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3rd Estate Takes an Oath.
The 3rd estate wanted a change, and during a meeting of the Estates-General, the estate decided to call themselves a National Assembly and draft a Consitiution. However, when they went to their meeting place and were locked out, they decided to gather at a nearby tennis court where they swore not to separate until France had a new Constitution. -
The Bourgeoise Revolts
The storming of the Bastille occured when the peasants and the bourgeoise acted together in revolt against the government. They wanted to free the prisoners that had been jailed wrongfully. Even though there were only seven prisoners, the fall of the Bastille became a symbol and starting point of the Revolution. -
Period: to
The French Revolution
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The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
After the storming of the Bastille, something needed to be done, and with this document, all frenchmen are citizens, subject to one law, and eligible to hold all offices. The nobles and King did not like these changes, but could do nothing about it. -
Women Fight for Bread: The March to Versailles
When prices became extremely high for bread and the women could not feed their children, they decided to take matters into their own hands. They marched the twelve miles to the King's Palace of Versailles and demanded that he move to Paris to see the devastation in the city. -
Louis XVI Attempts to Escape
The King, as well as the entire royal family feared for their lives and attempted to escape Paris. They dressed like commoners in hope that they would not be recognized. However, they were seen and recaptured. The people now saw the king as a deserter of his people and country. -
Move from the Old Regime to the National Assembly
The National Assembly in 1791 got rid of the special priviliges of the higher classes. The state now had control of the clergy, and the church lost its right to collect taxes. It establised a limited monarchy, which weakened the power of the King Louis XVI. -
The National Convention Emerges
With the chaos going on in Paris, the Legislative Assembly was forced to call a National Convention. It was made up of mostly lawyers, and the entire body distrusted the king. On September 21, they got rid of the monarchy and established the French Republic. During their ruling, they determined that all men, regardless of property ownership could vote, converted to the metric system, and sentenced the king to death. -
A Royal Execution
The National Convention began in September of 1972 and met to determine the fate of the king. The Convention was split into factions, and the most important were the Girondins, who represented the provinces, and the Mountain, who represented the radicals in Paris. The Mountain won and on Louis XVI was sentenced to death by the guillotine and condemned as a traitor for having relations with Austria and plotting agasint France. -
The Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror was led by Robespierre and lasted from July 1793 until July of the following year. The National Convention and the Committee of Public Safety set up courts to prosecute, and execute enemies of the revolutionary republic. Almost 40,000 people were killed by the guillotine. -
The Fall of Robespierre and the End of the Revolution
The National Convention sentences Maximilien Robespierre to death by guillotine, and the moderates of France took power. A new constitution was made to stabilize the country, and five men were elected to form the Directory and they ruled France. The government was corrupted and failing and in 1799, Napolean Bonaparte toppled the Directory and took control.
