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Jacques Necker
Jacques Necker was a French statesman. Past kings overspent their money, so one of his ideas was to reduce the country's spending. The 3rd estate liked him because one of his ideas was for the 1st and 2nd estate to start paying taxes, since the 1st and 2nd estate didn't want to pay, they fired Necker before the idea got back out to the 3rd estate. It was significant to the French Revolution because for the first time, the 3rd estate had a representative with the solution to their problems -
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Lauren Eaton's French Revolution
The French Revolution was started because the 3rd estate, made of merchants, bankers, peasants, urban workers, etc. Their requirements were different then the 1st and 2nd estate, who didn't have to pay taxes, owned land, and disliked the Enlightenment. The 3rd estate wanted equality between everyone and rebelled through violence to get it. They rioted, killed, and captured for this cause. -
Storming of the Bastille
After the Tennis Court Oath, rumors went around that Louis XVI was going to send troops to Paris. When the people of Paris heard, they decided to raid the Bastille in the center of Paris. It was a symbol of authority and abuse, and was a prison who held people who upset the king, which was mostly political prisoners. The Bastille held many weapons that the revolutionaries wanted including gunpowder. The revolutionaries stormed the Bastille, killed the commander, and took the building over. -
Versailles
The Versailles was the center of political power. While people were starving, the king and queen were living easy. So 6,000 people marched to Versailles, capturing the king and queen, bringing them to Paris. They were brought back by a group of women called the "Fearless Fish Ladies". The king and queen became "prisoners". After 3 years, they tried to escape, failed and brought back. They were now seen as traitors. This is important because now the king and queen are seen worse than they were. -
Napoleonic Code
When Napoleon rose to power, the revolutionaries made him a member of new government body called Consulate, First Consul, Consul for life, Emperor, and changed "liberty, equality, fraternity" to "order, security, efficiency". With his power he made a new policy called the Napoleonic Code. This includes religious tolerance, peasants allowed to own land, jobs based on talent, and controlled prices which means better fed people. Because Napoleon made their lived better, they loved him. -
Final Defeat
Napoleon has taken over most of the European Union by now. Napoleon takes troops trying to take over Russia. He leaves with 600,000 troops but comes back with 20,000 which brings him a bad reputation. He's sent away to live on an island called Elba. Louis XVIII is put on the throne. He escapes the island and comes back and raises an army. He is defeated at Waterloo and sent away again to Saint Helena off the coast of Africa. After the defeat, France stops nationalism and goes back to monarchy.
