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Social Stratification
Social Stratification was caused by society being separated into three estates. The First was the clergies, the Second was the nobility, and the Third was everyone else. The Third Estate was always out voted by the other two so they had no power. The nobility and clergy did not have to pay taxes like everyone else which caused anger to build. The King and Queen ruled absolutely. -
Weak Government
The Weak Government was caused mainly by King Louis XVI spending more money than the French had on costly wars that he lost. The government was in debt so badly because of him and had no power. Debt piled up over so many years because of the wars that were lost to the point where Louis didn't even notice it. -
Influence from the Enlightenment and the american Revolution
The French soldiers who fought in the American Revolution brought home the ideas of the American Revolution which caused them to get the idea of revolution. The writings of the Enlightenment philosophes were known by the delegates. The writings of Voltaire, Rousseau, and other philosophes were very influencial in the French Revolution -
Economic Failure
France's economy was a failure mainly because the costly wars that were fought and lost leaving France in major debt. Taxes became higher to try to payoff the debt which caused the bread prices to rise. People began starving because of the high bread prices and taxes which caused riots to break out for bread and money. -
King Louis XVI calls the Estates-General
Jacques Necker urged King Louis XVI to call a meeting of the Estates General which hadn't been done in 175 years. On May 4, 1789 King Louis XVI calls the Estates General which is a legislative body consisting of representatives of the three estates. The big demand made at the meeting of the Estates General was for the clergy and nobility to have to pay taxes. It was at the meetingthat a man named Robespierre stood up in front of the Estates General who represented the powerless Third Estate. -
The Tennis Court Oath
In June of 1789 the Delegates took their famous Tennis Court Oath and they swore "never to separate and to meet wherever the circumstances might require until we have established a sound and just constitution." The delegates were forced to take their oath in an indoor tennis court because their meeting hall was locked and guarded. -
The Storming of the Bastille
On July 14, 1789, the city of Paris entered the spotlight. More than 800 Parisians gathered outside the Bastille and broke through the gate that the guards refused to open. The commander at the Bastille and five guards, released prisoners, but found no weapons. The fall of the Bastillie was a wake up call for Louis XVI. -
The National Assembly Acts
On August 4, 1789 the National Assembly voted to end their own privileges in a combative all-night meeting. The National Assembly turned the reforms made on August 4 into a law. By making it a law it met an important enlightenment goal of the equality of all male citizens. -
The Monarchy is Abolished
On August 10, 1792 parisians stormed the royal palace and killed the King's guards. The royal family fled and later they attacked prisons that held nobles and priests. In September 1792 a more radical assembly voted to abolish the monarchy and establish a republic. -
Spread of Nationalism
The revolution and war gave the French people a sense of nationalism because they caused reform and a new constitution to come about. The French people celebrated and showed lots of nationalism. They formed their National Anthem, La Marseillaise which was the song the troops marched to. -
Robespierre and the Reign of Terror
Maximilien Robespierre also known as the "Incorruptible" was a lawyer and politician and became the leader of the Committe of Public Safety. His enemies called him a tyrant and he wanted to root out any citizens who possibly might be committing treason. Eight Hundred plus people were beheaded each month by the guillotine and this time period of mass killing was known as the Reign of Terror. Robespierre would not stop mass killing until finally he was arrested and killed on the guillotine too. -
The Third Stage of the Revolution & Napoleon's Rise to Power
The revolution moved away from the excesses of the Convention and made it third constitution since 1789. The Constitution of 1795 set up a five man directory and a two house legislature. Soon chaos threatened and people looked to Napoleon Bonaparte who was a popular war hero to end the threat. He soon outwit the politicians and became ruler of France. He weventually crwoned himself emperor of France, reformed France, and builds an Empire.
