The word sans-culottes in French literally means “without breeches.” Breeches, or culottes, were generally worn by the French nobility, while the lower working classes of 18th century France wore simple trousers. Thus, the lower class was referred to as the sans-culottes. With trousers, a tricolor cockade, and a bonnet rouge (a beanie-like hat, often red), the sans-culottes became an epitome of the French Revolution.
As members of the poor working class, the sans-culottes were part of the Third Estate in the Ancien Regime, the social system in France before 1789. The Third Estate made up more than 90 percent of the French population then, and were forced to pay taxes and bear unequal representation in the Estates General, the French legislative body. As the Enlightenment ideas of social equality and natural liberties floated around 18th century France, the sans-culottes developed their own political and social consciousness. Additionally, as France’s economy plummeted due to expensive wars overseas and lavish spending by the monarchy, bread prices shot up and social disparities worsened.
The sans-culottes reached their height after the execution of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette in 1793, and the abolishment of the French monarchy altogether. Along with forming a new republic, they ushered in an insanely bloody reign of terror, mercilessly sending monarchists and moderates alike to the guillotine. They found their voice in Jacobin leader Maximilien Robespierre, a radical and influential supporter of the revolutionary cause. However, the republic would crumble as the French people began to react conservatively to the radical atmosphere.
While the sans-culottes were regarded as champions of liberty amidst the revolutionary fervor in France, Europe was horrified by their violence and radicalness. Many British cartoons portrayed them as uncivilized brutish people, ruthlessly slaughtering the French nobles and feasting on their dead bodies.
Were the sans-culottes heroes of “liberty, equality, fraternity”? It’s not a direct “yes” or “no”. While supporting the revolutionary cause of equal representation, price control, and reform to outrageous social disparity, they ushered in a reign of terror. In some ways, the republic they set up was more oppressive than the absolute monarchy they overthrew. While it was no doubt influential in the slow movement away from monarchies in Europe, the French Revolution went down in history as a disaster.
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