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Ancien Regime 1500 to May 1789
Up until May of 1789, people were divided into 3 estates. The First Estate was the clergy, the Second Estate was nobles who received top jobs in government, and the Third Estate included peasants and the rest of the middle class. The ancien regime was significant because the inequality in that regime led the Third Estate to want to rebel and led to the revolution. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
This document stated that all men were born and remained free and had equal rights. These rights, including liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression and all male citizens were equal before the law. The declaration also asserted freedom of religion and called for taxes to be levied according to ability to pay. It was significant because it gave equal rights to men in France and allowed men to be represented in the government. -
Estates-General
The Estates-General were a legislative body that consisted of representatives of each of the three estates. King Louis XVI was asked to summon the Estates-General by the upper estates in order to solve the growing economic crisis. He had each of the three estates list their grievances about the current system. This meeting was significant because it a king had not done called the Estates-General for 175 years but the wealthy demanded he do it. -
Tennis Court Oath
The Third Estate thought that voting by estate and not by head was unfair so they formed the National Assembly. When its first meeting place was locked, they moved to an indoor tennis court and took the Tennis Court Oath. They swore to never separate and meet when required until they had a “sound and just constitution.” This was significant because it showed that the National Assembly would not rest until they had a constitution. -
The Storming of the Bastille
Members of the National Assembly demanded weapons and gunpowder from the Bastille. The commander refused to open the gates and opened fire on the crowd. Many people were killed, until eventually the crowd broke through the defenses. They released a few prisoners and killed the commander, but found no weapons. The Storming of the Bastille was significant because it became a symbol of abuse by the monarchy and it scared the king because it threatened the monarchy. -
Women’s March on Versailles
About six thousand women marched from Paris to Versailles in a protest directed towards Marie Antoinette. They refused to leave Versailles until Louis returned to Paris. The Women’s March was significant because it was one of the few times that women had power over the king and he ended up being a near prisoner in Paris. -
Sans-culottes and Jacobins
The sans-culottes were radical working-class men and women who demanded a republic. They found support among radicals in the Legislative Assembly, especially the Jacobins, middle-class lawyers or intellectuals. With the help of crowds, radicals took control of the Assembly and called for the election of a new legislative body called the National Convention. These radicals were significant because they gained power and led the revolution into its radical phase. -
Constitution of 1791
This Constitution set up a limited monarchy and created a new Legislative Assembly which had the power to make laws, collect taxes, and decide on issues of war and peace. Lawmakers would be elected by tax-paying male citizens over age 25. The constitution also replaced the old provinces with 83 equal departments. The constitution was significant because it reflected the ideas of the Enlightenment, made France more equal for men, and ended Church interference in the government. -
Execution of King Louis XVI
King Louis XVI was executed by beheading Marie Antoinette was later beheaded in October. The significance of these monarchs’ executions was that the monarchy in France had ended with no possibility of returning. -
Reign of Terror: 9/5/1793 to 7/28/1794
Robespierre was a lawyer and politician who led the Committee of Public Safety and became an architect of the Reign of Terror because he believed that France could only achieve a republic of virtue through the use of terror. During the Reign of Terror, thousands of people who were suspected of resisting the revolution were arrested and 17.000 were executed. This period was significant because it was so violent that the Convention stopped the reign by executing Robespierre and other radicals. -
Third stage of Revolution: 1795 to 1799
In reaction to the Terror, the revolution entered a more moderate stage with its own Constitution of 1795 with a 5 man Directory and a 2 house legislature of men of property. Peace was made with Prussia and Spain but not with Austria or Great Britain. There were still issues of hunger, riots, and feelings of weak leadership. In 1797 supporters of a constitutional monarchy won most of the seats. This last stage was significant because it led to the rise of Napoleon and the spread of nationalism.
