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Span of the French Revolution
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Prior to French Nationalism
Prior to the French Revolution, the men and women of France were experiencing a heavy financial crisis because of the fact that kings would constantly fund for wars above all else which made them lose their money. They were also sick of the absolutism and Three Estates too. The nationalism of the country was very low at this point in time, and France hated their country because they felt that it was ruled by such an incompetent king and its lack of real financial stability contributed to it. -
Meeting of the Estates General
Because of the financial crisis in France, King Louis XVI called members of the 3 estates to meet at the Versailles to discuss solutions to the issues. The members of each group brought a list of issues they had, in hopes of sparking change in law. Not much was agreed upon. -
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General Idea of Nationalism development in the French Revolution
Before to the French Revolution, France was split by many regions and religions. The one thing that possibly could unite the nation together was the idea that everyone was supposed to serve the king. However, by the start of the nineteenth century, there was a sense of belonging and unity among the French people. Many no longer saw themselves as people who have to serve the King. Instead, they began seeing themselves as "citizens" who serve their own nation proudly. -
Creation of the National Assembly and the Tennis Court Oath
After not being able to reach a significant conclusion, members of the Clergy and Nobility took a stance alongside the third estate (commoners) to form the National Assembly. In June, the King locked the members of the National Assembly out of their original meeting room, so they assembled in an indoor tennis court. It was at that time they decided that they wouldn't disperse until France had a constitution. This is the famous Tennis Court Oath. -
Storming of the Bastille
King Louis XVI continued to disregard the National Assembly and not think much of it. He assembled his men near the city of Paris. Rumours of a possible attack began spreading around amongst the citizens and this caused crowds to storm the biggest prison in town, called the Bastille, to release the few prisoners inside and collect weapons to use for defence. -
Abolition of the Feudal System
Because of more rumours about a plummeting economy, fear and disarray led to attacks on the estates of the nobility. This resulted in the National Assembly dissembling the Estates-General, dismantling the feudal system and obtaining legislative and political power. -
Creation of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
In 1789, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen were officially made by the National Assembly. It stated the freedoms of individuals and important democratic policies. It spoke on the right to freedom, property, safety and the right to resist oppression, as well as outlining basic laws. -
March on Versailles
In October 1789, large groups of people marched together to Versailles to protest the high prices of bread and grains. It was at this moment that the citizens discovered the royal family's plan to flee France. They forced the King to return to Paris. -
Creation of a Constitutional Monarchy
In 1790, a new constitution was formed for France by the National Assembly to continue to keep the country under a monarchy. It considered France as a sovereign nation, made all government officials subjectable to the law, and limited the power of the King and gave majority of the power to an elected legislative assembly. Lastly, it eliminated the nobility as a feudal class, and granted the same civil rights to all citizens. -
France Declares War on Austria
In light of the recent changes in legislation, many nobles fled to Austria and Prussia and attempted to mobilize their armies against France. The threat of an invasion led to France declaring war on Austria. Prussia came to the aid of Austria a few weeks later. -
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Emergence and Fall of Jacobins and Girondins
Two different political groups were started, the Jacobins and the Girondins. The Girondins wanted to maintain maintain the monarchy, whereas the Jacobins were radicals who wanted France as a republic. The Jacobins attacked the Tuileries Palace in August of 1792 (this is where the royal family was) and the King was immediately discharged of duty by the elected legislative assembly. The Jacobins were also in charge when the Reign of Terror happened in France for a period of one year. -
National Convention and Declaration of France as a Republic
The National Convention comprised of Jacobins and Girondins and they voted to remove the monarchy in France and establish a republic.. -
Trial & Execution of Louis XVI
The King was tried. He was found guilty of treason by the new republic and was sentenced to death. -
Levee en Masse (Conscription)
In light of the recent losses to Austria, Prussia and Great Britain, the government issued a mass conscription to provide additional soldiers for France's military efforts. -
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Reign of Terror
The National Convention arrested and executed 40,000 perceived enemies of the republic. This was carried out by the nine members of the Committee of Public Safety, one of which was Maximilien Robespierre, who was part of the Jacobin group at the time. -
Execution of Marie Antoinette
The wife of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, was tried for multiple charges including treason. She was found guilty and executed. -
Thermidorean Reaction
This was a coup d'etat which helped overthrow the Committee of Public Safety and the Jacobin clubs in France after the execution of Robespierre. This event increased the nationalism of the French citizens because it allowed them to stand up to the Jacobins and Terror as a collective thus showing how much they really care about it. -
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The Directory
The Directory were essentially the people who ran France after the reign of the Terror, promoting the interests of the middle class. They were known for having a lack of judgement and often made poor decisions that led to food shortages, financial crises, riots, etc. This greatly reduced the nationlism of the country since people lost confidence in their country because of these decisions that were made by the Directory. -
Coup of 18 Brumaire
This was a coup lead by Napoleon Bonaparte who wanted to take overthrow the Directory. In a battle where no blood was shed. This increased nationalism in France, since it allowed the people to hope that more stability would come their way and the voters became confident in the country once again. -
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Rise and Fall of Napoleon
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Napoleonic Wars
These wars were fought in many different European countries, up until the Battle of Waterloo and eventually his death in both 1815 and 1821, respectively. We believe that the pride it gave France played a great as one of the biggest nations of that time, and it what made this even better was that they were fighting for someone the whole nation wold agree is quite respectable. -
Napoleon voted in as Emporer of France
France had an election, which Napoleon won by a landslide mostly because the French people loved because he didn't treat them like they were inferiors compared to past kings, and because he helped the French get rid of the Directory in 1799. -
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was one of the rare battles Napoleon lost during his reign as Emperor, due to fatigue suffered that day and poor decision-making in the battlefield. This probably reduced the nationalism in France because this marked the fall of their beloved leader and a loss probably hurt their pride in the country. -
Legacies of French Revolution
French identity and nationalism has increased so much because of the French Revolution and people are so proud of their heritage and identities because they think that what they did, which was standing up to the king was the right thing to do. This also why France may be one of the most patriotic countries in the world, and is very nationalistic.
