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French Famine
Bread prices in 1789 began to soar, which caused unrest in the country to rise. Many of the poorer people ended up spending most of their money on bread and food. With rumors that a Paris wallpaper company was planning on cutting wages even with the bread prices rising, workers got angry and vandalized the factory owner's home. -
1st Meeting of the Estates-General
With the economic problems harming the country, Louis XVI decided to call a meeting of the Estates-General in 1789. The three estates prepared cahiers, or notebooks listing their grievances. The cahiers usually contained reforms for fairer taxes or freedom of the press. When they met, the upper classes had one vote each and the third class had one vote as well. The upper classes usually used their votes to stop the third estates reforms from getting voted in. -
National Assembly Meets
The third estate, tired of being outvoted and getting the short end of the stick, decided to meet separately from the Estates-General. They called it the National Assembly. They wanted the votes to be counted by "head". When the third estate announced themselves to be the National Assembly and tried to meet, they found their meeting building locked. This gives way the the next event. -
Tennis Court Oath
So their meeting building is locked and guarded, what to do? The National Assembly decides to meet in a tennis court not far from their original meeting place. The Assembly took the famous Tennis Court Oath here. In the oath they swore to meet whenever they can if the circumstances require them to until they change the government to be sound and just. -
The Storming of the Bastille
The citizens of France could only take so much famine and rumors. When they heard a rumor that the government was sending troops into Paris to destroy any revolts, they freaked. More than 800 peasants showed up at the Bastille and demanded weapons. When the commander refused they stormed the castle and killed the captain along with 5 guards. They also decided to release the prisoners being kept there. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
With the peasant uprising and the storming of the bastille the National Assembly had to do something. So the National Assembly ended up making the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. It said all men were born free and remain free. All men were also equal in rights. It put natural rights on property, security, and resistance to oppression. Also, it said that all men were equal in the eyes of the law. -
France Declares war on Austria
To set an example for their revolution France decides to declare war on Austria and other European countries. At first the French armies lacked organization and discipline. Austrian forces quickly defeated the french troops, but the Battle of Valmy saved the French by repulsing the invaders. -
Radicals Storm the Royal Palace
With the war with Prussia not going too well, people felt cheated. Like the King was conspiring against France with the enemies. Yet more false rumors. So a bunch of radicals decide to storm the royal palace. They then took control of the National Assembly and made a new legislative body called the National Convention. -
Period: to
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror was a time period in France where many people were beheaded by the guillotine. The foundation of the Committee of Public Safety is what started the most famous part of the Reign of Terror. Many of those executed were falsely accused and were victims of an unjust justice system.With around 17,000 people executed the Reign of Terror finally ended with the architects of the Reign of Terror being beheaded themselves. It's beautiful. -
Constitution of 1975
The revolution moved away from the Reign of Terror when the Moderates took over, They didn't want the Committee of Public Safety killing thousands of people so they just lopped the heads off of the people who started it. This lead to the Constitution of 1795 being put into effect. It set up a five man directory and a two-house legislature.
