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France's Government Sinks
During the 1770s and 1780s, France’s government sank deeply into debt. Part of the problem was the extravagant spending of Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette. -
Period: to
The French Revolution
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Louis Faces Problems
When bankers refused to lend the government any more money, Louis faced serious problems. -
The Assembly of the Estates General
The Second Estate forced Louis XIV to call a meeting of the Estates-General an assembly of representatives from all hree estates to approve this new tax. The first meeting in 175 years. -
The Establishment of the National Assembly
They voted to establish the National Assembly , in effect proclaiming the end of absolute monarchy and the beginning of representative government. This vote was the first deliberate act of revolution. -
Tennis Court Oath
Three days later, the Third Estate delegates found themselves locked out of their meeting room. They broke down a door to an indoor tennis court, pledging to stay until they had drawn up a new constitution. -
Storming of the Bastille
The peasants of Paris were afraid Louis was going to use the military to end the Revolution before it started, so they gathered weapons and stormed the Bastille stronghold. They murdered several guards, stole ammunition, and symbolically started the French Revolution. -
Great Fear Starts
The peasants soon became outlaws themselves. Armed with pitchforks and other farm tools, they broke into nobles’ manor houses and destroyed the old legal papers that bound them to pay feudal dues. In some cases, the peasants simply burned down the manor houses.