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Calling of the Estates General
The Estates General was called in 1789 to try and solve France's financial problem. There were three different estates, the first estate being the clergy, the second estate being nobles, and the third estate being everyone else. Each estate got one vote that meant that the things that would benefit the already powerful were usually passed. This injustice influenced the creation of the National Assembly. -
The Tennis Court Oath
One day when the National Assembly met in a tennis court they had agreed to not disband until a constitution for France had been written. This was the first truly revolutionary act of the revolution. Since Louis XVI does not act, the Tennis Court Oath only gave the National Assembly power and made the way for it to gain more. -
Storming of Bastille
The monarchy was trying to covertly end the National Assembly so royal troops were gathering in and around Versailles and Paris. This made local citizens nervous and to strike back, they stormed a prison in Paris. The people stormed Bastille to arm their militia with weapons and free political prisoners. The guards of the Bastille were scared and they fired into the crowd which only riled them up more. The whole event added to the reasons the old nobles were leaving France in "The Great Fear". -
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The Great Fear
It was a time of panic among the French population where many people feared that royal troops would be sent to the rural areas and kill the revolution. Many peasants stormed the houses of nobles and burned the records of feudal dues. This all culminated when nobles were (forced) to renounce feudal and noble privileges. -
Nobles Surrender Feudal Privileges
Due to the Great Fear and the storming of noble houses, aristocrats renounced their feudal and noble privileges which put an end to the nobility in France. However, this was only on paper, and they were still favoured in the Estates General. -
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March of the Fishwives
Louis XVI hadn't yet ratified the Declaration of the Rights of Man or the renunciation of feudalism. This had made people fear that he was going to send troops to end the revolution. Around 7,000 Parisian women and 15,000 of the national guard marched to Versailles. The threat of the mob led Louis to agree to the Declaration and the renunciation of feudalism and forced the Royal Family to move back to Paris. This is the first example of insurrection employing popular sovereignty over monarchs. -
Flight to Varennes
The King of France and the Royal Family fled France to Austria because they were scared of the French Revolution. They were caught and sent back to Paris. This dubbed the King as a counterrevolutionary and radicalized the French population. -
Declaration of Pillnitz
A day after the publishing of the Declaration of the Rights of Man, this declaration was sent out to the public and said that Austria and Prussia will invade France to restore the monarch if Britain and Russia agreed. This fired up the peasants more because they felt like they were being threatened from all sides. -
The Brunswick Manifesto
Issued by Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, the Manifesto stated that if the French Crown was harmed, they would retaliate. This fanned the flame of the French Revolution. -
Tuileries Palace Stormed
In response to the Brunswick Manifesto, Sans-Culottes stormed the palace and captured the royal family. Since they were now a constitutional monarchy with no monarch, the more radical revolutionaries started advocating for a republic. -
National Convention declared France a Republic
After the storming of the Tuileries Palace, the National Convention was created and had to write a new constitution. This constitution officially made France a republic. After this, the French Revolution only continued to get more radical and about a year after the constitution was written, the Reign of Terror begun. -
Execution of "Citizen Capet"
King Louis XVI, called "Citizen Capet" after he was dethroned, was executed after he was convicted of high treason by the National Convention. Only a few months later, the Reign of Terror would begin. -
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The Reign of Terror
The increasing radicalization of the French Revolution, caused by the thought of the Revolution being threatened from outside and inside sources, caused the Reign of Terror. It was a time in which many public executions of counterrevolutionaries took place. The end of the era brought in the Thermidorian Reaction. -
The Law of 22 Prairial
To further the power of the Committee of Public Safety, this law would make it more easy for people to be prosecuted and limited how much suspects could defend themselves. It also made death the only punishment if someone was prosecuted. This law also encouraged the population to denounce and turn in counterrevolutionaries. All of this increased the violence seen in the Reign of Terror. -
Execution of Robespierre
Robespierre and some of his followers were executed by guillotine. Robespierre was accused of dictatorship because of his reign of terror. The radical phase of the French Revolution died with him. -
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The Thermidorian Reaction
The Thermidorian Reaction started after the Robespierre was executed and ended when the French Directory. With this, the Committee of Public Safety's power decreased and closed the Jacobin club. It also got rid of price ceilings and wage restrictions which increased inflation. The Thermidorian Reaction changed "The Reign Terror" to "The White Terror" which was when people hunted the leaders from Phase II of the French Revolution. -
Constitution of the Year III
This Constitution wanted to make the French Revolution more moderate by ensuring individual rights and created legislature with two houses that would make sure laws could not pass so quickly. It concentrated executive power but also implemented a system a checks and balances because executive powers would be shared with five directors. -
Constitution of 1791
The Constitution of 1791 created a unicameral legislative body and designated two types of citizens. There were passive citizens who couldn't vote on because they were under 25 and didn't pay enough in taxes, and active citizens who could vote because they were over 25 and paid three days wages in tax. This meant that the wealthier people benefited more from the constitution and the poor were poorly represented. This constitution was changed a year later because of the insurrection of Tuileries.