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Divided French Society
The French society was divided into 3 estates, or classes. In the 1st class were the clergy, or people that worked fot the church. Nobility made up the 2nd estate. And everyone else was in the 3rd estate. Although 95% of the population was in the 3rd estate, most of the money was in the 1st and 2nd -
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Financial Troubles
debtThe government borrowed money to pay for the wants of the king and the curch. This caused deficit spending. Also several bad harvests led to the increase in food prices. The 1st and 2nd estate would not pay any taxes. -
Louis XVI calls Estates-General
All 3 estates prepared cahiers, notebooks listing the problems in the government. Many cahiers included fairer taxes and freedom of the press. But they could not agree on how to vote. The 1st and 2nd estates wanted to keep the traditional way, where they would always win 2-1. But the 3rd estate wanted all estates to vote together. With votes counted "by head" -
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Spread of Nationalism
"flag"Before the revolution, people were loyal to a king/queen, not the country. Nationalism, a strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country, spread across france because of the revolution. People danced to songs written about the revolution. Soldiers marched to "La Marseillaise", the song that would later become their Naitonal Anthem, -
Storming the Bastille
The bastille symbolized their formal fuedal society. It also served as a prison. Parisians believed that gunpowder was stored there. A mob of people stormed the defenses and killed guards. Many people were killed in the storming. The French now celebrate this day as their "Independence Day" -
National Assembly Acts
The National Assembly wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Man, stating that all men are equal. This does not include women, and did not mention the king. Many women opposed the declaration, because they believed they should have the same rights as men. -
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Radicals Take Over
sans-coulottesThe rulers of other European countries increased patrol around their borders to stop French ideas from coming into their country. They wanted to save their way of life. Some countries even went to war with France to stop the revolution -
Threats from Abroad
The king of Prussia and the Emperor of Austria, Marie Antoinette's brother, signed the Declaration of Pilnitz. They threaten to fight to keep the French Monarchy. This made the French revolutionaries prepare for war -
Women's March
6,ooo women marched 13 miles from france to Versailles. The price of bread was too high for many people in France to afford. The women were mostly mad at the queen. She live a luxurious life while they were starving. The crowd forced the king to move back to Paris. They kept the king almost like a prisoner for the next 3 years. -
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Monarchy is Abolished
No more monarchyParisians stormed the Royal Palace and killed the guards. They would have killed the royal family too, but the fled before the Parisians arrived. Only a month later the September Massacre occured. People killed 1200 prisoners that might have been against the revolution. In early 1793 King Louis XVI was executed, followed by his wife only 8 months later, in October. -
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Reign of Terror
guillotineRobespierre, at first against the death penalty, was one of the biggest supporters of the reign of terror. He believed, in order to protect the revolution, they needed to kill anyone who opposed revolutionary ideas. These "traitors" were killed on the guillotine, a supposedly humane killing machine. Up to 800 people were killed in one month. Robespierre was also killed by the guillotine in September 1794 -
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Third Stage of the Revolution
In 1795 moderates wrote a third constitution. This set up a five man Directory and a two house legislature.The representatives of the legislature were voted by male property owners. The directory made peace with Prussia and Spain, but not Austria or Great Britain. They could also surpress riots from the sans-culottes. Supportes of a contitutional monarchy came back into France after leaving at the beginning of the revolution. Napolean Bonaparte, a military hero, eventually became ruler of France
