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French Revolution
The French Revolution was spurred when there was inequality among the French society. The 1st and 2nd estate were overpowering to the 3rd estate and the upper classes began making it unfair to the poor society and giving them regulations the 1st and 2nd estate didn't have to abide to. The 3rd estate began rioting as the conditions became more unfair. The king and queen faced mass amounts of tyranny when they didn't act on what the people were complaining about, resulting in a raging war. -
Jacques Necker Called for Help
The 3rd estate brought up Jacques Necker to help them with their inequality struggles. They had been mistreated by the 1st and 2nd estate for years. Finally, when the 1st and 2nd estates started making it so the 3rd estate had to pay astronomical taxes and prices for everything, they brought up Jacques Necker who proposed a plan to end the inequality and have the 1st and 2nd estate pay instead. The 1st and 2nd estate didn't like that they had to pay, so they fired Necker. -
The "Great Fear" and Results
The Great Fear began with citizens rioting and destroying villages and food. A national assembly was formed and The Declaration of the Rights of Man was created, stating several general laws about equality. The king and queen continued to overspend and cause inconveniences for the people. The king and queen were dragged to prison for three years for starving for three years. The church lost its power it had in the past. as a result, power went to radicals and things began to get out of control. -
Revolution Gets Out of Control
As a result of worsening conditions, a new national convention united and decided to get rid of the kings, queens, and nobles, and the king and queen were ordered to the guillotine. After the death of the king and queen, Maximilien Robespierre became the new leader of the "Committee of Public Safety". The Reign of Terror began where people were being executed left and right and France was trying to protect itself from outside forces. Citizens got tired of The Terror and guillotined Robespierre. -
Napoleon's Downfall and Rise Back to the Top
Napoleon's weakness had been exposed; the powerhouse force that he could not defeat, Britain. Napoleon had in the past had full trust and power from the people, but through the losses, their trust faded. Napoleon led 600,000 troops to Russia and invaded. Russia came back fighting, and when winter came Napoleon collapsed. He returned with just 20,000 troops and a shattered reputation. Even after his failure, he was able to return to politics when he was chosen as emperor. -
Napoleon Bonaparte's Successes
In the beginning of his reign, Napoleon was extremely successful. He became a successful general and enforced religious tolerance. Religious tolerance, along with other things such as allowing peasants land, controlled prices, etc, he became loved by the people. He created the Napoleonic code which spread the ideas of the Enlightenment. When Napoleon was first put to power he was very popular and looked up to by everyone, but he would soon be put to the test.
