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Deficit Spending
France sinks deeper and deeper into debt, causing taxes and food prices to soar. Louis XVI hired, and later fired, a financial advisor named Jacques Necker, who recommended taxing the First and Second Estates. -
Estates-General
For the first time in 175 years, delegates from all three estates meet at Versailles, to try to reform France, and to resolve the financial crises. The delegates from the Third Estate (peasant-middle class) form the National Assembly, saying they represent the people of France. A few days later, they find their meeting hall locked and guarded, so they moved to a tennis court, where reform-minded (and self-preserving) members of the First (clergy) and Second (nobility) estates joined them. -
Storming the Bastille
Parisians stormed the Bastille, a medieval fortress/prison, in an attempt to get weapons and gun powder. The angry mob killed the guards, and tortured the commander until he begged for death, which they happily granted him. After taking the Bastille, the citizens of Paris tore it apart, by hand, brick from brick. -
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National Assembly Acts/People Revolt against Royal Family
On August 4th, 1791, the National Assembly voted to end the special privileges given to nobles, such as exclusive hunting rights, special legal status, and immunity to taxes. Later that same month, the Declaration of the Rights of Man was issued by the Assembly. This Declaration stated that all male citizens were equal, and were able to take a job where ever they wanted, as long as their skills were adequate. -
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National Assembly Acts/People Revolt against Royal Family 2
It also gave people the freedom to choose their religion, and that taxes would be based on peoples' ability to pay, not on social status. The one thing that made many protest it, however, was the fact that women were excluded in all of the things it granted. The women of Paris were also angry with their queen, Mary Antoinette, and stormed Versailles. They were unable to locate and harm her, but they did manage to force the royal family to move to Paris, into the Tuileries palace. -
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National Assembly Acts/People Revolt against Royal Family 3
Here, the king, queen, and their children became little more that important prisoners, as they had so many restrictions on what they could do. In 1790, the National Assembly placed the Church under state control. The changes they made caused a chasm between those in Paris, and the rest of the country. The Constitution of 2791 replaced the absolute monarchy they had previously had with a constitutional monarchy, where Louis XVI's power slowly diminished. -
Foreign Threats
Marie Antoinette's brother, the emperor of Austria, and the King of Prussia threatened to stamp-out the revolution in the Declaration of Pilntz. The threat was intended to scare the revolutionaries into submission, but instead they later took up arms and went to war against most of Europe. -
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Radicals take Control of the Revolution
By April of 1792, radicals were the majority of the new government, the Legislative Assembly, and declared a war on tyranny This translated into a war with the vast majority of Europe, which lasted on and off until 1815, long after the radicals lost control to the more moderate members of the government. -
The Monarchy is abolished
A very radical Convention meet in the September of 1792, seeking to abolish the (as they saw it) corrupt monarchy, and create a republic. This goal was soon realized, and inevitably, resulted in the execution of Louis XVI, who was convicted of treason by one single vote. -
Spread of Nationalism
The combination of revolution and war fueled the French people's sense of national pride (nationalism). The people of France attended events to celebrate the country and the revolution that enveloped it. One of the many patriotic/revolution-themed songs created during this time was the "La Marseillaise," which became France’s national anthem. -
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The Reign of Terror
With threats from both inside and outside its borders, many feared that the revolution was dying. To deal with these problems, and more, the 12-member Committee of Public Safety, which had almost complete power over France. Maximilien Robespierre led the fight against interior conflicts, using terror as his weapon. Every day, many falsely accused citizens lost their heads (and, thus, their lives) to a new, "more humane" execution machine: the guillotine. -
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The Reign of Terror 2
Robespierre quickly had any who were suspected of treason (basically, anyone who acted just a bit out of the ordinary) beheaded. He believed that if France wanted to create a "republic of virtue," then any and all who opposed the revolution in any way needed to die. Unfortunately, he also believed that this included those who opposed his views. Many of his colleges and their followers lost their lives for simply disagreeing with him. -
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The Reign of Terror 3
Eventually, the Terror claimed its own creator, Robespierre. Fearing that their names were on the latest list of suspected traitors (which he made a fatal tactical error by refusing to show them), his colleges had him and others arrested. That night, a failed suicide attempt blew his jaw off. Unable to speak at his own trial, the famed lawyer turned revolutionary was found guilty, and executed the next day; still unable to speak. After Robespierre' head rolled, the Terror itself died. -
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The Third Stage of the Revolution
During this part in the French Revolution, the middle and the professional people of the bourgeoisie were the most dominant. Under more moderate guidance, a third constitution was produced, called the Constitution of 1795. The new government was elected by property owning male citizens, and held power for 4 years, until Napoleon Bonaparte rose to rule France.
