French Revolution

By emmanix455

  • Louis XIV called the Estates General

    A. Many economic problems were facing France at this time, one of them being the seven years' war, a war fought in Europe, India, and North America , causing the debt to increase. Another cause of national debt increasing is France's involvement in the American Revolution.
    B. At the Estates General, it was made clear that there was one vote per estate, but usually Clergy and Nobility joined together to outvote the third estate, which caused a voting controversy.

  • The National Assembly

    The National Assembly was a revolutionary assembly formed by the representatives of the Third Estate. (en.wikipedia.org)

  • Tennis Court Oath

    the members of the French Third Estate, who had begun to call themselves the National Assembly, took the Tennis Court Oath, vowing "not to separate, and to reassemble wherever circumstances require, until the constitution of the kingdom is established." (en.wikipedia.org)

  • Parisians storm the Bastille

    "Traditionally, this fortress was used by French kings to imprison subjects that didn’t agree with them politically, making the Bastille a representation of the oppressive nature of the monarchy," according to www.historyonthenet.com. The Parisians stormed the Bastille though, was to get ammunition and arms, and now that the rebels were armed, there is a possibility for an offensive attack. This storming was the start of the French revolution, and the eventual fall of the French monarchy.

  • Writing of the Declaration of the Rights of Men

    The Declaration of the Rights of Men was adopted by the national assembly on August 27th, 1789. The Declaration "outlined the basic freedoms held by all", and "asserted the sovereignty of the people," according to the notes taken in class.

  • Women's March on Versailles

    On October 5, 1789 an angry mob of nearly 7,000 working women, armed with pitchforks, pikes and muskets marched in the rain from Paris to Versailles in what was to be a pivotal event in the intensifying French Revolution. (www.onthisdeity.com)

  • Establishment of the new Constitution

    The Constitution "retained the monarchy, but sovereignty effectively resided in the legislative assembly, which was elected by a system of indirect voting," according to www.britannica.com. Only about 2/3 of adult men had the right to vote for electors though. This constitution only lasted less than a year.

  • Execution of the King and Queen/Beginning of the Reign of Terror

    Louis XVI was executed on January 21, 1793 by guillotine as a result of him being convicted of treason only four days before. Nine months later, the Queen, Marie Antoinette, faced the same punishment as result of conviction of treason as well, she was executed on October 16. This marked the beginning of the reign of terror (July 1793-July 1794) which consisted of thousand of executions (around 50,000), and the death of Robespierre.

  • Napoleon overthrows the Directory

    Napoleon Bonaparte was a French statesman and military leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution (en.wikipedia.org). Napoleon arrived unannounced from Egypt and with the help of Sieyes and some others, he succeeded in overthrowing the failing French directory and became the first consul of France.

  • Napoleon builds an Empire

    During the Napoleonic wars, France conquered Egypt, Belgium, Holland, much of Italy, Austria, and much of Germany, Poland, and Spain. The Napoleonic wars lasted from May 18, 1803, to November 20, 1815.

  • Napoleon Invades Russia

    Napoleon attempted to invade Russia, going in with 400,000+ soldiers, and leaving with only 10,000. This was significant because after the Napoleon attempted to invade Russia he was vulnerable to other countries, and was ganged up on by multiple countries in the Battle of Leipzig. After the war Napoleon gave up the throne and was exiled to Elba.

  • The Congress of Vienna meets

    The Congress of Vienna was a series of international meetings to secure peace across Europe (notes). They established a principle of maintaining a balance of power which is the power held by a small group when larger groups are of equal strength (google dictionary)

  • Napoleon defeated at Waterloo

    The Battle of Waterloo was fought near the Waterloo, Belgium. In this battle, the forces of the French Empire were defeated by the Seventh Coalition and a Prussian army, which was commanded by Gebhard Von Blucher. (www.battleofwaterloo.org)