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First Meeting of the Estates General
In order to find a problem for King Louis' financial crisis he called the Estates General. Each estate was given one vote, making it a total of three votes. The first estate was made up of the members of the catholic church, the second of nobles, and the third was the rest of the population. -
Voting for the National Assembly
The third estate had the same amount of delegates as the other two estates combined. They wanted to have each delegate hold one vote in order to have more power within the assembly. Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyes supported their idea. He presented the members with the idea to call themselves the National Assembly and creating the laws. After a vote, the third estate agreed. -
Battle of Bastille
A crowd of angry people stormed the prison. They ended up taking control of it and soon they marched down the streets with the head of guards on spikes. After the battle King Louis began to realize that he had lost control over his people. -
No More Estates
Nobles began to express their agreement with the National Assembly on freedom for the people, out of fear for what would be done for them otherwise. They even joined the efforts to eliminate priveleges offered to the first and second estate. By the end of the day the social classes were gone. -
The Rights of Men
After the social classes were gone, the National Assembly created a document stating the rights that every man should have. This included the rights to freedom, property, security, equality, and resistance. Many leaders also chose to adopt these ideas. -
Louis Tries to Escape
The National Assembly was reforming the current government and many friends to Louis XVI told him that he will be in trouble. He decides to run with his family to the Austrian Netherlands but is caught at the border and they are brought back to Paris. -
The Reformed Government
King Louis XVI was forced to accept the new and reformed government created by the National Assembly. It stated that he would have very limited power, yet still held the ability to enforce the law. It also created the Legislative Assembly, in charge of creating laws. -
War Against Austria and Prussia
Many countries didn't want the French Revolution to inspire other revolutions within their countries. Austria and Prussia tried to convince the French to return to an absolute monarchy, resulting in the Legislative Assembly declaring war on them. -
France Becomes a Republic
After urges from members as well as crowds, the Legislative Assembly declared France a republic. They removed the king from power, terminated the assembly, voted on a new legislation, and gave each man the right to vote. -
Louis XVI is Executed
Louis, Marie Antoinette, and their children were imprisoned by the French in the war against France. Some radicals thought that they should execute all of the people who supported Louis XVI. Louis was then tried for treason and was found guilt by the Convention. He was then beheaded using the guillotine.
