-
Period: to
Bad Harvests
(Late 1780's) Heavy rains, Cold Winters and other bad conditions bring terrible harvests to France. The people of France rely on these harvests heavily, and a series of bad harvests are devistating. The price of bread skyrockets. And riots for grain and flour are spreading. -
Verge of Bankruptcy
(towards the end of the year) Bread riots were spreading rapidly, nobles were denouning royal tyranny yet fearfull of taxes. National dept was through the roof because of of deficit spending in suporting other countries in wars. This caused Louis XVI to summon the Estates General to meet in Versailles -
The Estetes-General
(the close of 1788) Time are terrible in France. People are begging the king so call the Estetes-General. Toward the end of 178 Louis XVI gives in and calls them to gether. It would be the first time in 175 years that a French king has called the Estates-General. The Estates-General is made up of three estates.
The first state is made up of the Clergy
The Second is made up the Nobles
The Third is everyone else -
Deadlock
The Estates-General convented in May 1789 but were in a deadlock from the start over the issue of voting. Normaly it would be done by having each estate have 1 vote.... -
The National Assembley
Delegates from the Third Estates to a big step. They declared themselfs to represent the people of France and called themselfd the National Assembley. -
The Tennis Court Oath
The National Assembly's meeting hall was locked and gaurded. They feared that the King planned to dismiss them. So they moved to a near by tennis court and swore that they would not leave untill a new constitution was made. -
The Storm of the Bastille
A rumor was spreading that royal troops were going to occupy the capital during the National Assembly meeting. So more than 800 Parisians assembled outside of the Bastille, a midieval fortress used as a prison, and demaned the weapons they believed were stored inside. When the captain of the Bastille would not let them in, they stormed in, killed the commander and 5 guards, and releaced the few prisioners being held there, but no weapons were found. -
Feudalism is Abolished
More uprisings and the storming of Bastille stampeded the National Assembly into action. They met on August 4th in an all-night meeting, nobles in the the National Assembly agreed to give up their special privleges. At 2 AM the tired and wery delages were happy to annouce that Fuedalism is now abolished. Even thought the nobles were givving up what they had already lost, the National Assembly put it into law, meeting the Enlightenment goal of equality ot all male citizens before the law. -
The Decleration of the Rights of Man
(Late August) The assembly issued a document, simmilar to the Decleration of Independnce, called the Deleration of the Rights of Man. it states that All men were born free and will remain free and enjoyed the rights to liberty, property, security, and resistance of opression. This upset many women, because they were not mentioned in this Decleration. -
Womens March
Women from Paris marched 13 miles to Versailles. They were shouting 'Bread!" and they demanded to see the king. Most of the crowds anger was focused to the Queen. Marie Antonette, she was living the life of extreme extravagance and this caused public unrest. The women refused to leave Versailles untill their demands were met, fotr the king to come to Paris. The king un happily accepted and became a prisoner to Paris. -
Guillotine Invented
The Guillotine was the main instrument of death in the time of terror. It was said to be the more humane way of killing people. They would time you to a plank of wood, slide you in, secure your head and behead you. -
Period: to
The Reign of Terror
-
Period: to
End of Terror
Robespierre is aressted without trial, along with with the rest of the Committee of Public Saftey, severly lowering the number of executions, the Regin of Terror is over. -
Period: to
Napoleons rise to power
The new Constitution of 1795 alows a Directory of 5 to have executive power. Among these five sits the war hero Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon is a crowd favorite from his heroic victorys defending France from rival countries. He quiclkly comes into power and, with his wits, soon eliminates the rest of the Directory untill he is the sole member, making him Emperor of France. -
Napoleon Emperor
Napoleon is crowned Emperor of France by the Pope, Ending the Revolution.
