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Old Regime
The people of France where decided into three social classes or estates. The first estate owned 10% of the land and contributed 2% of the government income. The second estate was made up of nobles and they made up 2% of the population and 20% of the land. They paid little to no taxes. The thirs estate was about 97% of the population and they lacked privledges. -
Economy Started to Decline
This created alarm for the factory owners and the merchants. The cost of living increased by a lot and it caused crop failure. They price of bread doubled so many people where starving. -
Meeting at Versailles
King Louis resolved his big problem by placing taxes on the people. The Second Estate forced him to to call a meeting with representatives from the three estates. -
Vote for the National Assembly
The Third Estate decided to call themselves the National Assembly to pass laws in name of the French people. They decided to end the monacrchy and start a democracy. Three days later, they broke down the door to a tennis court pledging to stay there untill they had a constitution. This is called the Tennis Court Oath. -
Bastille
A mob of people seraching for gunpowder and arms stormes the Bastille, a prison. They gained control over the prison and a few people died. This was a very simbolic day for the French. -
Feudalism Ends
This was one of the main events in the French Revolution. People wanted equality and justice and to remove the favoritism. The previous government Frsncre was under was completly abolished thanks to the people and their protests. The highacrhy was not happy, but the third estate was. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
This was approved by the National Assembly of France in 1789 and it was created after the unfairness French people had gone through. The new laws and rules created inclueded fairness for men since the day they are born. There was also liberty of speaking and writing what ever they wanted. This was the begining of a better time. -
Bread Riots
Bread was part of most people's diets and the price was something hard to pay for the poor. Woman would protests once in a while because they believed prices where unfair and these protests where called "bread riots." These where not usually violent, people would just ask bakers to sell bread at a better price, -
New Constitution Created
A new constitution was created after the fall of the Absolute Monarchy. The National Assembly started drafting the new constitution and it was put in place on the 30th of September, 1791. When drafting the constitution, two member from the First Estate, two form the Second Estate and four forn the Thid Estate where part of the process. -
Monarchy is Abolished
In France, the Legislative Assembly voted to abolish the monarchy end establish a new form of gorvernment. King Louis XVI approved of a new constitution and his power decreased inmensly.
