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The Tennis Court Oath
As a result of their misrepresentation and constant state of being outvoted, the deputies of the Third Estate formed the National Assembly, which served to represent the majority of the French population. To ensure the limitation of the monarch’s power, the deputies agreed to pledge the Tennis Court Oath – which contained the vow to never disband until a national constitution is created. -
Excessive spending & poor harvests lead to financial crisis in France
Since the people of France heavily depended on agriculture, they greatly suffered during poor harvests. As a result of the lack of farming, food prices rose to a massive extent. The members of the Third Estate, which consisted of citizens who were not members of the clergy or nobility, suffered from heavy taxation that was brought upon by excessive spending by the French monarchy. Consequently, a wave of discontentment towards King Louis XVI arose, and the Estates General was called upon. -
King Louis XVI calls the Estates General
To mitigate the dissatisfaction expressed by the Third Estate, King Louis XVI summoned the Estates General to the Palace of Versailles. There, the representatives of the three Estates (the clergy, nobility, and the Third Estate) met to put forth a list of grievances. Since the lower/middle classes only consisted of one representative body and each Estate was only allowed one vote, the nobility and clergy continued to be exempted from taxation (much to the dismay of the Third Estate). -
The Great Fear in the countryside
As radical ideals rose in prominence (e.g the Tennis Court Oath), a rumor that aristocrats were planning to attack the peasantry began to circulate - resulting in great upheaval in the countryside. After hearing this rumor, peasants residing in rural France were overcome with fear, which led to them arming themselves and inciting riots. The Great Fear was only quenched through the issuing of the August decrees by the National Assembly, which announced the abolition of feudalism in the nation. -
The National Assembly adopts the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen served as a document that endowed all men in France with equal rights. After abolishing feudalism through the August decrees, the National Assembly hoped to maintain its momentum in instilling radical change; hence, it created a political work that defined individual natural rights. Since the adoption of the Declaration promoted the core values of the Revolution to a massive extent, it helped paved the way for limiting King Louis XVI’s power. -
The Constitution of 1791
The Constitution of 1791 served to limit the political power of King Louis XVI; as the first constitutional document of France, it initiated the transition from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one. Containing ideals from the American Revolution and Enlightenment, the Constitution guaranteed all natural and civil rights to male French citizens (regardless of socioeconomic status). Though its political ideals were ultimately based on the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizen. -
King Louis XVI is executed at the guillotine
The radical Jacobins accused King Louis XVI of opposing the revolution and demanded his death at the guillotine. After Louis’s execution at the guillotine, the Montagnards were no longer limited/threatened in authority; the radicals were able to take control of the revolutionary government and inflict violence on a massive scale. Since the death of the monarch paved the way for the Reign of Terror, the years that followed marked a period of political upheaval in France -
Robespierre's Reign of Terror (1793-1794)
Following the execution of King Louis XVI, Maximilien Robespierre, the Jacobin leader of the Montagnards, rose in power due to the increasing popularity of radical egalitarianism. With the creation of the First Republic, Robespierre served as the driving force behind the Reign of Terror, which was characterized by mass executions and acts of public violence. As a result of the chaos Robespierre brought forth, the Reign of Terror encouraged the establishment of a weaker form of government. -
The Directory is installed (1795-1799)
As a result of the unfavorable dictatorship under Maximilien Robespierre during the Reign of Terror, the Directory was installed as a new form of government in France. The Directory rule was purposefully designed to be weak, as it was composed of two legislative councils – rather than one man containing absolute authority. The implementation of weak executive powers, however, did not mitigate the corruption that occurred shortly after its creation. -
Napoleon’s coup d’etat, overthrowing the Directory
Due to the high inflation that followed its installation, the Directory in France experienced a huge loss in popular support. Its weakness provided Napoleon Bonaparte, a French military general, with the opportunity to rise in political power. He staged a coup d’etat and replaced the government with the French Consulate – declaring himself as First Consul. As a result, Napoleon wielded the majority of political power within the government and used it to consolidate his authority over time. -
Napoleon is declared Emperor
Napoleon installed a dictatorship by declaring himself Emperor of France. Through his declaration, he rejected both a monarchical and republican form of government – opting for an empire instead. In establishing a new political system, he was able to further legitimize and consolidate his political authority. Additionally, his new title enabled him to involve himself in foreign affairs, expand French territory, and sever ties with other European nations (e.g through the Continental System). -
The Continental System was implemented (1806-1814)
After assuming the role of Emperor, Napoleon implemented the Continental System to prohibit all international trade with Great Britain. Feeling threatened by the European nation’s flourishing economy, Napoleon placed the blockade to stagnate and weaken British commerce. When Tsar Alexander I withdrew Russia from the Continental System, this action served as a motivator for Napoleon to attack the Eastern European nation in 1812. -
Napoleon is defeated in Russia
With his Grand Armee consisting of thousands of French troops, the Emperor marched into Russia in hopes of conquering the nation and condemning Alexander I's withdrawal from the Continental System. However, his plan backfired due to the Russian army’s unwillingness to engage in battle; their retreat into the interior resulted in widespread starvation among Napoleon's soldiers. By the end, France suffered from tremendous losses, which marked beginning of Napoleon’s downfall. -
Napoleon is exiled to St. Helena
Due to his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon was cornered into an undesirable position; having lost his political legitimacy and allied forces, his power diminished to a massive extent. Since Napoleon escaped from the island of Elba and enacted war, the British Royal Navy decided to monitor his actions and prevent further chaos/violence by expelling him to an island in the Mediterranean. -
Napoleon is defeated at Waterloo
Napoleon faced the official end to his rule in France through his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, which involved military conflict between his troops and the coalition led by the Duke of Wellington (of Great Britain) and Marshal Blucher (of Prussia). Hoping to regain his political authority, Napoleon escaped from Elba and rallied troops to defeat the allied forces. However, he faced a crushing defeat in Belgium, which resulted in his exile to the island of St. Helena.