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The Calling of the Estates General
The Estates-General was composed of representatives from the three orders of French Society. There had been no meeting since 1614 and they were meeting to solve the nations tax problem. From the start, there was a debate on voting because each estate had one vote. That meant that the First and Second Estates together could outvote the Third. The Third Estate decided that they would not take this anymore, so they called themselved the National Assembly and drafted a new constitution. -
Storming of the Bastille
Peasants came to the aid of the Bourgeoisie but needed weapons to protect themselves. They decided to raid the Bastille, which was a French prison with many prisoners. The peasants stormed in and freed prisoners, removed cannons, and stole gunpowder. France still celebrates Bastille Day every July 14 because it represented the hated Old Regime. -
The Constitution of the National Assembly
The Declaration of the Right of Man and the Citizen was adopted August 26 and became the preamble of this Constitution. This Constitution limited the king's power, allowed equal treatment, aided businesses in the sense that there would be no duties or strikes, abolished special privelages, and made state control of the clergy, The church even lost its right to collect taxes. -
The death of King Louis XVI
The Mountain (the faction that represented the interests of radicals in Paris) convinced the National Assembly to pass a decree condemning Louis XVI to death. He was beheaded on the guillotine. They treated him with respect though- he rode in his royal carriage to the guillotine, was not bound to keep him from moving, and he was able to have his priest with him. -
The Directory
With the Reign of Terror over, a committee of five men decided to govern France- called The Directory. This put the moderates back in power, creating a balance that was needed for some stability. They governed France from 1795 to 1799.
