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Meeting of the Estates General
King Louis XVI called a meeting with the Estates-General and representatives of the 3rd estate to discuss financial issues- this was the first time in 175 years a meeting like this was held. Members of the 3rd estate felt threatened because they knew they couldn't get fair representation. Therefore, they left and declared themselves the National Assembly. The 3rd estate pledged to make a new constitution whether or not the 1st and 2nd estates joined. -
Tennis Court Oath
The meeting of the estates general caused a lot of arguments. Members of the 3rd estate showed up one day to find themselves locked out the chambers. They felt threatened and like there was a plot against. They quickly decided to have an emergency meeting that took place at a nearby tennis court. At this meeting, they vowed to stay together and write a constitution for France. -
The Storming of the Bastille
In response to the meeting of the estates general, thousands of angry Parisian civilians worked together with soldiers to attack the Bastille prison. This was a symbol of power and royal prestige in Paris. -
Declaration of Rights
The 3rd estate announced a very important document. This document said the representative government had to protect all men "wherein sovereignty belongs to the people." -
March of Versailles
Severe winters lead to poorly grown harvest and this made the price of bread increase. Thousands of protesting women marched 12 miles from Paris to the palace at Versailles. Along the way, the gained supporters and ended up with a mob of 20,000 people. The broke into the palace and killed many guards. Eventually, they forced the royals back to Paris with them where they became prisoners of the city. -
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Reign of Terror
This was a period of violence that occurred after the beginning of the French Revolution. A conflict between the Jacobins and Girondins stirred up the drama that started this violence. During this period, guillotine became the most common way of execution. -
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The Rise of Napoleon and Creation of an Empire
Napoleon's power rapidly rose during the French Revolution. He gained political power in France in 1799 and crowned himself emperor in 1804. As someone who had a lot of knowledge about military strategies, he expanded his empire by successfully carrying out war against coalitions of European nations. -
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Napoleon's Empire Collapses
There were three major issues that led to Napoleon's empire collapsing. One of them was because of the Continental System. Russia withdrew from the Continental System in 1810, so in return Napoleon led a huge army into Russia. Napoleon's troop ended up traveling farther into Russia than prepared for because of Russia's surprising strategies. Only about 1/6 of Napoleon's original troops made it out of Russia. The other things that led to this were the Peninsular War and the Invasion of Russia. -
The Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna included ambassadors of European states. The congress wanted to arrange a long-term peace plan for Europe. They would do this by fixing issues that were caused by the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. The goal was to restore old boundaries and have equal power so that they could remain in peace.
(It ended on June 8, 1815 but I made an event instead of a timespan)