-
Cahiers (list of grievances)
The cahiers were lists of concerns or grievances compiled
and were to serve as mandates for representatives elected to the Estates-General of France, which convened the following summer. Approximately 40,000 cahiers were composed during the spring months. -
Calling of the Estates-General
The Estates-General of 1789 was a general assembly representing the French estates summoned by Louis XVI to propose solutions to France's financial problems. It ended when the Third Estate formed into a National Assembly, signaling the outbreak of the French Revolution. -
Tennis Court Oath and formation of national assembly
The Tennis Court Oath was a key moment that set off the French Revolution. There, the men of the National Assembly swore an oath never to stop meeting until a constitution had been established. -
Storming of the Bastille
Paris mob, hungry due to a lack of food from poor harvests, upset at the conditions of their lives and annoyed with their King and Government, stormed the Bastille fortress (a prison). This turned out to be more symbolic than anything else as only four or five prisoners were found. -
Abolition of feudalism and the Great fear
the National Assembly, in an effort to appease the peasants and stop further rural disorders they formally abolished the "feudal regime", including seigneurial rights. That led in effect to a general unrest among the French nobility. -
The Declaration of Rights of Man and citizen
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen helped to form the foundation of the French Revolution, in hopes of ending the monarchy and establishing a democracy in France. -
March on Versailles – bread riots
The Women's March on Versailles was a riot that took place during this first stage of the French Revolution. It was spontaneously organized by women in the marketplaces of Paris, They complained over the high price and scant availability of bread, marching from Paris to Versailles. -
Creation of the legislative assembly.
The Legislative Assembly was elected for one year by restricted suffrage and was empowered to enact laws and raise taxes, determine public expenditure, ratify treaties and declare war. It sat as of right and could not be dissolved. -
French revolutionary wars (with Prussia and Austria)
This war was a series of sweeping military conflicts. This war brought down the monarchy and the ancient regime. -
Execution of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
The king summoned a meeting of the Estates General at the palace. Later that year, ceding to popular pressure, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette left Versailles for Paris. Both died by the guillotine due to treason. -
Committee of public safety
The Committee of Public Safety was created by the National Convention with the intent to defend the nation against foreign and domestic enemies, as well as to oversee the new functions of the executive government. -
Levee en Masse
France was in the throes of the French Revolution. Faced with enemies on all sides, they desperately needed to protect themselves. The solution was levée en masse the conscription of hundreds of thousands of French people into compulsory military service. -
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror was a period of around a year during the French Revolution during which many people were executed for supposedly opposing the Revolution. -
Execution of Maximilien Robespierre
Robespierre, having been branded a failed dictator by the right and a moderate by the left, saw his popular support collapse. Ultimately, he was unable to kill his rivals faster than they could unite against him. The Thermidorian Reaction toppled and executed Robespierre, and the Reign of Terror died with him. -
Forming the national convention and France declared a republic
It was the first French government organized as a republic, abandoning the monarchy altogether. The Convention sat as a single-chamber assembly from 20 September 1792 to 26 October 1795.