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Estates General
The population of France was divided into status groups called Estates. The First Estate was the clergy, the Second Estate held the nobles, and, finally, the Third Estate was the rest of the population. The Estates General is just a combination of all Three Estates. In the Estates system, people were doing jobs that they weren’t qualified for or good at because someone needed to do it and they were in the only Estate that could do that job. -
Tennis Court Oath
In June 1789, the Third Estate declared themselves the National Assembly and that they would draft a new constitution. However, when they showed up to Versailles they were locked out. They decided to go to a nearby indoor tennis court where they made the Tennis Court Oath and swore to meet there until a constitution was made. -
Sans-Culottes
The Sans-Culottes, meaning without knee breeches, was a new mob that was the one who attacked the royal palace and the Legislative Assembly and took the king captive. When the Sans-Culottes had the king they demanded two things: bread and a Constitution that helped more people than just those in the Bourgeoisie. These people were mainly seen as the poor, working class but were ofter a part of the upper Third Estate. -
Great Fear
The Great Fear started in 1789 when rebellions broke out everywhere in France in an attempt to help the National Assembly. Rural peasants were less concerned about food because they grew their own but they were more focused on trying to remove their feudal obligations and fees. They raided lords' homes, destroyed feudal obligation documents, and killed the lords' families. Shortly after the National Assembly wrote a law to stop feudal obligations and fees. -
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte technically ended the French Revolution and preserved the best parts of the revolution for France and Europe. He was born in 1769 in Corsica and by 1789 he was a Lieutenant of a small unit. As he moved up in ranks he was put in charge of invasion of Britain in 1797 but decided to attack Egypt instead. In 1799 two men wanted to overthrow the Directory and did so with the help of Napoleon. In 1802 he made himself Consul for life but ended up exiled to the island of Elba in 1814. -
Bastille Day
Bastille Day occurred on July 14, 1789, when 900 people of Paris stormed the Bastille, an old fortress used as a prison and armory. They hoped to get weapons to fight the king but since they didn’t get those weapons they freed prisoners and cut off the warden’s head. People were fed up with being hungry and decided to do something about it. Bastille Day created a symbol for the Revolution and motivation for people to get what they wanted. -
August Degrees
The August Degrees were a bunch of political documents that were all created in August of 1789. One of those degrees happened on August 4, when the National Assembly abolished the legal privilege of the first two Estates. Another of those documents was the Declaration of the Rights of Man on August 26. This Declaration affirmed free speech and press and reflected many Enlightenment ideas. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man
The Declaration of the Rights of Man was a part of the August Decrees. It happened on August 26, 1789, and was inspired by the English Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the United States’ Constitution. This Declaration affirmed free speech and press and reflected Enlightenment ideas by saying that all men are free and equal and that political position should be based off of talent, not what Estate one belongs to. -
Women's March on Versailles
On October 5th, 1789 women went to the market one morning looking for bread. When they didn't find any they were furious and went on a rampage to Versailles to protest to King Louis XVI. Once the women arrived Louis tried to pacify the crowd by accepting the decrees. However, the women still didn't have bread for themselves or their families. On October 6th, the women found a way into the castle and ended up taking the king as a prisoner to Paris. -
Constitution of 1791
The Constitution of 1791 was the first of several constitutions and created a limited monarchy. In this document, one could see what social group is in charge and there was still a king but the Legislative Assembly would be able to make laws. This constitution also created what was called active and passive citizens which made certain restraints about who could and couldn’t vote. -
September Massacre
After a move to radicalism, the kings was still in power but there was no food, they weren't winning any wars, and there were rumors of royalist spies and conspiracies. A new minister of justice, Georges Danton, led the attacks on the king by the Sans-Culottes and forced the Legislative Assembly to call the National Convention. Fear and panic spread throughout Paris and violence erupted leaving thousands dead, called the September Massacre. -
French Republic
In September of 1792, the National Convention was called to draft a new constitution. They ran the country and soon abolished the monarchy and set up the French Republic. -
War Between France and Austria
