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The Old Regime
The Old Regime was in place. The people were divided into three estates. The first esate was made of the clergy. The second estate was made up of the nobles, and the third estate was made up of the rest of the population. The third estate made up 97% of France's population. -
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France lacks social mobility.
In 18th Century France people are born members of one of three classes, at the time called Estates. The 1st Estate was Royalty, the 2nd Estate was the Clergy, and the 3rd Estate was everyone else. You were stuck in the estate that you were born in. The first two estates had more right than the 3rd estate. The commoners were owned by the nobles and had to give most of their crops for taxes, while the clergy and nobility lived off of the peasants taxes but didn’t pay any themselves. -
American Revolution
The American colonists fought and won a war against Great Britain in order to earn their independence. In doing so, they defeated one of the world’s biggest monarchy’s and started the first democratic republic. This new society recognized more of the peoples rights. This could have been inspirational for the commoners living in feudal France. -
US Declaration of Independence is signed
The Declaration of Independence states that all men are born equal and that people are created with certain unalienable rights, such as life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. These ideas were not presented to the peasants in 18th century France because the government was a feudal system. They believed that certain people were better than others. Members of the Catholic Church and nobility had more rights than the common people. -
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Economic Decline
The economy in France was in decline. The heavy burden of taxes made it impossible to conduct business profitably in France. THe King and Queen were heavy spenders and brought the country deep into debt. -
King Louis XVI calls Estate General to order
King Louis called a meeting of the Estates General for the first time in more than a hundred years. They are called on to approve a new taxation plan in France. -
Estate General
In order to help the economy. Louis XVI call the Estates General to vote on a taxt for the nobles. Each estate had one vote, putting the third estate at a huge disadvantage. -
National Assembly and Tennis Court Oath
The delegates of the third estate named themself the National Assembly and gave them the ability to pass laws and reforms in the name of the French people. Three days later a new constitution was drawn up in the indoor tennis court. -
The Creation of the Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath was created because of the discontent of the 3rd Estate. The people representing the 3rd estate at the General Estate meeting were locked out because they were disagreeing with the King and fighting for what they believed. In the tennis court next to the meeting place, the representatives, including Maximilien Robespierre, stated that the assembly would remain together until a new Constitution was written. -
Storming of the Bastille
The storming of the Bastille Prison was the event that really kicked off the revolution. The people of the third estate, or the commoners, stormed it in hope that they would capture the ammunition and make a statement to the King. The head of the prison was killed, and after the storming, the people took apart the prison brick by brick. -
The Declaration of the Rights of Man is approved by the National Assembly of France
This revolutionary documents, written by the Government of France, states that the people of France have the rights to liberty, property, security, and the resistance to oppression. The document provided the framework for the modern democracy. This document was adopted by the UN in the 20th century as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. -
Working Women Storm the Palace in Versailles
Due to the rising price of bread, working women of France are aroused due to the rising food prices. They went to Versailles and brought the King and Queen back to Tuileries Palace in Paris to make a statement to the King -
The US Constitution is Ratified in all 13 Colonies.
The US Constitution contains revolutionary ideas about having a government that it not a monarchy. The US had the unique ideas of popular sovereignty, branches of government, shared power, and checks and balances. It was one of the first governments of it’s time. Most of the countries at the time were ruled by monarchy. -
Louis XVI attempts to flee France but fails
King Louis was going to go to Varennes to flee the general population of France, but although the escaped was planned out well, the King and Queen stopped for leisurely drinks and meals. They were finally recognized in a small town close to the border and were escorted home. -
New French Constitution is written
Constitution was originally drafted in 1789. It established a limited monarchy in France, enforced the Declaration of the Rights of Man, abolished hereditary titles, and divided the country into departments. -
The Overthrow of the Monarchy
Even though historians are not entirely sure of the actual date of the overthrowing of the monarchy, they have estimated it to be around this date. The National Convention decided that it was time to make France a Republic. This was the first motion passed and the first to be carried out. -
National Convention is created
The National Convention is the assembly that ruled France from September 20, 1792 to October 26, 1795. They were formed to create the new Constitution. The first phase of the Convention was dominated by the struggles of two opposing revolutionary groups, the Montagnards and the Girondins. The Montagnards favored granting commoners more political power, while the Girondins wanted the power of Paris to lessen throughout the revolution. The Girondins were later kicked out of the convention because -
King Louis XVI is sentenced to death
Louis XVI was charged with treason against the Republic of France. The trial was more of a mock trial than anything else. The people of France just wanted to see him die. He was sentenced to death at the guillotine. France was the first major user of this device, as the former King Louis XVI had seen to that. -
‘Reign of Terror’ is created
The ‘Reign of Terror’ was created to rid France of the ‘Old Regime’. It lasted from September of 1793 to July of the next year, the nine months in between being the time we usually incorporate with the French Revolution. The Terror was a dictatorship, in part by the National Convention. Over 40,000 Frenchmen lost their lives to the guillotine during these times. -
Marie Antoinette is tried and executed
The Tribunals first beheaded the members of the aristocracy, Marie being among them. Like her husband, her trial was no more than a mock trial. She was charged with treason and the reason for France’s financial troubles. -
Robespierre beheaded
Robespierre was arrested as an enemy of the republic and he died at the hands of his own idea. Like Marie Antoinette, he was charged with placing his life above everyone elses. This was the end of the ‘Reign of Terror’.
