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The Estates-General meet in Versailles
The legeslative assembly, or Estates-General of France meet to discuss an the issue of voting. Should votes be counted by person, or by estate? This led to one estate forming the national assembly and agreeing to make a new constitution for France. -
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The French Revolution
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The French Revolution officially starts
The French Revolution officially starts when a mob stormed Bastille, a prison. They were searching for weapons and prisoners that were wrongly arrested. This is also referred to as the great fear, This event is now remembered with the celebration of Bastille Day. -
Louis XVI, the king of France tries to escape the country
The king of France attempts to escape the country because he fears that the Legeslative Assembly is stealing all of his power. Although they had tried to balance the power of the king with the power of the Assembly, however the king wanted to be the only one with power. The king is stopped at Varennes and returned to Paris the next day. -
France declares war against Austria
French leaders decide to take on an aggressive aproach to try to spread the revolution. France suffers many defeats, and Prussia joins the war in July. In August, revolutionaries who believed the king had betrayed them took over his home, and kept him and his family hostage. -
The National Convention, a new assembly meets for the first time
This new assembly would play an important part in the rest of the revolution. The following day, the assembly changed the government of the country from a monarchy to a republic. -
The king is condemned to death
The king of France is condemned to death for reason of treason, and his wife was executed nine months later. Meanwhile,the National Convention is divided between the Girondins, who want to spread the revolution throughout Europe, and the Montagnards, who wanted to give more power to the lower classes. -
Austria, Prussia, and Great Britain form an alliance against France.
In Spring of 1793, Austria, Prussia, and Great Britain all ally against France, taking much new territory. This feuls the revolutionarie's rage, and the Girondin are driven out, putting the Montagnards in power. -
The tide of war turns again
The tide of war turns to France's side, A victory over the Austrians at Fleurus gave France control of Belgium. This victory made the restrictions and laws placed recently seem pointless to revolutionaries, and Robespierre the Incorruptible the man who sponsered these restrctions was overthrown and killed, placing France in a new, even worse situation. -
Revolutionaries try to take Paris
All efforts for equality are abandoned and many laws didn't apply. This placed France into total chaos. As French revolutionaries try to take Paris as their own, a young general by the name of Napoleon Boneparte prevents them. -
Napoleon Boneparte preforms a coups d’état, overthrowing French government
Boneparte overthrows the government, abolishing the directory. He becomes the first consul of France and later declares himself emperor. Although this ends the Revolution in France, Boneparte will spread war to many parts of Europe in the years to pass.