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The Publication of the Social Contract
Thomas Hobbes published the Social Contact as instructions on a person's morals should work. It dictated that people were dependent on a contract for others to act appropriately in society. -
Formation of the National Assembly
The Assembly was a revolutionary group formed to represent the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Estates. It lasted for less than a month. -
The Tennis Court Oath
A group of people who came to call themselves the National Assembly vowed to not separate and to reassemble whenever they could. This was in order to write a constitution. -
Storming of the Bastille
The Bastille was stormed by a mob of commoners from the 3rd Estate. It was attacked specifically because it was seen as a symbol of the monarchy and of the abuse the 3rd Estate had suffered. -
King Louis XVI Evicted From Versailles
An angry mob marched to Versailles to remove the king from his palace. They wanted the royalty to be closer to Paris, the capital. -
The First Use of the Guillotine
The first to be beheaded was Nicolas-Jacques Pelletier. He was a convicted felon in France at the time. -
Beginning of the French Republican
The Republican calendar was designed partially to remove all religious and royal ties from the months and years. It also made the French move to the metric system. -
Execution of King Louis XVI
A group of radicals, known as the Mountain, pushed for Louis to be executed publicly while the Girondins wanted to keep him as a hostage. He was beheaded by guillotine. -
Establishment of the Committee of Public Safety
The Committee was formed at the National Convention. It was the executive government in France during the Reign of Terror. -
The Publication of the Declaration of the Rights of Man
The Declaration was a document that preceded France's first republican constitution. It also influenced the American Declaration of Independence. -
The Death of Robespierre
Robespierre was guillotined along with 21 of his followers. This took place in the Place de la Revolution. -
Establishment of the Directory
The Directory was established in by the Constitution of Year III. To join you had to be of 40 years or older and hold some type of legislative power. -
Napoleonic Code Established
The Code was the first modern legal code accepted. It influenced many countries' laws both at the time and years afterward. -
The First Time Napoleon Becomes Emperor
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The Continental System
The Continental System caused British merchants to become desperate and begin smuggling. The French, who only traded over land, could not stop them.