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Excessive spending and poor harvests lead to a financial crisis in France
After the Seven Years' War, France was left with a great amount of debt. The King, Louis XVI, was spending more money than he had and proved to be unsuited to deal with severe financial problems the country had. Some of these financial problems had been carried down by his grandfather, King Louis XV. As a result, King Louis XVI assembled the Estates General to address these financial issues. -
King Louis XVI calls the Estates General
In May of 1789, King Louis XVI assembled the Estates General as a method to alleviate the financial crisis within the country. The Estates General represented the three estates. The First Estate was made up of the clergy, the Second Estate was comprised of the nobility, and the Third Estate was the entire rest of France, about 98% of the population. The first two Estates joined together and the Third Estate declared themselves as the National Assembly and rebelled against King Louis XVI. -
First and Second Estates join the Third Estate in the newly formed National Assembly
Shortly after the Estates General was assembled, the First and Second Estates joined the Third Estate in the newly formed National Assembly. The First and Second Estates saw how unfair the government was. The First and Second Estates wanted to join the Third Estate to make reforms within the government. The was significant because even the people that held a great amount of power saw that things were going wrong within the government. This would be the first time they would go against the king. -
The Tennis Court Oath
When the First and Second Estates joined the Third Estate, the National Assembly was formed. These Estates realized that change needed to occur within the government. On a day of a meeting, the Estates found themselves locked out of their usual meeting spot at Versailles. The Estates believed the king wanted them to disband and moved to a nearby indoor tennis court. On the tennis court, the Estates took an oath promising not to disband until a written constitution was established for France. -
The Great Fear in the countryside
The Great Fear in the countryside was a period of panic and riot by peasants who heard rumors that the King and nobles planned to overthrow the Third Estate. This event would result in the Storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. In these areas, peasants went against their lords, attacking stores, offices, and feudal documents. This event would lead to the Women's March on Versailles along with a constitution. -
The storming of the Bastille
In July of 1789, members of the Third Estate stormed the Bastille. The Third Estate had recently made demands to King Louis XVI and demanded that commoners have more say in government affairs. The Third Estate was worried that king Louis XVI was preparing for the French army to attack. As a result, the Third Estate took action first. The Storming of Bastille set off a series of events that led to the overthrow of King Louis XVI and the French Revolution. -
The National Assembly adopts the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was a human civil rights document from the French Revolution. This declaration was influenced by the idea of "natural right". These rights are held to be universal. This document was inspired by Enlightenment philosophers and was a core statement of the values of the French Revolution. The declaration would leave a major impact on the development of freedom and democracy throughout Europe and the rest of the world. -
The Women’s March on Versailles
The people of France felt their needs were not being met and advocated for King Louis XVI to sign a Declaration of Rights of Man. However, King Louis refused to sign the declaration. During this time, the economy suffered great food shortages and increases in prices of goods. King Louis XVI was storing food for his benefit. As a result, the people, more specifically the women, were outraged. The women marched to France and demanded that King Louis XVI fix the economic crisis. -
The Constitution of 1791 sets up a constitutional monarchy in France
The Constitution of 1791 was a French constitution created by the National Assembly during the French Revolution. The constitution contained the monarchy, but power was still able to reside in the Legislative Assembly. The Legislative Assembly alone had the power to declare war and raise taxes. The Constitution only lasted one year as the revolution turned into a more radical direction. -
The Legislative Assembly declares war on Austria
On April 20th of 1792, the Legislative Assembly involved in The Constitution of 1791declared war on Austria. At the time, many European monarchs were suspicious about France and afraid that the war would follow to their countries. However, in France, war was wanted. The monarchy wanted war because they thought the new government would be easily defeated. This would allow their old government with Louis as the leader to return. -
Louis XVI is executed at the guillotine
From the time Louis XVI ascended the throne, he was not very liked. Louis XVI proved to be unsuited to deal with the financial problems inherited from his grandfather Louis XVI. He proved to care more about himself rather than the people, causing the people to revolt against him. Those within the government even saw the wrong in the monarchy and went against Louis XVI. In 1791, Louis was forced to flee to Austria where he would commit treason. Louis was then condemned to death by the guillotine. -
Robespierre's Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror is the period of the French Revolution after the First French Republic was established. The Reign of Terror took harsh measures against those suspected to be enemies of the Revolution Maximilien de Robespierre was a key figure in the French Revolution and helped to upend the monarchy. Although Robespierre's, intentions were in favor of the monarchy, he caused many deaths. Robespierre's Reign of Terror reinvigorated the Revolution and caused great violence. -
The Directory is installed
The Directory was the French Revolutionary government set up by the Constitution. The directory included a bicameral legislature who held power to accept or veto the proposed legislation. Five Directors were picked. These directors would pick government ministers, ambassadors, army generals, and other officials. The Directory was weak because they had no funds to finance their will. The Directory would suffer from widespread corruption.
