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Bank Declines King
Through the 1780's France's once amazing economy started to go downhill. Louis XVI and his Queen Marie Antoinette carelessly wasted a lot of money. Louis had already inherited debt thanks to previous kings and since he had to borrow a load of money to aid the Americans with their war against England.
Around 1786 the bank refused to lend any more money to the government and thats when Louis faced big economic problems. This is important because it was a reason as to why the revolution started. -
How the Estates-General Meeting came to be
While any other king would have been able to deal with bad economy, Louis XVI put it off until the last minute and by then, he had already ran out of all of his money. He wanted to tax the nobility to solve this problem but the Second Estate forced him to call upon the Estates-General Meeting where representatives from the three Estates would decide if the action passed or not. This meeting was held in Versailles. This is important because it officially started the revolution. -
Estates-Generals Meeting
On the Estates-Generals Meeting the Third Estate delegates wanted the three estates to join together and each delegate votes, this would give them an advantage since the Third Estate has way more people than the other two. The king however sided with the nobles seeing as they wanted to do it more like the medieval times where the Third Estate could be outvoted easily. But, the Third Estate wouldn't take no for an answer and they became more determined to win the power. Started the revolution. -
National Assembly
The Third Estate called themselves the National Assembly. They wanted them to pass laws and reform in the name of the French. After a long debate, they won and they voted to establish the National Assembly, claiming an end to absolute monarchy and the start of a representative government. This is important because the National Assembly was in charge for most of the revolution. -
Storming the Bastille
Rumors flew around Pairs that Louis intended on taking down the National Assembly using military, others said that foreign troops where coming to kill all of the French citizens. In panic people began to get weapons and ready themselves to defend against an attack. Soon, a mob in search for gunpowder and arms broke into the Bastille, Paris prison. Soon the mob took control of the building and killed the guards and paraded the streets with their heads on pikes. Showed what they where capable of. -
The Assembly Reforms France
The night of August 4th the noblemen made grand speeches, saying they loved liberty and equality. Then, they proceeded to join the National Assembly members in hopes of taking away the privelages of the First and Second Estates in order to make all commoners, clergy and nobles equal. By the time morning came, the Old Regime was dead. This is important because this is when the government really started to change and try out new things to see if it worked. -
The Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen
The National Assembly made a new statement, the declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen. The document stated that, “men are born and remain free and equal in rights.” These included liberty, property, security and resistance to opression. It gave them freedom of speech, religion and equal justice. Their slogan was “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”. But, these rights weren’t applied to women. Important because it stated what the revolution wanted to do. -
Women's march on Versailles
Thousands of Parisian women rioted over the rising price of bread. All armed up the women marched to the National assembly and demanded that they take action. Their anger then turned towards the king, they broke into the palace, killed guards and demanded that Louis and Marie return to paris, which they did. After they agreed the king, his family and servants left the palace only to never see it again. Important because leaving signaled a change of power and radical people ready to take France. -
Capture of the King
War began very badly for the French, Prussian forces where already getting close to Paris. Saying that if anyone where to harm the royal family he would destroy Paris. The Parisians got mad at this and on August 10th about 10,000 men and women invaded where the royal family was staying killed the guards and captured Louis, his wife and children. This is important because it showed the Prussians who really was in charge and that they would stop at nothing to win the revolution. -
The National Convention
Under pressure from radials in the streets, the Legisltive Assembly set aside the consitution and said that the king was now disposed and that they needed a new legislature. The new governing body,the National Convention took office on this day. This abolished the monarchy and turned France into a republic. Adult males where granted the right to vote. Even though women played an important part of the revolution, they still couldn’t vote. -
Robespierre Takes Control
Robespierre became the leader of the committee of public safety. For the next year he governed France as a dictator and his rule is known as the Reigh of Terror. While he ruled in the mornings they had “enemies” tried and beheaded in the afternoons. He believed that thought terror it enabled the French to keep true to the ideas of the revolution. This is important because it showed just how bad people can be and this made them want to rebel even more. -
End of the Terror
After Robespierre’s death the French had become familiar with terror and they where tired of the increasing price in both food and necessities. The leaders of the National Convention drafted a new plan for the government, now the third since 1789. It gave power to the upper middle class and had a 2 hours legislature and an 5 men in an executive body, the directory. The directory were corrupt but they gave their country order and, found the new general for France’s armies, Napoleon Bonaparte.
