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The king wanted to tax the nobles, but he needed the Estates General's approval to do so. Also, many people were debating over how votes should be led. The nobility wanted all voting to be taken by estate, hoping that the First and Second Estates would outvote the Third Estate. However, the Third Estate wanted everyone to vote individually. The effect was that a new legislative body was created: the National Assembly.
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The National Assembly voted by counting the number of people instead of by order. This organization demanded a constitutional monarchy, but Louis XIV refused. So, they made the Tennis Court Oath in response that said they would stand firm until they got what they wanted.
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Since the people were still frustrated because Louis would not give in, they started to make a citizen militia. They forced their way into Bastille, stealing weapons and killing individuals. A result of this event was that the Great Fear spread across France. Peasants began revolting and bringing destruction to the country.
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Eventually, nobles and clergy surrendered their rights to the peasants. This led to the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen. This document stated that all people were born free with natural rights to liberty, property, and personal protection.
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During 1789, there was a grain shortage in France. This made the Parisian women very angry. Thousands of women marched to Versailles, demanding more bread. Louis eventually accepted, but he was forced back into Paris by the mob.
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The National Assembly increased the number of assignats, causing their value to decline. Inflammation began to hurt the poverty-stricken. Soon, they made the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. This changed the Roman Catholic Church in France into a branch of the state.
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In 1791, the queen and nobles tried to convince Louis XVI to escape, but the family was seized and returned to Paris. Because of this, assembly leaders viewed the king as counterrevolutionary.
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The Girondists, a group of Jacobins, declared war on Austria, who was allied with Prussia, because they wanted to establish a republic and overthrow the constitutional monarchy. They wanted to plunder austrian wealth and ensure French food supplies. Eventually, the French monarchy gave in to liberal assemblies.
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A group of citizens marched into Tuileries, urging Marie Antoinette and Louis to find protection in the Legislative Assembly. People were murdered and eventually the royal members were imprisoned. The king was not in control anymore.
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After the overthrowing of the monarchy, France needed to provide for its people a constitution. People in the convention wanted to turn their country into a republic. The Paris Commune urged the Legislative Assembly to call an election led by universal manhood suffrage. They elected a new body to write the National Convention.
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Louis XIV was accused of secretly planning to harm the state. He was also tried for high treason. He was beheaded and this led to conflict throughout Europe. A civil war broke out and eventually, France found itself isolated from the rest of Europe.
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The Convention grew suspicious of enemies trying to harm the revolution, so they created the Committee of Public Safety. The organization also oversaw the branches of the executive government. However, disagreement within the committee led to the downfall of Robespierre, after which the group declined in significance, and its control was limited to diplomacy and war.
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The Republic of Virtue wanted to dechristianize France. They closed churches and sold them. They also made a new calendar with more days in the week that would remove Sunday.
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After Robespierre’s death, the Thermidorian Reaction was made. It was a response against the radicalism of the French Revolution. They wanted everything to be more conservative. This created a two-branch government and it had an executive branch that five-person directory.
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Robespierre was the leader of the Committee of Public Safety. He accepted a base of power from the Jacobins and made the Cult of the Supreme Being. However, his enemies executed him soon after because he didn’t take responsibility and authority over the new religion. After his death, the committee lost all of its authority, the prisons were emptied, and the revolution became significantly less radical.
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When a big crowd started to riot, a military general, Napoleon Bonaparte, defended the National Convention. He was seen as a hero. Eventually, he was promoted to major. Later, he started to receive more attention in the military as well.
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Since Napoleon wanted to overthrow the Directory, he went back to France. He then established the Constitution of the Year VII and gave himself the title of “First Consul.” Later, a legislature called it the Consulate which concluded the revolution. Soon after, Napoleon gained peace for France and the rest of the continent was temporarily restored.
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Napoleon had a desire to make peace with the Catholic church. He pacified the French Catholics who had been angry by conflicts on religion during the revolution. So, he made a treaty with Pope Pius VII. As a result, all the clergy members had to give up their positions, while their replacements received investiture from the pope. In turn, the church gave up claims to its stolen land.
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The Napoleonic Code was made to change all the old laws which were derived from the Enlightenment era. This protocol banned all privileges based on birth, permitted freedom of religion, and clarified that all government jobs should go to the ones who were most qualified. This code was very influential to countries outside of Europe, especially in the Middle East, who were trying to modernize their government.
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All the members of an electorate all voted on another constitution which stated that Napoleon would be Emperor of the French. Bonaparte invited the Pope for his coronation. As the emperor, Napoleon conquered most of Europe through military campaigns. France’s success ended the Old Regime and its feudal trappings. This displayed Napoleon’s passion of nationalism.
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Napoleon wanted to stop Britain’s trade throughout Europe. He wanted to intentionally cripple British commercial and financial power to drive them out of war. Once this new structure was made, the British launched a huge naval attack on the French. Even though Britain’s economy was hurting, Belgian and Swiss trade had a significant increase in profits.
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The French were getting frustrated with Portugal’s alliance with Britain, so they invaded the country. This resulted in war and Napoleon put his brother, Joseph, on the Spanish throne. Eventually, this started a long campaign that had a negative lasting effect on Napoleon’s defeat.
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Due to France’s Continental System, Russia’s economy had declined. Also, Napoleon’s establishment of a Polish province at the feet of Russia upset Tsar Alexander I. Russia left the Continental System and prepared for war. This started a series of battles.
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A giant alliance, consisting of Britain, Austria, and Prussia, conspired against Napoleon. Napoleon put in an effort to fight off the strong nations, but was defeated. Bonaparte’s reputation was hurt and his troops had to flee. Napoleon was forced off of his throne and went into isolation.
