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Financial Crisis in France
While King Louis XVI and his family were living in luxury at Versailles, France was in the midst of financial turmoil. The financial debt was only aggravated by French involvement in the Seven Years War and the American Revolution, which in turn led to new and heavier taxes and inflation. -
Louis XVI Calls the Estates General
Louis XVI was under a tremendous amount of pressure to bring France out of debt, so after consulting his financial minister, Jacques Necker, and deciding it best to tax everyone, including the First and Second Estates, the king called the Estates General for approval. -
Tennis Court Oath
The representatives of the Third Estate met on the Jeu de Paume in defiance of King Louis XVI's order to disperse, and vowed not to disband until a revised French constitution had been adopted. -
First and Second Estates Join the National Assembly
Following the Tennis Court Oath, the National Assembly met in the Church of St. Louis, joined by most of the First and Second Estates. Efforts by the king to restore the old order only accelerated the Estates' collective plan to end the French monarchy. -
The Great Fear
Rumors suggesting counterrevolution and general paranoia caused widespread unrest in more rural areas of France. Commoners began to form militias and attack members of the nobility, further contributing to a state of disillusionment and chaos in France. -
Storming of the Bastille
The Bastille had long represented the tyranny of Bourbon monarchs. The Storming of the Bastille signified the beginning of the French Revolution and the end of the ancien regime. Revolutionaries seized Paris and the French countryside, thereby forcing King Louis XVI to accept a constitutional government. -
Women's March on Versailles
The Women's March on Versailles was triggered by the lack of bread (and inflation of bread prices) and financial downfall despite how lavishly the monarchs were living. Nearly 7,000 women stormed Versailles in demand of bread, armed with pitchforks, pikes, and muskets. This event transformed the role of women in the Revolution and rendered Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette powerless over the people and forcing them to return with the crowd to Paris. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen Adopted
The basic principle of the Declaration was that "all men are born free and remain free and equal in rights." It is a basic charter of human liberties and contains the principles that inspired the French Revolution. The Declaration's adoption was a major step towards the development of a French constitution. -
Constitution of 1791 Passed
The French Constitution of 1791 was the first written constitution in France, created after the collapse of absolute monarchy of the Old Regime under King Louis XVI. The Constitution granted sovereignty to the Legislative Assembly, which was elected by a system of indirect voting. -
Legislative Assembly Declares War on Austria
In France, reactionaries and the monarchy pushed for war because they believed that the new government would be easily defeated by foreign powers, and revolutionaries pushed for war because they thought it would unify the country. Though the French fared poorly in the war with Austria at first, the armies became increasingly successful with time. -
Execution of Louis XVI
King Louis XVI was executed by guillotine in front of thousands of his subjects in the Place de la Revolution on January 21, 1793 for acts of high treason against France. -
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror lasted for slightly over a year, during which thousands of citizens were killed due to being suspected of being against the newly formed French republic. This was supported by Robespierre, who insisted that the only way the utopia could last was to eliminate all who were against it. -
Directory is Installed
The Directory was a body of five directors that held executive power in France. It was unpopular because it was thought to be an end to the Revolution (and it was, when it was overthrown in 1799).
