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Excessive spending and poor harvests lead to a financial crisis in France
Date Range: Late 1700s/1780s.
Significance: Stemmed from poor financial policies and bad weather/harvests, and had a butterfly effect.
Cause/Effect: Led to peasant revolts and further hatred of the monarchy, who lived lavishly in Versaille while the lower classes starved, and this same sentiment was also held towards the nobility/lords, as seen in the Great Fear. -
The Great Fear in the Countryside
Date Range: Summer of 1789
Significance: Led to the destruction of feudalism and also displayed the power of the common people.
Cause/Effect: Helped lead to the establishment of new laws to provide people with equal rights, as seen in the Declaration of the Rights of Man. -
The Tennis Court Oath
Significance: Displayed the determination of France's third estate for political change and progress.
Cause/Effect: Emphasized the need for the establishment of a new constitution, which was passed in 1791 (and was later ratified) and helped to establish political changes and a constitutional monarchy. -
The Storming of the Bastille
Date Range: July 13th and 14th of 1789
Significance: Displayed a powershift in France from the King to the people and spread revolutionary fervor and hope.
Cause/Effect: Inspired later action from those who believed in revolution, such as the Women's March on Versailles. -
The National Assembly adopts the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
Significance: Established the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity and was greatly inspired by Enlightenment philosophy.
Cause/Effect: The successful storming of the Bastille led to more direct actions for change, such as the adoption of this document. -
The Women’s March on Versailles
Significance: Important to both the F.R. and women as a whole, because they were often pushed away from the scenes of politics and revolution...especially if they were impoverished.
Cause/Effect: Led to the monarchy being relocated from Versailles to Paris, weakening absolutism and helping contribute to the later execution of King Louis XVI. -
The Constitution of 1791 sets up a constitutional monarchy in France
Significance: Ended the legality of absolutism and gave the people and representative bodies more power.
Cause/Effect: Helped lead to the execution of King Louis XVI for violating these principles in the past and present. -
The Legislative Assembly declares war on Austria
Significance: The beginning of the French Revolutionary Wars.
Cause/Effect: With documents like the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the new constitution that created a constitution monarchy, Austra was seen as an increasing threat to the ideology of Revolutionary France. -
Louis XVI is executed at the guillotine
Date Range: Sentenced on Jan 17, 1793, and executed on Jan 1, 1793.
Significance: Ended his reign and put France in a period of political turbulence with leaders.
Cause/Effect: The women's march on Versailles was one of many causes, because the march caused the royal family to be moved to Paris, where they tried a few times (unsuccessfully) to escape, leading to a further distrust of them. -
Robespierre's Reign of Terror
Date Range: 1793 to 1794
Significance: Showed the extremes of the Revolution- distrust, spying, executions, and instability.
Cause/Effect: Extremes and instability led to a desire for a stable leader, like Napoleon. -
The Directory is installed
Date Range: Installed in Nov of 1795 through 1799.
Significance: Helped to restore some peace and order, and also helped to create a more moderate political scene.
Cause/Effect: Many causes, but mainly the end of Robespeirre's reign of terror because it created the need for a new political leader, and they thought spreading it out over a committee would be safer for everyone than having one ruler. -
Napoleon is declared Emperor
Date Range: 1799-1804 (First Consul) 1804-1814(Emperor).
Significance: Showed one single leader being in power again, and would lead to losses in personal freedoms for the sake of stability, as well as lots of war due to Napoleon's expansionist ideals.
Cause/Effect: His military excursions were, at first, pretty successful but eventually the tables turned, and he lost in Russia and finally in Waterloo. -
Napoleon was defeated in Russia
Date Range: 1812-1814
Significance: Shattered his "winning streak" and led to the formation of alliances to plan attacks and things to defeat and weaken Napoleonic France.
Cause/Effect: Effect - Waterloo, where he returned after being sent out of France, tried to win back his titles and power but he failed. -
Napoleon is defeated at Waterloo
Significance: Before, Napolean had a lot of privileges even though he was no longer emperor, but these privileges were taken away, and France's territorial gains were redistributed.
Cause/Effect: His exile on St. Helena -
Napoleon is exiled to St. Helena
Date Range: 1815-1821 (his death)
Significance: Showed his loss of power, image, and influence.
Cause/Effect: Cause - His many military battles and his loss at Waterloo.