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The End of the American Revolution
With the end of the American Revolution came the spread of ideas of enlightenment to France. After helping Americans fight, soldiers returned home with contradictory ideas of what a government should be to the current monarch they had. With a monarch rule they were not being served by their government, but their government was being served by the people. Not to mention, the third Estate were also burdened with paying all of the very high taxes even though they were the poorest of the estates. -
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French Revolution
The French Revolution began as a result of the spread of enlightenment ideas, a bad harvest, and overspending by the king and queen. It began with the third estate rioting. -
Bad harvest
An initial bad harvest lead to food shortages and extremely high cost for bread causing a lot of rioting and starvation. -
Estates General called together
The Estates General was a meeting called by the king, of representatives from each estate in which the representatives wrote cahieres, or documentation of their biggest issues, and the kind called to vote. A problem arose with voting, however, as each estate gave one vote and the third Estate was always on the losing side. -
The Declaration of the Rights of Man
The representatives of the third Estate created and organized a national assembly. This assembly told the official rights of french citizens, or "man". For example, "Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good." -
Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath was a result of the growing aggravation of the Third Estate in France. King Louis XVI desired to hold on to the country to absolute government. The people of the Third Estate came together for a meeting to discuss the reforms. -
Fearsome Fish Ladies
A crowd of women demanding bread for their families gathered and marched to Versailles in the rain. They demanded to see "the Baker," "the Baker's wife," and "the Baker's boy". The King agreed to meet with some of the women and distribute all the bread in Versailles to them. -
The Great Fear
After the Bastille rebellion, peasants began to become suspicious about the local activities and started to attack nobles with pitch forks and torches. This time period was just the start of the extreme violence that lasted throughout the revolution. -
The Storming of the Bastille
Some say the revolution started when eight thousand men and women in search of weapons and gunpowder stormed the Bastillie, a royal armory, prison, and an all around symbol of tyranny and the king's reign. -
The Royal Escape
Nearing the end of King Louis XVI's power over France, he was on a so called "house arrest," as the revolution wanted their king to live in France. Seeing as they were kidnapped and taken against their will to France, the king and his family were obviously considered flight risks. However, this was rightfully so, as they eventually escaped France and were close to gone before they were caught and then on seen as traitors to the revolution. -
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The Reign of Terror
It began after the assembling of the Committee of Public Safety, a group that tried suspected counterrevolutionaries and usually guillotined them. It was led and started mostly by one man, Maximilien Robespierre. The guillotine was used to behead many, while the acquitted were sent to prison, where many died. It was a time of violence and fear. It was decided that the people were tired of the Terror so to end it they must kill Robespierre, so they did. -
The King's Death
Louis XVI was killed via guillotine for his crimes of counterrevolution; going against the revolution which the peasants started. -
The Queen is Executed
She was put on trial and found guilty, but showed great dignity as she was carted to her death. Unlike her husband she was brought to her execution on a the same cart any peasant would have used and people threw things and yelled vicious names until her death ensued.
