-
Louis XVI calls the Estate General
Louis XVI had all of the three estates prepare cahiers. Cahiers were notebooks where they listed there grievances. The third estates delegates were mostly lawyers, middle-class officals and writers. They were familiar with the writings of Voltaire and Rousseau. They made it so that they would vote by head instead of by one vote per head. They then made the Tennis Court Oath. -
Parisians Storm The Bastille
More than 800 parisians assembled outside the Bastille. The Bastille was a grim medieval fortress used as a prison for political and other prisoners.The crowd demanded weapons and gunpowered that was believe to be stored there. The comander refused to open the gates. The parisians killed him and discovered that there were no weapons.They also freed prisonors, Since 1880 the french celebrated Bastille day annually as their national independence day. -
Deficit spending by the Government and Economic reform
Deficit spending occurs when a government spends more money than it takes in. Louis XIV France deeply in debt, The seven years' war and the American Revolution strained the treasury even further. By 1789 half of the Governments income from taxes were used to pay the interest on the enormos debt. Due to all the debt, Louis XVI choose Jacaques Necker, He proposed taxing thr first and second estates. But the nobles and high clergy forced the king to dismiss Jacaques Necker -
National Assembly Act
The declaration of the rights if man was made. But it did not grant equal citizenship to women. In 1791 Olympe de Gouges, a journalist demanded equal rights in her declaration of the rights of women and the female citizen. On October 5, six thousand women marched 13 miles in the pouring rain. They marched from Paris to Versailles to take the king and his family back to paris. -
Threats From Abroad
Louis XVI failing to escape brought further hostile rumblings from abroad. The king of Prussia and the emperor of Austria issued the Declaration of Pilnitz. In the document the monarchs threaten to intervene to protect the french monarchy. It was thought to be a bluff, but the french took it seriously and prepared for war. -
Civil war
The war of words between French revolutionaries and European monarchs moved to the battlefield. The Legislative Assembly declared war on Austria first then Prussia, Britian and other states. They thought they were going to have an easy victory. But the fighting started in 1792 and lasted till 1815 -
Monarchy is Abolished
Louis XVI was put on trial as a traitor to france. He was convicted and sentenced to death. In January 1793 he was about to be beheaded, he tried to speak but the drums drowned out his words. Later in October the Queen was executed as well. -
Robespierre and the Reign of Terror
Robespierre was a shrewd lawyer and politician who quickly rose to the leadership of the committe of public safety. He wasone of the chief architects of the reign of terror. About 300,000 were arested and 17,000 were excuted during this time.The engine of the terror was the guillotine. -
Third Stage Of The Revolution
They produced another constitution, The third since 1789. Peace was made with Prussia and spain. But the war with Austria and Great Britian continued. In the election of 1797, supporters of a constitutional monarchy won the majority of seats in the legislature. -
Spread of Nationalism
The Revolution and the war gave the French people a strong sense of national identity. Now the government rallied sons and daughters of the revolution to defend the nation. Nationalism is a strong feeling of pride in and devotion to ones country.