Austria threatened France but France responded by declaring war on them first. They thought they would be able to pull people together but they couldn't and the initial fighting didn't go very well fueling more mistrust in the king. On August 10, 1792, a mob attacked the royal palace and the Legislative Assembly in Paris. They took the king captive, called for a National Convention, and demanded bread and a new constitution. -
Death of the King
The Jacobins and the Girondins tried to convince the majority about what to do with the king. The Girondins represent those outside of Paris who are less radical and think the king needs to stay alive. The Jacobins represent the Sans-Culotte who are more radical and want the king dead. They get what they want on January 21, 1793, when he was beheaded with the guillotine, a new device that was quick, efficient, and showed that everyone could die like royalty. -
Committee of Public Safety/Robespierre
The Committee of Public Safety gained broad powers in response to external and internal issues as well as support from the Jacobins in April 1793. This led to the rise of a new figure by the name of Maximilien Robespierre. Robespierre was who led the Jacobins with the support of the Sans-Culottes who all wanted to crush opposition to the revolution. -
Reign of Terror
Maximilien Robespierre was a big part of the Reign of Terror because he was the one who led the Jacobins with some help from the Sans-Culottes. They all wanted to crush the opposition to the revolution. During the Reign of Terror, 40,000 people were killed by the guillotine or some other form of execution, 250,000 were imprisoned, and all of the people’s rights were suspended. -
Thermidorian Reaction
The Thermidorian Reaction happened in July of 1794 and was the sign of the end of the Reign of Terror. The peasants wanted religion again because they were devout Catholics and didn’t like the whole idea of anti-religion. However, they still weren’t getting the things they asked for almost two years prior. The Jacobins tried to pass a new constitution in 1793 but it wasn’t ever used because it didn’t get past the Committee of Public Safety. -
Directory
The Directory was a sign that things have moved back to the center. The Constitution of Year III in 1795 favored the Bourgeoisie and created two houses, Council of 500 and Council of Elders. The Directory was the executive branch but did have some issues. Royalist and radicalists were still hanging around and the Sans-Culottes had a Prairial Uprising in 1795. To help fix the issue, the Directory sent troops to put it down. -
Coup d’etat
France was still in debt and things weren't getting any better. They were spending money on expensive wars and relied on their military to keep power. So, by 1799 it all led to a coup d'etat, a sudden overthrow of the government by Napoleon. -
Consul
In 1799, two men, one part of the clergy and the other a lawyer, wanted to overthrow the Directory and need Napoleon's help to do so. They succeeded and created a Triumvirate and named themselves the three Consuls, the people in charge of the Triumvirate. -
Louisiana Purchase/Bread
In 1801, France made an agreement with the Pope to recognize Catholicism as a majority religion; however, the Church couldn't ask for the land back. Because of this, in 1803, France made a big hunk of money in the Louisiana Purchase. All of this money gave France the opportunity to get people a decent amount of food for the first time in a long while. -
Empire
In 1804, Napoleon declared that the republic was over and that France was now and empire and he was the Emperor. He had an election and 85% of the people approved. However, his empire didn't last very long because he tried to invade Britain and use the Continental System but neither of them worked and he also created nationalism, a unique identity based on common language, religion, and national symbols. -
Civil Code
France wanted an organized legal code compared to the 300 different systems it has pre-revolution called the Civil Code. It was finished and introduced during Napoleon in 1804. The Code included equality for citizens, the right to choose one's profession, religious toleration, and, finally, the abolition of serfdom and all feudal obligations. -
Wars 1807-1812
Napoleon's empire took off after all of the wars from 1807 to 1812. France was the master of Europe after defeating Prussia, Austria, and Russia. His empire consisted of three major parts; the French Empire, Dependent States, and Allied States. This helped spread the principles of the Revolution. -
1812- Russia
Russia didn't like the Continental System so Napoleon took a big risk by having to invade. He had two options, invade a large country or let their defiance go unpunished. He took 600,000 men to Russia because he need a quick win. However, Russia refused to fight and used the 'scorched-earth' technique. -
1814 Exile
In 1814, Napoleon was weakened and Paris was taken. Because of this Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba. Three months later he comes back to France with the support of the people, builds an army, and was ready to attack Belgium. -
1815 Waterloo/Exile
In June of 1815, Napoleon fought against Britain and Prussia who were commanded by the Duke of Wellington. They lost horribly and was exiled to St. Helena, a small island in the South Atlantic. In 1821, he died of stomach cancer and left the Bourgeoisie and the Enlightened world behind.
