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First Meeting
They had the first meeting of the Estates-General to approve of the new tax that the king wanted to impose onto the nobility, at Versailles. -
Period: to
The French Revolution
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First Act of Revolution
They (the Third Estate delegates) voted to establish the National Assembly, which proclaimed the ending of the absolute monarchy and the beginning of a representative form of government. This vote became the first deliberate act of revolution. This led to the Tennis Court Oath. -
Storming of the Bastille
A mob stormed the Bastille, a prison in Paris. They killed several guards and then paraded on the streets with their heads on pikes. This became a great symbolic act of revolution. -
Equality
The noblemen made speeches about their love of liberty and equality among people. They then joined other members of the National Assembly in taking away the privileges of the First and Second Estates, and making all classes equal. -
Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen
The National Assembly made the Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which stated that everyone has the right to liberty, property, security, resistance of oppression, and also guaranteed them justice, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion. The divisions between the estates has ended. -
Parisian Woman Riot
Many Parisian women rioted over the rising price for bread. With weapons, they marched on Versailles, and they demanded that the National Assembly take action over this. Then they broke into the palace, and demanded that the king and queen return to Paris. -
National Assembly & the Church
The National Assembly focused its reforms on the Church. They took over the Church lands and decided that priests and officials were to be elected and paid as that of state officials. This caused the Catholic Church to lose its land and political independence, and by doing this, France was able to pay their debt. Many peasants were against these decisions. -
Royal Family Tries to Escape
The royal family tried to escape from France to the Austrian Netherlands. However, they were caught at the border and returned to Paris. This only increased of his enemies in the government. -
New Constitution
The National Assembly completed the new constitution, which created a limited constitutional monarchy. Besides taking some power from the king, it also created the Legislative Assembly. -
Declaration of War
The Legislative Assembly declared war after Austria and Prussia urged the French to restore Louis to his position as monarch. -
New Governing Body
The new governing body, which was the National Convention, took office. They abolished the monarchy and declared France to be a republic, adult men were granted the right to vote and hold office, yet despite the role of the women during the Revolution, they weren’t given the right to vote.
