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French Government Gaining Debt
The french government started to gain debt due to the fact that King Louis XVI and the queen Marie Antoinette where wasting huge loads of money on unnecessary things. King Louis took out huge loans to help the colonist win the war against the british, Therefore in 1786 the bankers stopped lending money to the king and that is why bigger problems grew in France. -
The First Meeting to Impose Taxes on the Nobles
This was the first meeting to impose taxes on the nobles, Since France was drowning in debt they had to pay some way. Many people voted but as always the privileged estates had more power and influences on the lower classes. -
The Storm of Bastille
A mob of angry people stormed the Bastille prison with gunpowder and guns. The mob overwhelmed the guard eventually taking control of the whole prison. The angry people mauled the the prison commander and various other guards; then paraded on the streets with the dead men’s heads on pikes. (This act became a symbol for the French Revolution) -
Parisians women storm Versailles Palace
Thousands of Parisians women complained/protested over the new price of bread, which was increasing in value, and meant that the basic food was harder to get. The women decided to march with weapons onto versailles Demanding that the National Assembly helps to provide bread. Afterwards the women broke into the versailles palace and demanded the king and queen go back to Paris. They all left giving up Versailles, which meant that there was going to be a change in power and changes around France. -
New Contitution Made
The National Assembly finally completed a new constitution which King Louis didn’t agree with considering he was an absolute monarch. The new constitution has limited constitutional monarchy and it took away much of the power King Louis had. This movement also created the legislative assembly which had the power to create and approve laws also they could reject declarations of war. -
Jean-paul Marat
Since the government changed many new changes where made by a political group called the Jacobin club. One of the most important members was a guy named Jean-paul Marat, he demanded that everyone who still supported King Louis should be killed. -
Maximilien Robespierre
Another leader of the Jacobins, Maximilien Robespierre, slowly gained power over time. Him and his army/supporters started wiping out everything from France’s past. They even changed the calendar to have no sunday because sundays are religious so they closed all the churches in Paris which later lead to other cities too. -
King Louis Execution
As king Louis was found guilty of many charges and was charged with treason, many people still hated the old king so by a very near vote, King Louis was sentenced to be executed in front of crowd. Eventually he was beheaded by the Guillotine machine. -
Execution Frenzy
People started getting beheaded for unnecessary charges, one person was even beheaded for cutting down a tree. About 40,000 people were executed unnecessarily during this time period. -
National Convention turned on Robespierre
Fearing for their safety, some members of the National Convention turned on Robespierre. They demanded his arrest and execution. The Reign of Terror, the radical phase of the French Revolution ended in July 28 when Robespierre went to the guillotine