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Meeting of the Estates General
With France on the verge of economic collapse, the government made one last attempt to solve its problems. In 1789 the Estates-General met at Versailles to discuss the country's difficulties and restore order. The representatives of the third estate, the common people, demanded a new constitution which would reform taxation and change the way France was governed. But each estate had very different views as to what should be the result of this great meeting. -
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THE FRENCH REVOLUTION: From King Louis XVI to Emperor Napoleon I
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The Tennis Court Oath
After the third estate formed the National Assembly, the king answered by locking them out of the meeting hall. Outraged by what they saw as an attempt to suppress the National Assembly, on June 20, they marched off to a nearby tennis court. There, they swore "never to seperate" until a fair and proper form of government had been established. The Tennis Court Oath was one of the great dramatic moments of the revolution, strengthening the resolve of the newly formed National Assembly. -
Storming of the Bastille
Shortly after the Tennis Court Oath, the citizens of Paris received the news that royal troops were marching against them. At once, the city began to prepare for battle. On July 14 a mob stormed the fortress of the Bastille for the ammunition kept there and captured it. The Bastille was also where for centuries French kings had imprisoned people without trial. It was a symbol of oppression and injustice. The Storming and the Fall of Bastille is the most well-known event of the French Revolution. -
"Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen"
The first serious step made by the assembly was the abolition of the feudal system. This was swiftly followed by the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen". Its first important idea was that "men are born and remain free and equal in rights." Also, no longer would certain classes of people enjoy special priviledges. A second important principle was the notion that sovereignty was with the people, not the king. The absolutism of kings was completely dismissed. -
King's Escape Plan Fails
After two years of semi-captivity, the royal family made an attempt to escape and find refuge abroad with the queen's brother, the emperor of Austria. On June 20, in disguise, the royal party managed to leave Paris in secret and head for the frontier. They nearly succeeded, but were apprehended close to the border, at the town of Varennes. The family was hustled back to Paris in disgrace. After the failed flight, the National Assembly began to question whether a limited monarch was necessary. -
Execution of King Louis XVI
After Austria threatened to destroy Paris if the king and queen were harmed, the Parisians concluded that Louis was in league with the enemy. The royal family narrowly escaped death at the hands of a mob as they fled to seek safety within the Assembly. The Convention, the new form of the Assembly, was elected. But many of its members were the king's enemies. Later, letters were found proving that he was plotting against the Revolution. He was tried for treason and on January 21, he was executed. -
Reign of Terror Begins
By 1793, the Revolution was near to collapsing. Hostility to the Revolution was widespread and in places there was open revolt. The Committee of Public Safety was formed. Headed by Maximilien Robespierre, the Committee ruled by fear. Over 2000 in Paris alone were killed during the Reign of Terror. This picture of heads surrounding a guillotine is from the French newspaper "Journal d'Autre Monde," from 1794. The caption below stated: "It is terrible, but necessary," referring to the Terror. -
End of the Reign of Terror
The following year, the French had defeated the invaders. Robespierre then suffered the same fate he had inflicted on others. His former friends turned on him. He was arrested and found guilty of crimes against France. While in captivity, he tried to commit suicide, though others believe he was shot by a gendarme. Either way, Robespierre's jaw was shattered, silencing the "Incorruptible". Robespierre and other leaders of the Terror were guillotined on July 28. The Reign of Terror was over. -
The Rule of Five
The French people were now weary of the Revolution. The Convention was abolished and control was handed over to a group of five individuals known as the Directory. These men were the rulers of France and would remain so until 1799. Because the Directory had to appease both the Jacobin sans-culottes and the royalists, they came to rely on the army to keep them in power and ensure order in France. Leadership began to shift into the hands of generals. One of them would take control very soon. -
The Consulate
After an uncertain start, the French army had prospered during the revolution. Of the leading commanders, the most successful was Napoleon Bonaparte, who had conquered Italy. In November, 1799, he (middle), along with two others, Abbé Sieyes (left) and Roger Ducos (right) overthrew the Directory. But only Napoleon, supported by the military force, held the real power. The ten years of the French Revolution ended with a military dictator and on December 2, 1804 he crowned himself emperor.
