A Timeline of the French Revolution

  • Convening Estates General Assembly

    King Louis XVl has to convene the Estates General Assembly to raise taxes after wars and bad harvests. Bad harvests cause France to starve- one issue for the French Revolution
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    National Assembly Government

    Revolutionary government is lead by the Third Estate. The Third Estate is the group with less food and money than the others
  • Tennis Court Oath National Assembly

    Tennis Court Oath National Assembly
    The Tennis Court Oath National Assembly decides to not break up until a constitution has been written. This was made up of people from the Third Estate and they were the citizens who argued for their rights during the revolution
  • Bastille

    Bastille
    A Paris mob storms Bastille and is taken by them. The Parisans did this to show the abuses caused by the monarchy they have and their revolt
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    Great Fear

    Peasants attacked noble manors. Around the end of this, the Jacobin Club was formed
  • Jacobin Club Formed

    Nobles in the National Assembly renounce feudal rights and the Jacobin Club formed. This club also started the Reign of Terror in 1793
  • Declaration of the Rights of Man

    Declaration of the Rights of Man
    The Assembly issues the Declaration of the Rights of Man. This was created by representatives for the French citizens to explain the rights thy deserve to avoid another catastrophe like this
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    King Louis to Paris

    King Louis XVl is brought from Versailles to Tuilries palace in Paris. Angry revolutionists bring him there because they have decided against monarchies
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    King Louis Flees

    King Louis flees to Austria, but is caught at Varennes. This shows how he is not loyal to his citizens
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    Legislative Assembly Government

    Constitutional Government is created by elected officials
  • Legislative Assembly Government Collapse

    A Paris mob storms the royal palace. The Legislative Assembly government collapses. The Minister of Justice Danton kills thousands of alleged traitors
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    National Convention Government

    The members were elected to rewrite the constitution by universal male suffrage. This government was the government at the time that executed the king
  • France Goes Republic

    The National Convention gets rid of the monarchy and declares France a republic. One main goal is done- to get rid of monarchy
  • First Calendar Day

    This is the first day of the new Revolutionary calendar. This calendar is changed because it was believed that religion could be dangerous
  • New Calendar

    New Calendar
    A new calendar is created with new day and month names. This was done during the Revolution to get rid of the calendar with religious names and days
  • Execution of King

    Execution of King
    King Louis is executed after the National Convention sentences him to this death.
  • Counter-Revolution

    A counter-revolutionary revolt begins in the Vendee region. This gives the Revolution enemies, leading to the Rein of Terror
  • Reign of Terror

    Reign of Terror
    Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety begins the Reign of Terror. Anyone who said anything that is considered bad to the Revolution is potentially executed
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    Price Controls

    Price controls are put into place by the government and saints names are removed from street signs. This-like the calendar- takes away religious names
  • Robespierre Executed

    Robespierre is executed and the Reign of Terror ends. This takes away the revolution's main leader
  • Churches Open

    Now that the Reign of Terror is over, the Churches are reopened
  • Directory

    A new constitution is adopted and this forms a new government called the Directory
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    Directory Government

    The new constitution has two houses: The Council of Ancients and The Council of 500. This government was created after Robespierre's death and the Reign of Terror
  • Removing Royalists

    The government removes all those who are faithful to the monarchy from Directory because the revolution is against monarchies
  • End of French Revolution

    End of French Revolution
    Napoleon's government takeover abolishes Directory and establishes Consulate government. This marks the end of the French Revolution