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Economic Crisis
It is caused by overspending and poor harvests in France. It sent many peasants into low levels of poverty, Despite the Third Estate being the most affected by this economic crisis, the unfair tax structure placed most of the burden of taxation on the Third Estate. This led to outrage directed at the government, fueling the French Revolution. -
Louis XVI Calls the Estates General
Louis XVI called the Estates General in 1789, it was the first time this had happened since 1614. The Estates General was a meeting of the representatives of the three estates, which were the clergy, nobility, and the commoners. They were meeting about the economic crisis and to try and find a way to resolve the unrest. -
First and Second Estate join the National Assembly
The First and Second Estates joined the National Assembly. Some members of the First and Second Estate decided to join the third estate for a variety of reasons. Some genuinely sympathized with the Third Estate, some were inspired by Enlightenment ideas, some disliked the government system, and some wanted to be diplomatic with the Third Estate to avoid more radical steps. -
Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath was an oath sworn by the members of the National Assembly (mostly Third Estate at this point, though some First and Second estate members had joined). They swore not to separate until they had written a constitution for France. The result was the Declaration on the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. -
Storming of the Bastille
The Storming of the Bastille was when a mob attacked the Bastille, a prison which was a symbol of the oppressive government's power. The mob, mostly members of the Third Estate, were angry at the imprisonment of policial prisoners and the government's refusal to listen to the Third Estate's demands. The mob took control of the Bastille, which demonstrated the power of the common people in the revolution, and the French still celebrate this day as a national holiday. -
The Great Fear
The Great Fear, which took place during July and August of 1789, was when rumors of an aristocratic conspiracy to overthrow the Third Estate and seize or destroy the food sources of peasants swept through the countryside. This led to the peasants panicking. Many of them armed themselves, and some even attacked manor houses. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is Adopted
Over the course of a few days in August 1789 (20-26), the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was officially adopted by the National Assembly. This document, which was based partly on previous similar documents from English and American history, was a symbol of French thought and philosophy during the revolution. The ideas in the document would inspire the people in the revolution, and it would also be an example to later countries writing their own constituion. -
Women's March on Versailles
The Women's March on Versailles began on October 5 in Paris when many peasant women gathered in the marketplace demanding bread at a fair price when they could not find bread to buy. They marched through Paris, gathering weapons and being joined by more women, and then decided to confront the king at Versailles. After hours of marching, they arrived at Versailles and negotiated with the king. This was an important movement for demonstrating the role of women in the French Revolution. -
Constitution of 1791
The Constitution of 1791 was the product of a couple years of working by the National Assembly. The Constitution of 1791 kept a constitutional monarchy, but most of the power rested in a legislative body. However, it depended on the cooperation of Louis XVI. Louis XVI had already tried to escape Paris and was now detained at this point in 1791, so he did not look very trustworthy and there was not enough public support for Louis XVI. -
The National Assembly Declares War on Austria
Public opinion in 1792 France was all for war. People wanted war because they believed that it would unify the country, and the revolutionaries wanted to spread their ideas to Europe. The monarchy- supporters thought that France would be easily defeated by other European monarchs, who would then put back the old regime. Either way, there was support on both sides for a war. -
Louis XVI is Executed
Louis XVI, the former king of France, was finally executed in January of 1793. Now, France did not really have much hope in a constitutional monarchy, and a new wave of radical terror would soon begin. Louis XVI had been convicted by the National Assembly for treason. -
Robespierre's Reign of Terror Begins
The Reign of Terror was a period of paranoid bloodshed during the French Revolution. The monarch had been killed, the country was still poor and now at war, and radicals were angry. A group of radicals took over the government and began ruthlessly killing citizens, leading to thousands of death and the descent of the revolution into chaos and darkness. -
The Directory is Installed
The Directory was a five person committee which ruled France for about four years. It was pretty weak overall and eventually overthrown by Napoleon. The Directory wasn't the democratic utopian government envisoned at the start of the revolution, but it did help end the Reign of Terror and establish some degree of stabilty in France.