In 1791, the National Assembly finally gave France its first constitution. The new constitution established a limite monarchy with separation of powers between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. At the head of the
executive branch was the hereditary king. He could propose no laws, and could only use a temporary veto to block legislation he did not like. The Legislative Assembly passed the nation's laws. Members of the Assembly had to be property owners elected by taxpaying citizens. A new system of courts was set up as the judicial branch.

Louis' Flight to Varennes

    Louis XVI resented the loss of his absolute power. On June 21, he
    attempted to flee from Paris with Marie Antoinette and his family. He
    left behind him a defiant message in which he denounced the
    revolution. He planned to join with noblemen and seek help
    from foreign powers. Almost at his destination, the king was
    recognized and stopped. The king and his family were compelled to
    return to the capital where he was forced to accept his status as a
    constitutional monarch.

End of the Monarchy

    The new Legislative Assembly held its first session in October 1791. The seating arrangements in the Assembly reflected divisions among the revolutionaries. Moderate revolutionaries sat on the right side of the meeting hall, and radical revolutionaries sat on the left side. The moderates, in general, supported the limited monarchy and wanted to preserve the Constitution of 1791. This proved impossible, however, since too many groups were dissatisfied with the Revolution and opposed limited monarchy. The Girondins, a political party representing the bourgeoisie, favored a middle-class republic similar to that of the United States. The Jacobins, a radial political party, represented the city workers, who paid no taxes and, therefore, under the constitution of 1791, had no voice in the government. They
opposed both the king and the bourgeoisie. The Jacobins desired a republic dominated by the poorer people.

France at War

    Some European leaders began to fear that revolution would spread to their countries. In the Declaration of Pillnitz (August 1792), Prussia and Austria threatened to use force to protect the French royal family and safeguard the
monarchy. Insulted by this threat, the Legislative Assembly declared war on Austria. Prussia joined immediately with Austria, and by the summer of 1792 the two powers invaded France. The French fared badly in the initial fighting.
    In Paris, defeat in war and economic shortages led to political demonstrations, especially against the king. On August 10, a Paris mob attacked the Tuileries Palace and Legislative Assembly. They took the king captive and forced the Legislative Assembly to suspend the monarchy and call for a National Convention that would draft a constitution for a French republic. The National Convention was chosen on the basis of universal manhood suffrage. (Under a system of universal manhood suffrage, all adult males had the right to vote.) The French Revolution was about to enter a more radical stage.