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Financial Crisis
The First Assembly of Notables become stagnant over the raising and lowering of taxes on the French people. This inability to budget the nation, leads to France facing hard economic times and the Assembly of Notables to dissolve. The Third Estate/French commoners receive the most hardship from the crisis, which leads to the first ideas of reforming government/resisting the aristocracy. Caused of ineffective aristocracy. -
Estates General
King Louis XVI is forced to call the Estates General as the government needs help. They are in an economic deficit and rebellion is rising throughout the nation and the government needs to take action against this. King wanted the approval to tax everyone, including the First and Second Estates. -
First and Second Estates join the Third Estate
The two upper estates joined the third, more populous estate in the national assembly. This took away the power of the Old Regime and gave the power to the people. Wanted to reform economic and social aspects of France and limit the power of the monarch. -
The Tennis Court Oath
As the Third Estates tries to form the National Assembly, Louis XVI locks them out of the state building. Wanting what they came for, they found an indoor tennis court and stayed there until Louis was willing to comply. They made an oath to promise that the French government would work towards creating a valid constitution and limiting the King's power. Cause of Formation of National Assembly -
Storming of the Bastille
When King Louis disapproved of the National Assembly and the granting of basic rights, the peasants of France stormed the Bastille, a large prison in response. Caused the end of the Old Regime. Causes formation of Declaration of Rights of Man. -
The Great Fear
Riots ensued on the country side of France as fear of an attack ordered by the aristocracy was ordered on the peasants. Many took actions before these false rumors could be disproven and heightened the intensity and violence of the French Revolution. Effect of corrupt aristocracy. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
Adopted by the National Assembly, it gave basic human rights to citizens at the time, making them equal. This soon became the platform for the Revolution. People wanted to embrace its policies of innocent until proven guilty and freedom of speech and religion. Document became preamble for Constitution. -
Women's March on Versaille
A crowd of women, and some men, marched through Paris, toward Versailles, demanding bread for their families. With a poor economy, many were were unable to get food and were starving. Also, a new goal began to form among marchers, to bring back Louis XVI to Paris where he would be responsible to the people and reforms that had begun to be passed earlier. In the end, the King and his Queen traveled back to their Palace in Paris to reside among the National Assembly. Effect of corrupt aristocracy. -
The Constitution of 1791
Created after the collapse of the old regime in France this sets up the constitutional monarchy in France. It instated a heavily influential legislative body that could impose taxes and declare war. The constituents of the legislature were actively elected, mainly by white men. It also limited the power of the King, making him more of a figure rather than a political power. -
War on Austria
Declared by the legislative Assembly due to Austria military presence in Northern France and their inability to validate the new republican government of France. The Legislative Assembly's war proved to be a failure which ended up sapping their resources. This led to the downfall of the Legislative Assembly and in turn resulted in the Reign of Terror. -
Louis XVI executed
Found guilty of 33 different charges of tyranny and suppressing the freedoms of French People, he was sentenced to death by guillotine. This resulted in a politically unstable government that went down a slippery slop of bad decisions that caused to the Reign of Terror. -
The Directory
This was a body of directors that held power in France. It had five directors that overthrew Robespierre's repressive government, and replaced it with a bicameral one. It was soon overthrown in 1799. -
Robespierre's Reign of Terror
This was a short period during the Revolution when Maximillian Robespierre took power and was very harsh on citizens. Thousands were sent to death by the guillotine for treason against the state. This happened because of the Committee of Public Safety, which Robespierre was prominent in. Effect of War on Austria and Execution of King Louis.
