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Bad harvests between the years 1787 and 1788, and little manufacturing resulted in little food, higher prices for food and unemployment.
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Beginning of new United States of America and the beginning of the French Revolution
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Louis XIV hosted a meeting of Estates General at Versailles. Discussed the financial crisis and the Third Estates suggested setting up a constitutional government where everyone would pay taxes.
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900 Parisians gathered at Bastille. Prices on food reached so high Parisians decided to fight back and rebel. They released 7 prisoners within 4 hours of fighting.
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The National Assembly reacted to the peasant rebellions and the rumors of foreign invasion. The National Assembly decided to eliminated all legal privileges of the nobles and clergy.
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The National Assembly decided to adopt the Declaration of the Rights and the Citizen. This was influenced by the English Bill of Rights of 1689 and the American Declaration of Independence and Constitution. Included "the natural and imprescriptible rights of man to liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression."
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There was a new Constitution in 1791 which had a limited monarchy. There was still a king but also a Legislative Assembly would make laws. This government was meant to be mainly conservative. First only men over the age of 25 were allowed to vote, all other citizens had equal rights but no vote.
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The Legislative Assembly had their first meeting and adjusted the Constitution to say "Trying the King if he turned against his nation."
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Spring of 1792 The Legislative Assembly decided to make the first move against Austria, the French were not in a good position to win this war.
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In September of 1792 the Nation Convention met, this organization was established in order to create and write a new constitution. The National Convention was also the "ruling body of France." (pg.13)
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Protests against food shortages began in the spring of 1792, the French Revolution was entering a dangerous phase.
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1793-1794 the committee of public safety controlled the government and defended France. This committee granted rules/policies which was the beginning of the Reign of Terror. 40,000 people died during this time period
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This society was founded by two women. The society suggested ideas of de-christianization. The women in this society thought religion provided ideas of superstition rather than reason. A new calendar was adapted, the years no longer from the birth year of christ. However France was still highly populated with catholics so this cleansing of christianity would never work.
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Mountain persuaded the National Convention to kill Louis XIV. Louis was beheaded on January 21, 1793, by the guillotine. A machine that killed quickly, but the king's beheading caused new enemies in the revolution.
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The French government expanded the army and by September 1794 the army had over 1 million soldiers, naming it the largest army ever seen in Europe.
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Robespierre was guillotined. Just a month before the twenty second law of Prairial was passed which gave him more power to arrest and execute enemies during the revolution.
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The constitution set up two legislative houses, the council of 500 drafted laws and an upper house of 250 decided which laws got passed. The new constitution also set up the directory. The directory is most famous for corruption is was not successful whatsoever. The directory received issues from bothe the left and right. No one really agreed on how to govern the country. The directory was dependent on the military and in 1799 Napoleon Bonaparte terminated the directory and the government.
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Napoleon joined coup d'etat in 1799 that destroyed the Directory and they set up a new government; Consulate. This new government was a republic but Napoleon was in absolute power.
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In 1801 Napoleon decided to come to an agreement and unite the french with their religion(catholicism). The agreement was that Catholicism would be known as the religion of most people in France. The pope agreed and his side of the deal was to not ask for any of the land that was destroyed in the revolution back.
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War broke out once again in 1803. France fought against Britain, Austria, Russia, Sweden, and Prussia. Napoleon's army won against Austria, Russia, and Prussia. Napoleon was the master of Europe from 1807-1812. Although his army was so great and grand Napoleon was never able to defeat Britain.
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One of Napoleon's most famous achievements was codifying the laws. In total 7 new laws were created but the most significant was the Civil Code or Napoleonic Code. Under this law there was equality of all citizens before the law, the right of people to choose their own profession, religious toleration and abolition of serfdom and all feudal obligations.
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Two reasons led to his downfall: Britain's constant defeat against France and nationalism. In 1812 Napoleon invaded Russia after Russia refused to follow the Continental System. Russia soldiers did not want to fight so instead they burned their own villages and towns to keep the Grand Army from finding any food. Many soldiers starved or froze to death leaving the Grand Army with only 40,000 soldiers compared to the original 600,000 that entered Russia. Shortly after Napoleon was exiled.
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After being sent to exile the new french king was not respected and Napoleon was not ready to give up. He escaped Elba and returned to France. The new kings troops betrayed him and supported Napoleon's return. In Belgium on June 18, 1815, Napoleon and his army were defeated by the British and Prussia combined army. This time Napoleon was sent to exile on a little island named St. Helena until his death in 1821.