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Relationship 1: Louis XVI Calls the Estates General & Oath of the Tennis Court
Although Louis XVI originally called the Estates General to help establish a new system of taxation, this event opened up a Pandora's box of problems in France. Prior to this event, the people of the third estate had not been able to elect a representative in a long time and this new discussion was likely a major cause of revolution. Without Louis XVI ordering the Third Estates to come together, they would likely have never organized to form the National Assembly. -
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Relationship 2: First and Second Estates Join the National Assembly & National Assembly Declares France a Republic
Becuase Louis XVI ordered the representatives of the nobles and clergy to join the national assembly, the body was truly representative of all of the people. This new authority gave the National Assembly the weight to become its own governing body and it ultimately made the unrepresentative rule of the French monarchy irrelevant. Therefore, the new authority of the National Assembly was instrumental to the development of France as a republic. -
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Relationship 3: The Reign of Terror & Louis XVI Executed
There is no doubt that the execution of Louis XVI was the product of revolutionary sentiment produced by the reign of terror. One of the major objectives of the Reign of terror was to eliminate all influential individuals that had the ability to stifle the revolution's progress. Possibly the largest opponent of the French Revolution, Louis XVI signified one the last holdouts of the old regime in France. Therefore, fearing that he posed a threat, the National Convention ordered his death. -
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Relationship 4: Struggle between Girondists and the Mountain & Napoleon Siezes Power
Because of the way that the struggle between the Girondists and the Mountain ended with the mountain taking over the entire French political system and killing their opponents, they established France as a dictatorship. Because of this new environment that did not require the approval of the people, Napoleon's coup was possible. Moreover, this allowed Napoleon to continue to rule France without the approval of the French citizens that had been stressed so greatly before in the Revolution. -
Louis XVI Calls the Estates General
In 1789, King Louis XVI of France found his country in a major financial crisis and needed to raise government revenues through taxation. However, the nobles blocked his efforts to impose new taxes that would include them. This forced Louis XVI to call an assembly called the Estates General, which consisted of the three different social estates, clergy, nobles, and commoner. However, this group began to discuss much more than taxes. -
Oath of the Tennis Court
Finding that they were no longer allowed to meet in their designated hall and fearing that the king was going to disband the Third Estate, now calling itself the National Assembly, the representative met at a next door tennis court. In this meeting, the representatives vowed to not disband until France established a new constitution that served the people and they are content with the progress that it made. -
First and Second Estates Join the National Assembly
Folding to the demands of the Third Estate that the other two estates meet in the same forum with them to debate issue, Louis XVI recognizes the National Assembly as a legitimate institution and orders the other two states to join it and meet together. This gave the institution more authority and governing power in France. -
The Storming of the Bastille
Symbolizing the power of the French monarchy, the Bastille was a royal fortress that served as a prison and arms depot. The French people and mutinous prisoners stormed the prison to release the revolutionaries and obtain weapons to take over the rest of the city. The true power in France now lied within the hands of the people. -
Great Fear (July-August 1789)
The Great Fear was a period of widespread rioting and panic among France's peasant class in response to rumours that the old regime was looking to overthrow the new people's government. During this time, French peasants attacked their lords and some assumed possession of the land on which they had worked. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen was a document approved by the National Assembly that details certain rights that all male, French citizens have. This included the right to political equality and greater respect for the liberty of the common people. -
Women's March on Versailles
The Women's March on Versailles was a major moment during the French revolution when a mob of angry French women convened at the Palace of Versailles in response to the governments inability to manage inflated bread prices. They successfully besieged the King's palace and compelled the king, his family, and his advisors to move to France to be among the people. -
Civil Constitution of the Clergy
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was an initiative led by the National assembly to subjugate the Church is a position lower than the government and to acquire the land held by the Catholic Church. The National Assembly saw the Catholic Church as the only institution powerful enough to pose a threat to its influence and sought to weaken it while finding a source of revenue to help pay for the massive debts from the old regime. Some peasants dislike this and turned against the revolution. -
National Convention Declares France a Republic
Now that the National Convention is the unrivaled political force in France, they outlawed the French monarchy and declared that they are the true representatives of the people. This is important because it is one of the first instances of a European nation entirely rejecting monarchial rule. -
The Reign of Terror (1793 - 1794)
The Reign of Terror was a period during the French Revolution that was marked by the government taking harsh measures against those that they feared opposed the revolution. Several waves of executions took place in France that killed many nobles, clergy, and landowners. -
Louis XVI Executed
One of the few things that continued to tie France to its monarchical past was the actual king of France that sought to restore the old regime that had given him so much power. Suspecting him of trying to undermine the revolution by coordinating with other European powers, the National Convention convicted Louis XVI of treason and sentenced him to death. However, his death sentence was only passed my small majority, which revealed two different governing factions. -
Struggle between Girondists and the Mountain
In the Nation Convention, a bitter rivalry developed between two factions of the assembly, the Girondists and the Mountain, despite them both representing the French people and being in favor of Revolution. This conflict was ultimately ended by Maximilien Robespierre, leader of the mountain, when he took over the assembly and ordered the arrest of all of his political opponents, replacing France's republic with a dictatorship. -
Napoleon Seizes Power
Because the France was now a weak dictatorship, the conditions were perfect for a military takeover, and that is exactally what happened. Napoleon Bonapart, a young and ambitious general, led a military coup in France that brought his to power as the undisputed leaders of France, this instance is thought of by many historians to be the end of the French Revolution and it is undisputed that Nappoleon ushered in a completely new era of French history.
