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This was a statement of principles in support of personal liberty, equality before the law and the right of property.
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On 14th July 1789, the people of Paris attacked Bastille, a medieval fortress that had become a prison and a symbol of absolutism. Following the capture of the Bastille, the National Constituent Assembly introduced a series of measures that marked the end of the Old Regime.
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It abolished feudal rights, such as the privileges of the nobility and taxes paid to the Church
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France´s first written constitution ended royal absolutism, establishing a constitutional monarchy. Under the separation of powers, legislative power was held by the Assembly, executive power by the King, and judicial power by independent courts.
Only adult males over the age of 25, and with a certain level of income, could vote in elections. -
There was fierce opposition from the nobility and the clergy, who did not want to give up their privileges. Many members of the formerly privileged estates emigrated, and conspired against the Revolution from abroad.
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A Legislative Assembly was formed in October 1791, and France now had a constitutional monarchy. However, this assembly lasted for less than a year, and failed to attract much support.
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In contrast, other groups believed that the reforms did not go far enough. These radical revolutionaries were supported by yhe sans-culottes.
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Abroad, other European monarchs felt threatened by the ideas of the French Revolution. In 1792, Austria and Prussia declared war on France.
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France suffered some early defeats in the war, and the King was widely blamed. In August 1792, there was an insurrection: the Tuileries Palace was attacked, and the royal family was taken prisoner.
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A National Convention governed France from September 1792. This assembly was elected by all adult males. The Convention immediately abolished the monarchy, and France became a republic.
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The Convention judged and condemned Louis XVI for treason, and he was executed by guillotine in January 1793. This produced a horrified reaction abroad and led to the formation of the First Coalition, in which Britain and the Dutch Republic joined the other countries that were already fighting France.
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Believing that the revolution was in danger, the radical revolutionaries (or Jacobins) used support form the sans-culottes to seize power from the Girondins in June 1793. The Jacobin leader Maximilien Robespierre assumed all powers, and established a dictatorship.
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Robespierre gradually lost support. In 1794, moderate revolutionaries arrested Robespierre and his followers, who were then executed by guillotine.
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Radicals conspired against the government.
The royalists also led revolts and counter-revolutionary activities with the aim of restoring the Bourbon dynasty.
In Europe, France won a series of victories against its enemies. -
Following the execution of the most radical revolutionaries, a new Constitution (1795) established limited suffrage based on property ownership. A moderate government was led by a five-member Directory while legislative power was held by two chambers.
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The French general Napoleon Bonaparte conquered most of Italy on behalf of the Directory between 1796 and 1799.
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In 1799, France's enemies, led by Britain, formed a Second Coalition that reconquered many of the regions that France had occupied.
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A Consulate was created, in which authority was supposed to be shared between three consuls; but in fact Napoleon was now the real ruler of France.
