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Tennis Court Oath (Beginning of Phase 1)
Tension had been building up as the estates had been arguing about voting. The French Estates-General members began to call themselves the National Assembly. They started to write up ideas for a new constitution. During a meeting of discussion on the topic of estate voting, the third estate was thrown out for their actions. The people of the third estate met on a tennis court and promised each other to keep fighting for a new constitution. This promise was the Tennis Court Oath. -
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French Revolution Timeline
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Storming of the Bastille (Phase 1)
The Bastille was a royal fortress in Paris. In 1789, French revolutionaries and many rebellious troops destroyed Bastille, and this resulted in a "Domino effect" throughout the country. Launay, the military governor of the fortress, was unable to hold the people back. This event was one of the first to imply the beginning of the French Revolution, when the government was run with King Louis XVI, and there was a lot of political terror. -
March on Versailles (Phase 1)
In 1789, several thousands of angry women marched from Paris to Versailles. At the time, Paris was starving, and the women were angry because King Louis and Marie Antoinette were living in luxury and not helping. The women chanted "Bread!" as they marched in the rain. This event had a huge effect on the revolution, since the demand for gender equality would go on to increase and the role of women had changed. -
Civil Constitution of the Clergy (Phase 1)
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law that was passed to get the Roman Catholic Church show subjection towards the government. There was an internal separation in the French church. This constitution stated that voting citizens would choose the bishops and parish priests, and that the government would pay the wages of the clergy. Numerous committed Catholics opposed the revolution; the law of subordination was too strict. -
Royal Family Attempts to Flee (Phase 1)
Because of the National Assembly (Third Estate), the King had limited power. Also, King Louis's vetoes could be overruled. Marie Antoinette and he felt like they were imprisoned in their own royal palace. In 1791, the family decided to sneakily depart France. But, Louis and his wife were noticed by the people of the town of Varennes, and they were driven back to Paris. Now, the people of the revolution had a strong dislike for the king, as he had no respect for the constitution. -
Constitution of 1791 (Phase 1)
The National Assembly, or Third Estates-General, which had been fighting injustice in the government during the French Revolution, formed the Constitution of 1791. The constitution created an executive, judicial, and legislative branch for the government. Now, the members of the Legislative Assembly were elected indirectly, and there was sovereignty, even though the government was a monarchy. However, the constitution did not even last a year. -
Attack on the Tuileries Palace (Phase 1)
People saw King Louis as a traitor, and not many were happy with the government and the royal family. In mid-1792, the army of Austria and its allies of Prussia began to enter the territory of France. A huge mob of 20,000 rushed toward the royal palace of the king on August 10. The king and his wife escaped, but were put under arrest by the Legislative Assembly. This event was a signal that more radicals were starting to occupy the revolution, and more terror would follow. -
King Louis Executed (End of Phase 1)
All monarch powers were taken away by a new constitution in 1792. In January 1793, King Louis was sentenced to death. He had become a big leader in the government of the early French Revolution. But, he was accused of conspiracy, or a secret plan, with foreign subjects. It was resolved that he be executed by guillotine in Paris on a stage. -
The Uprising in the Vendee Begins (Beginning of Phase 2)
Since 1792, France had been at war. In 1793, the government had a levée en masse, or a military draft, to add more soldiers for more enemies. The peasants in the Vendée region of France rebelled against this action; they were not happy with the way the revolution was going. People of the Vendée started to fight, and 200,000 people were killed. -
Committee of Public Safety is Formed (Phase 2)
The Committee of Public Safety was made to deal with dilemmas inside of the country. They sought to execute anyone who was an enemy of the Revolution. These enemies included peasant uprisings, and many people were killed by guillotine by the Committee. The period of time in which this event occurred was called the Reign of Terror. -
French Constitution of 1793 (Phase 2)
In 1793, a new French constitution was created to take the place of the Constitution of 1791. Maximilian Robespierre and Louis Saint-Just were the primary designers of the document. The constitution contained democratic ideas and ideas of redistributing wealth. These concepts surpassed the average goals of the French Revolution in earlier years. -
Robespierre is Executed (End of Phase 2)
While conditions in France were getting better, the Committee of Public Safety was still performing violent acts. Jacobins were people who were associated with extreme violence. Robespierre was one of many, and he was executed for his wrongdoings. After his death, the second phase of the revolution, or the Reign of Terror, was over. -
Constitution of 1795 (Beginning of Phase 3)
After the Reign of Terror, the Constitution of 1795 was written up. As a result, the Directory was formed; in the Directory, a five-man committee and a legislative body shared power. The legislative body would be elected by men who owned land. According to the new constitution, violence was over: Jacobin clubs were shut down. However, the Constitution of 1795 had a tiny negative effect on the revolution, since it lessened the amount of social equality. -
Directory Ends (End of Phase 3)
The Directory had a dictatorial feel to it; the military was needed to keep the state stable. Under the Directory, France continued to fight with Austria and Britain. Also, the government received complaints from both conservatives and radicals. Therefore, the Directory was not doing a whole lot for the country of France. In 1799, the Directory ended, and soon, the revolution did too.
