 1789 with the founding of the Estates-General and ended in November 1799 with the formation of the French Consulate.
Core Political Principles
The Sans-Culottes political principles were largely based on social equality, economic equality and popular democracy. They supported the abolition of privileges and authority of the monarchy, the nobility and the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church. There was also a wide range of support for policies such as establishing fixed wages and introducing price controls to make food and essentials affordable.
These demands were expressed through petitions, later presented to the Legislative and Convention Assemblies. The Sans-Culottes were a strategic group: they had other ways to voice their concerns and achieve their demands. One of these ways was publicly informing the police and the courts of thousands of traitors and suspected conspirators.
Legislative Assembly
The governing body of France between 1791 and 1792.
Convention Assembly
The governing body of France between 1792 and 1795.
Aims and Objectives
Egalitarian
The belief that all people are equal and should have equal rights and opportunities.
Influence
The Sans-Culottes supported the more radical and anti-bourgeoisie factions of the Paris Commune, particularly the Enragés (ultra-radical revolutionary group) and Hérbertists (radical revolutionary political group). Furthermore, they occupied the ranks of paramilitary forces who had to enforce the policies and legislation of the revolutionary government. They implemented these through violence and executions against those deemed enemies of the Revolution.
Paramilitary
A paramilitary group is a semi-militarised force with the same organisational structure, tactics, training, subculture, and function as a professional military but is not formally part of the country’s armed forces.
Reception
As a dominant and influential group, the Sans-Culottes were seen as the most genuine and sincere of the Revolution. They were seen by many as living portrayals of the revolutionary spirit.
Public administrators and officials from the middle and upper-class backgrounds were fearful of being seen in their wealthy attires, especially during the Reign of Terror when it was such a dangerous period to be associated with anything against the Revolution. Instead, they adopted the clothing of the Sans-Culottes as a sign of solidarity with the working class, nationalism and the new republic.
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror was a period of the French Revolution where anyone suspected of being an enemy of the Revolution was subject to a wave of terror, and many were executed.
Sans-Culottes Revolution
Whilst the Sans-Culottes were not directly involved in politics, their influence in the revolutionary movements is indisputable. Working-class mobs, formed of members of the Sans-Culottes, could be found in almost every revolutionary movement. We can explore some of the most significant here.
Robespierre’s plans to reconstitute the army
Maximilien Robespierre, one of the most influential figures of the French Revolution, expressed views that the Sans-Culottes admired. They helped him in his efforts to block reforms of the National Guard. These reforms would limit its membership to active citizens, primarily property owners, on 27 April 1791. Robespierre demanded the army be reconstituted democratically to allow ordinary citizens to participate. He believed the army needed to become the Revolution’s tool of defence rather than a threat to it.
However, despite Robespierre’s vigorous effort, the notion of an armed bourgeoisie militia was finally approved in the Assembly on 28 April.
The National Guard
A military and policing reserve founded separately from the French Army.
Demonstrations of 20 June 1792
The Sans-Culottes were involved in the demonstration of 20 June 1792, which aimed to persuade King Louis XVI of France to forsake his current harsh governance strategy. Demonstrators wanted the King to uphold the Legislative Assembly’s decisions, defend France from foreign invasions, and maintain the ethos of the French Constitution of 1791. These demonstrations would be the last peaceful attempt by the people and were the culmination of France’s failed attempt to establish a constitutional monarchy. The monarchy was overthrown after the Insurrection on 10 August 1792.
Sans-Culottes Army
In the Spring of 1793, Robespierre pushed for the creation of a Sans-Culottes army, which would be funded by a tax on the wealthy. This was accepted by the Paris Commune on 28 May 1793 and they were tasked with enforcing revolutionary laws.
The Paris Commune
The government of Paris from 1789 until 1795.
Call to Reform
Petitioners and members of the Paris Commune gathered together at the bar of the National Convention demanding that:
Armoury
A place for keeping weapons.
The Convention disagreed with these demands, and as a result, the Sans-Culottes pressured further with their pleas of change. From 31 May to 2 June 1793, the Sans-Culottes took part in the insurrection that resulted in the Montagnard group triumphing over the Girondins. After successfully disposing of members of the Girondin, the Montagnards took control of the Convention. Since they were supporters of the Sans-Culottes, only at their command did they dominate.
In times of unrest, whoever was in charge of France’s destiny had to answer to the Sans-Culottes. They would face a similar insurrection and banishment if they did not do what was required of them. The Reign of Terror would shortly follow this political trend toward extremism.
Who were the Montagnards and the Girondins?
The Montagnards and the Girondins were two revolutionary political factions that emerged during the French Revolution. Whilst both groups were revolutionary, they differed in their ideologies. The Girondin’s were seen as moderate Republicans whilst the Montagnards were more radical and deeply concerned about the working class in France. The Montagnards and Girondins’ ideological rift was declared by the rising pressure from the radical multitudes, and hostilities within the Convention began to develop.
When the National Convention gathered in 1792 to decide the destiny of former King Louis XVI, the Sans-Culottes passionately opposed a proper trial, preferring instead to execute him immediately. The moderate Girondin camp voted for a trial, but the radical Montagnards sided with the Sans-Culottes and won by a razor-thin margin. On 21 January 1793, Louis XVI was put to death. By May 1793, the Montagnards had cooperated with the National Guard, most of whom were Sans-Culottes at the time, to overthrow several of the Girondin members.
What impact did the Sans-Culottes have on the French Revolution?
The Sans-Culottes were key figures in the French Revolution, remembered for their distinctive appearance, the changes they helped implement and their part in the Reign of Terror.
Legacy
The image of the Sans-Culottes became a prominent emblem for the ordinary man’s enthusiasm, optimism, and patriotism during the French Revolution. This idealistic picture and the concepts associated with it are referred to as sans-culottism or sans-culottisme in French.
In solidarity and acknowledgement, many prominent leaders and revolutionaries who were not working-class dubbed themselves citoyens (citizens) Sans-Culottes.
On the other hand, the Sans-Culottes and other far-left political factions were ruthlessly hunted and crushed by the Muscadins (young middle-class men) in the immediate aftermath of the Thermidorian Reaction when Robespierre was ousted.
Sans-Culottes - Key Takeaways
The Sans-Culottes were a revolutionary group that emerged during the French Revolution made up of the working-class people of France.
The term ‘Sans-Culottes’ refers to the distinct clothing they wore, dissociating themselves from those of higher status.
The group progressively rose in number, and their popularity increased over the revolutionary period.
As for the core political principles, they stood firmly on social and economic equality and popular democracy.
The demonstrations were demanding that the King change to a more favourable but strategic approach to governance.
The Montagnards, one of the political factions, fully supported the Sans-Culottes’ agenda. They used this support to command a majority within the Convention.
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