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Louis XVI calls the estate general
The king noticed the public's outrage at the country's financial situation. He called a meeting of the estates general to try and restore the situation.
This meeting led to the 3rd estate to break off and form the National Assembly. The formation of this group signified the start of the French Revolution. -
Tennis Court Oath
The former 3rd estate met for the first time on a tennis court in Versailles. In this meeting they took an oath to never stop meeting until a proper constitution was in place for the country.
This treaty began to show the french people that they had power and could stand up against the royalty. This oath served as a clear and concise message to the king that the revolution was happening and the people were ready. -
Parisians Storm The Bastille
The Bastille was a military fortress and political prison. The revolutionaries tried to storm the Bastille and after a lot of death and fighting, they succeeded.
This affected the course of the french revolution by furthering what the national assembly forming and signing the tennis court already started. The storming and seizure of the Bastille sent the French Revolution into full war. -
Writing of the Declaration of the Rights of Men
Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson drafted and presented the Declaration of the Rights of Men to the National Assembly. This piece of writing outlined what they believed the french people deserved when it came to rights.
This document helped the people around the world understand the rights they deserved. It affected the revolution because it served as a guideline for what the french people would and wouldn't except from the french government. -
March on Versailles
This march in the Versailles markets was a result of the spiking prices of simple foods like bread. The women of Versailles gathered 7,000 of themselves together to storm the palace and demand for economical restoration.
The solidarity of the women marching filled the people of france with a spirit of power and confidence. This lead the people to continue their battle for freedom. -
Establishment of the New French Constistution
After the National Assembly wrote their revolution starting tennis court oath, they began working to continue their work. This came in the form of the new french constitution. This document changed the revolution by officially and legally altering the structure of the french government. This major accomplishment furthered the can do attitude of the french revolutionists. -
Execution of the King and Queen
The accusation, conviction, and execution of the french queen and king, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, was one of the most influential public executions in the french revolution. These royals were charged and convicted of treason which inevitably led to their humiliating death. This changed the course of the revolution by giving the french people too much entitlement and instilling a taste for blood in them. This ushered the french people down the road of the reign of terror. -
Reign of Terror
This period in french history is filled with the eye for an eye philosophy. Countless people were publically and brutally murdered simply for their opposing belief.
This time led to a lasting change to the social and political structure all over Europe. Part of this change includes the immense rise of political pride, or nationalism. -
Napoleon Overthrows the Directory
The directory, a small group of people to help the ruler make decisions, was not helping Napoleon's vision of total rule. So, he decided to overthrow the directory and name himself the Emperor of France.
This signified the end of the french revolution and began Napoleon's quest to conquer all of Europe. From this point on, the people would no longer thirst for blood from their own leaders. -
Napoleon Builds an Empire
As the people of France tried to move on from the chaos that was the french revolution, Napoleon was more worried about how he could grow his empire all throughout the continent.
This affected the people of France by keeping them in a constant state of wartime and stress. Napoleon's building of his empire was a show of how power hungry some people are. -
Napoleon Invades Russia
After having control of almost all of Europe, Napoleon begins to get greedy and forget how powerful the Russian army and winter is. After a cold and painful defeat, Napoleon and what was left of his troops left back to France.
This loss came as a wake up call for the french people that they are not untouchable and Napoleon can be defeated. This lead to decreased trust in Napoleon as a leader and began his downfall. -
The Congress of Vienna Meets
After the bloodshed and painful craziness that was the reign of terror and following Napoleonic wars, the leaders of Europe decided to try and put some of the pieces of the puzzle back together. Their first step was to redraw the country boundaries of Europe.
This forced the people to accept that Napoleon would not be coming back as emperor, and that the country would be heading back in the direction of monarchy. Following this, small bits of normalcy returned. -
6th Coalition Occupies Paris
When Napoleon returned from his embarrassing defeat in Russia, his troops turned on him and defeated their own emperor. Following this, the army, or 6th coalition, took and occupied paris until Napoleon was driven out to a small island for his rule.
This was the seemingly final defeat of Napoleon, and his chance to try and accept his defeat and move on. Even so, Napoleon ruled over his island in what was his own torture. -
King Louis XVIII Begins His Reign
After Napoleon is totally exiled from Europe onto a small island, the monarchy is finally restored to France. This was made evident in the reign of Louis XVII's son, King Louis XVIII.
This was one more small period of false peace for the french people. The new king taking his throne led Napoleon to attempt to take the land he won back into control. -
Napoleon defeated at Waterloo
after escaping his prison island for his rule, Napoleon wanted to try and take over Europe one more time. While he first succeeded in turning the soldiers in his favor, he was eventually defeated in the battle of waterloo and sent to a new island of imprisonment.
This signified to the people of france to go back to regular programming, just with some more rights. The restored balance in the french country was what the country needed.