Sans-culottes facts for kids
The sans-culottes ( which means "without breeches") were the lower classes in late 18th century France. Lots of sans-culottes became radical supporters and fighters for the French Revolution. This was because of their poor quality of life under the Ancien Régime. The word sans-culotte, which is the opposite of aristocrat, was said for the first time on 28 February 1791 by officer Jean-Bernard Gauthier de Murnan in a bad way. He was talking about a "sans-culottes army" - an army of peasants. The word became popular during the demonstrations of June 1792.
The name, though it is about clothing, is actually a way to talk about the sans-culottes' social status. Culottes were the fashionable silk knee-breeches of the 18th-century nobility and bourgeoisie. The working class sans-culottes wore pantaloons, or trousers, instead. The sans-culottes, most of them urban labourers, were the force behind the French Revolution. The other members of the revolution thought that they were "radicals" because they wanted a direct democracy. This would mean that the people would vote on laws themselves, and that there would be no legislature. Though they had bad clothes and equipment, and got little or no support from the rich, they were most of the Revolutionary army and executed many people during the early years of the French Revolutionary Wars.
Images for kids
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François Hanriot chef de la section des Sans-Culottes (Rue Mouffetard); drawing by Gabriel in the Carnavalet Museum
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The uprising of the Parisian sans-culottes from 31 May to 2 June 1793. The scene takes place in front of the Deputies Chamber in the Tuileries. The depiction shows Marie-Jean Hérault de Séchelles and Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud.
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(left) Sans-culotte, compare figures wearing culottes right.
See also
In Spanish: Sans-culottes para niños
