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The King summoned the Estates General because of the enormous debt France was in and the other financial problems they were having. Led to the formation of the National Assembly because the Third Estate was always outvoted in the Estates General because of the alliance and power of the first two estates.
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In response to the summoning of the Estates General and the inequity of power between the clergy and nobility and the peasants, the Third Estate met on a Tennis Court to plan and form their own National Assembly.
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First major act of violence; the "spark" that started the Revolution. Caused by the poor class of Paris revolting against the monarchy and government because of the inequity both in the Estates as well as economically, as only the Third Estate payed taxes. Rioters sought to steal the arms held at the Bastille, as well as liberate the prisoners there.
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Adopted by the National Assembly, the declaration laid out what we would now call basic human rights of the French citizens, demanding that "all men are born free and equal." It's goal was to lessen the gap between the upper classes and the common people.
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One of the early acts of revolution. The poverty rates were extremely high and the dietary staple of bread was in short supply. The women marched to the palace to demand bread. This led to the King meeting with some of the women and promising to distribute bread to the common people of France.
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Created by the National Assembly, transferred the power from the monarchy to the legislative assembly. The legislative assembly was elected, rather than inheriting power or being part of the old first and second estates. Allowed "active" citizens to vote and partake in government. Lasted less than a year.
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Using the guillotine which had become popular, Louis XVI and Maire Antoinette were executed after trying to secretly leave France to escape persecution. Led to the Reign of Terror, in which a republican government replaced the monarchy.
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Period in which France was a republic. Anyone suspected of supporting the monarchy or deemed a threat to the nation of France was executed via guillotine. The deaths mounted into the thousands, the majority in Paris. The near dictatorship of the republic caused the Directory to be overly cautious when it came to executive power.
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Formed in response to the Reign of Terror. Ended up failing because it's executive power was too weak, where as the Reign of Terror's had been too strong. Ended up being overthrown by Napoleon.
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The end of the French Revolution and the beginning of Napoleon's road to emperor. The Directory was already weak because of it's lack of executive authority. Napoleon's troops surrounded the Directory and forced them to end the government, allowing Napoleon and his followers to take over, eventually leading to his self-declaration as emperor.
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After overthrowing the Directory, Napoleon declared himself emperor and crowned himself in December of 1804 in Paris' Notre Dame cathedral. This took everyone by surprise, as the Pope had been invited to the ceremony, presumably to crown Napoleon. Napoleon later crowned himself again as ruler of all of Italy.
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The system created by Napoleon to block British commerce and
hence eliminate them as a threat against his empire. The decrees of Berlin and Milan confirmed this, meaning that France and all it's allies were to avoid trading with the British. -
Following his retreat from Russia, Napoleon desperately tried to step down and let his son lead. This was not accepted so he abdicated and was exiled to Elba with an army of 1000 men to command. A year later he escaped and returned to France to continue the fight.
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Napoleon's final battle took place in Belgium against the British and Prussians. After losing over 30,000 men, Napoleon finally gave up. This crucial loss marked the end of his reign, and he was exiled to St. Helena, where he spent the last few years of his life.
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After his final defeat, Napoleon was permanently exiled to the island of St. Helena, a place from which he could not escape like he did Elba. He died there six years after being exiled.