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First Spark for Revolution
The first phase of the French Revolution was the one in which the dominant ideas were those of Montesquieu, notably those shown in his written work, L'Esprit des lois, first published in 1753. -
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French Revolution
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Financial Crisis
An ongoing financial crisis within the French royalty caused much unrest within the Third Class people, especially with king Louis XVI's exurbant spending. A few comptrollers were appointed to solve this in 1776 but the king did not like their suggestion of taxing the cleric and nobility. Another reason the French were in such debt, was because of the ongoing support for the American Revolution which was costing them into bankruptcy. -
American Revolution 1775-1783
The American Revolution officially began when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on the 4th of July, 1776, although fighting had begun at least a year before. The French saw an opportunity of success and joined the Americans formally by declaring war against Britain. By the time the war had ended in 1783, France had borrowed 1500 million livres to fund its involvement in it. Interest payments totalled 50% of the French government's total revenue. -
French Revolution Outbreak
The calling of the Estates-General of 1789 signalled that the Bourbon Monarchy was in an economically weakened sate and available to the demands of its people. Arguements had arisen over estate vote, or group vote, ending when the Third Estate formed into a National Assembly, inviting the other two estates to join. This signalled the French Revolution. -
Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath occured when the Third Estate representatives were locked out of the Estates-General. They made a makeshift conference room inside of a tennis court, near the Saint-Louis disctrict of the city of Versailles, near the palace of Versailles. The members began to call themselves the National Assembly, and swore to not break apart until a formally written constitution was founded. -
Storming of the Bastille
The Storming of the Bastille marked the official start of the French Revolution. -
The Great Fear
The Great Fear spread across the country once the revolutionary spirit seized control of the people of Paris. People in the surrounding areas began to demand things that no one could give. Civil unrest grew in the countrysides, with many peasants attacking the rich manor homes. Aristocratic property was destroyed during the riots and break-ins. From July 20 - August 5, 1789, militias were set up and put down all the fighting and imposed order. -
March on Versailles
Rumors of Louis XVI's court party spreads throughout the streets of Paris, being accused of stepping on the flag of France, it aused a mob of women to form. They marched all the way to Versailles to demand bread from the king and forced them to return to PAris in order to sign the Declaration of the Rights of Man. -
King Louis XVI Attempts to Flee
Louis' resistance to the peoples demands was a cause of an attempted transfer of the royal family members from Versailles to Tuileries Palace in Paris on October the 6th. He finally attempted to escape to the eastern frontier on June 21st, but he was caught at Varennes and brought to Paris, without any credibility as a constitutional monarch. The queen was forced to take his role and take the chief blame for the court's subsequent political duplicity. -
Second Phase of French Revolution
This is the republican phase, for which Jean-Jacques Rousseau not only furnished the terminology of revolutionary discourse, but was generally acknowledged to have done so. Unlike Montesquieu, whose name had been cited with the same passionless respect as that of Aristotle or Locke, Rousseau was idolised and venerated. -
The End of the Reign of Terror
The End of the Reign of Terror occured when Robespierre took his power too far and the people overthrew him. Robespierre attempted suicide but failed and was excecuted by guillotine the next day. -
The Reign of Terror Begins
The Reign of Terror began after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by the conflicts between the Girondins and the Jacobins. There was a death toll of 16,594 just from executions by Robespierre. -
Napoleon's coup d'etat
The coup of 18 Brumaire brought General Napoleon Bonaparte to power as First Consul of France, and, in the view of most historians, ended the French Revolution. The coup d'état overthrew the Directory, replacing it with the French Consulate. -
End of ancien régime
The ancien régime ended when king Louis XVI and all his direct family relatives (Wife, Sons, Daughters, etc) were excecuted at the guillotine. The end outcomes at the end of the ancien régime included: The abolition of the French Monarchy, establishment of a secular and democratic republic that became increasingly authoritarian and militaristic, a radical social change based on liberalism and other Enlightenment principles, the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, armed conflicts with other European ctry -
Battle of Waterloo - Napoleons' Defeat
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on a Sunday, at the 18th of June, 1815, near Waterloo in what would be present-day Belgium. A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by the armies of the Seventh Coalition, comprised of an Anglo-allied army under command of Duke of Wellington combined with the Prussian army under Gebhard von Blücher. -
The Republic
By the point when Napoleon died, the government of France was under a Republic rule, meaning that the citizens chose who they voted under who they think are the best individuals to be president. This meant no more kings, and no more feudalism, ending many poverties, increasing lifespans, massively increasing populations, and more organized and efficienct societies. To this day a Republic remains a vital part of the French government.
