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National Assembly
There was disagreement amongst the three estates over voting methods in the Estates General. The third estate wished to have a 'vote by head' method, where the First Estate and Second Estate wanted 'vote by bioc'. (1 vote per estate) -
Storming of the Bastille
Paris erupted on July 14, 1789. The Paris mob was determined to arm itself due to presence of foreign tropps in the streets of Paris. They first attacked the Invalides fortress from which they obtained 30,000 muskets. They moved on to the Bastille, an old fortress prison which had long been viewed as a symbol of the king's absolute authority. The mob attacked the Bastille and released the seven prisoners inside. Louis XVI recalled the popular Jacques Necker in response. -
Great Fear
The Great Fear spread all across the country. Once the revolutionary spirit seized control of the people of Paris, people in surrounding areas began to demand cheaper bread and suspension of feudia dues. Civil unrest grew in the countryside, with many peasants attacking manor homes. Aristocratic property was destroyed by the peasantry. From July 20 to August 5, 1789, hysteria spread across the country, but was gradually put down by the militias that imposed law and order. -
"Declaration of the Rights of Man"
The Declaration of the Rights of Man echoed the sentiments of the Enlightenment philosophes, the English Bill of Rights, and the American Declaration of Independence. It asserted the political and social equality of all men, the soverignty of the people, and the natural right to liberty, property, security, and resistance to opposition. -
March on Versailles
The rumors of Louis XIV's offensive court party spreads throughout the streets of Pairs, it was rumored that Louis XVI stepped on the flag of France. Women lead a march to Versailles to demand bread. The mob forces the royal family to return to Paris with them. Louis XVI signs the Declaration of the Rights of Man. -
The Royal Family Flees
Unrest in Paris in the spring of 1791 convinced the queen, Marie Antoinette, that the family must flee. With the help of a loyal friend, Count Axei von Fersen, an escape was organized. When they reached Varennes, they were recognized and National Guardsmen escorted them back to Paris through jeering crowds. -
Constitution of 1791
The French constitution was created by the National Assembly during the revolution. It retained the monarchy, but sovereignty effectively resided in the Legislative Assembly, which was elected by a system of indirect voting. The franchise wsa restricted to 'active' citizens who paid a minimal sum in taxes; about two-thirds of adult men had the right to vote for electors and to choose certain local officials directly. The constitution lasted less than a year -
France Goes to War Against Austria
The French government declared war on Austria. As Prussia was allied with Austria, France found itself fighting a war against both countries. -
The Republic of Virue
Social and cultural changers were implemented by the Jacobins during the time they were in control in an attempt to erase all traces of the Old Regime. They called their new society, based on reason, the Republic of Virtue. -
Louis' Execution
The execution of Louis XVI took place on January 21, 1793 at the Place de la Revolution ("Revolution Square"). It was a major event in the French Revolution. After events on the August 10, 1792, Louis was arrested, interned in the Temple prison with his family, tried for high treason before the National Convention, found guilty by almost all, and condemned to death by a slight majority. His execution made him the first victim of the Reign of Terror. -
Levee en Masse
The Committee of Public Safety made a decree that mobilized the entire French population for war. All unmarried men between the ages of 1 and 25 were conscripted. -
Reign on Terror
Also known as The Terror, was a period of violence that occured after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of 'enemies of the revolution'. The death toll ranged in the tens of thousands, with 16,594 executed by guillotine and another 25,000 across France. -
The Execution of Robespierre
Robespierre was arrested on July 27 and executed the next day. In month of Thermidor in the new French calendar, Robespierre wsa deserted by his supporters, accused of being a tyrant. Robespierre wanted to extend emergency powers, but others felt that the emergencies were over and wanted to return to regular administration. -
The Directory
It was a body of 5 Directors that held executive power in France following the Convention and preceding the Consulate. The period of this regime or known as the Directory era, constitutes the second to last stage of the French Revolution. There were 2 eras: the First Directory and the Second Directory. divided by the Coup of 18 Fructidor. -
Napoleon's Coup d'etat
Staged by Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, ended in the successful dissolution of the French National Assembly, as well as the subsequent re-establishment of the French Empire the next year. Louis Napoleon, nephew of Bonaparte, reclaimed his uncle's throne as Emperor of the French and reestablished universal suffrage. HIs decisions and the extension of his mandate for 10 years were popularly endorsed by referendum.