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Estates General Meeting
All estates met together and each delegate had a voice. The Third Estate had an advantage because it had many more delegates than the First and Second Estate. A clergyman gave a speech to name the Third Estate the National Assembly and was successful. This event was very important because it was an opportunity for the poor people to be heard and considered by the king. Also, it is important because it established the National Assembly which was able to pass laws and reforms of the french people. -
Tennis Court Oath
The Third Estate delegates named themselves the National Assembly upon a majority vote which lead to the beginning of a representative government. After being locked out of the meeting group, they made a pledge called the Tennis Court Oat to stay in an indoor tennis court until they came up with a new constitution. This event is very important because it is what caused the creation of a new constitution which brought a constitutional monarchy. -
Storming of the Bastille
People wanted to gather weapons to defend the city from attack so they stormed into the Bastille, a Paris prison, searching for gunpowder and arms and killed various people in the process. This was an important event in the revolution because it was a symbol of the abuse of monarchy in the time. -
Great Fear
There was a lot of panic in France. Peasants were burning down manor houses and Parisian women rioted over prices. Louis XIV and his family left Versailles for good. This is important because this caused France's power to change greatly and reforms to increase. -
Declaration of Rights of Men & of the Citizens
The National Assembly created a declaration to enforce the rights of liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression and guarantee equal justice, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion. It states that "men are born and remain free and equal in rights." This event influenced France greatly because it made people have enforced rights and equality. -
New Constitution
The National Assembly created a new constitution which introduced a constitutional monarchy. It created a Legislative Assembly which had the power to create laws and have a say in the declarations of war, although the king still had the power to enforce laws. This was important because it took power away from the king and made the government more efficient because there was more people involved. -
War Declaration
The Legislative Assembly declared war due to European countries urging France to return to an absolute monarchy. France began badly because the Prussians invaded the royal family. Citizens were angry and fearful so they raided the prisons and murdered prisoners. This is an important event because there were a lot of deaths and it led to the election of a new legislature. -
France Becomes a Republic
A new governing body, the National Convention, took office and quickly turned France into a republic, meaning that citizens were given the right to vote for a ruler instead of having a hereditary ruler with absolute power. This is important because it was a huge change in the government because it was no longer a monarchy and people were given a voice. -
Republic of Virtue
Robespierre and his supporters wanted to set a "republic of virtue" so they wanted to wipe out every trace from France's past. They did this by changing the calendar (12 months of 30 days & renaming months) and closing the churches. This is important because it spread throughout France and made it become new and different. -
Reign of Terror
Robespierre became France's virtual dictator and leader of the Committee of Public Safety. He had to protect France from its enemies so he killed anyone who questioned the ideals of the Revolution by sending them to the guillotine. This is an important event because it changed France significantly due to the start of a dictatorship. Although this was supporting the revolution, it wasn't what was really wanted.
