Abolition of Guilds in Paris
- When
- 1791
- Where
- Seat of the National Assembly where the law was passed; Political center of the sans-culottes agitation
- Episodes
- 2
The Le Chapelier Law, passed by the National Assembly on 14 June 1791 during the first phase of the French Revolution, abolished French guilds, compagnonnage, and the right to strike, proclaiming free enterprise. Its promulgation later enraged the sans-culottes, who demanded the Assembly's end.
Episodes
- Passage of the Le Chapelier Law
The National Assembly passed the Le Chapelier Law on 14 June 1791, banning guilds, compagnonnage, and strikes while proclaiming free enterprise.
- Sans-Culottes Reaction to Promulgation
The law's promulgation enraged the sans-culottes, who demanded an end to the National Constituent Assembly, though it continued through the Revolution's second phase.
Background and detail
Background. During the first phase of the French Revolution, the National Assembly moved against corporate economic institutions. The Le Chapelier Law, named in the supplied source, targeted guilds as an early form of trade unions, alongside compagnonnage organizations such as the Compagnons du Tour de France.
Provisions of the Law. The legislation banned French guilds and compagnonnage, prohibited the right to strike, and proclaimed free enterprise as the norm. It thus dismantled both traditional worker associations and collective labor action in a single measure.
Aftermath. The law's promulgation enraged the sans-culottes, who called for an end to the National Constituent Assembly. The Assembly nonetheless continued through the second phase of the Revolution, indicating the measure did not halt its legislative course.
People involved
- National Assembly · Legislative body that passed the Le Chapelier Law
- sans-culottes · Popular group enraged by the law's promulgation who called for the Assembly's end
- Compagnons du Tour de France · Compagnonnage organization targeted by the ban
Sources
- Le Chapelier Law 1791 Wikipedia, revision of 2025-11-28
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.