-
The National Constituent Assembly (1789-1791) was the first government of the French Revolution. It began when the Third Estate broke from the Estates-General. They took the Tennis Court Oath, vowing to write a constitution. Key achievements: Abolished feudalism. Wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Created the Constitution of 1791, establishing a Constitutional Monarchy. It dissolved itself once the constitution was finished.
-
he Legislative Assembly (1791–1792) was France's parliament under the Constitutional Monarchy. It was deeply divided and short-lived. It declared war on Austria and Prussia, leading to military disaster and public fear. After the King was overthrown in August 1792, the Assembly ended, and the Republic began.
-
The National Convention (Sep 1792–Oct 1795) was the most radical government of the French Revolution. Its first act was abolishing the monarchy and founding the French Republic. It tried King Louis XVI and ordered his execution. It created the Committee of Public Safety and started the Reign of Terror, led by Robespierre, to crush enemies. After Robespierre was executed, the Convention created a new constitution for the next government, the Directory.
-
The Directory (1795–1799) was the government of France after the Reign of Terror. It featured a weak executive branch led by five Directors and a two-house legislature. It was known for widespread corruption and financial issues. It relied heavily on the successful French army to stay in power. It was ended by a coup d'état led by Napoleon Bonaparte in November 1799.
-
The Consulate (1799–1804) was the French government established after the Directory was overthrown by Napoleon Bonaparte . Though led by three Consuls, Napoleon, as First Consul, held all the real power. He ended the revolutionary period's chaos, centralized the government, reformed finance, and created the Napoleonic Code (a new legal system). This period of military success and reform ended when Napoleon declared himself Emperor in 1804.
-
he First French Empire (1804–1815) began when Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor . This was a period of vast military expansion, known as the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon controlled most of continental Europe by 1810. After the devastating loss in Russia (1812) and a final defeat at Waterloo (1815), Napoleon was forced to step down, ending the Empire.