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The Causes of the French Revolution 1750-1780s

mwagschal2028 — 2024-09-20 18:01:54 UTC

The French Revolution was caused by a few reasons. The young monarchy was a very big cause of the French revolution. Louis XVI and Marie Antionette were crowned king and queen when they were at the young age of 20 and 18. Another cause was that in the 1700s they brought approximately six million people to France. There wasn't enough food, and the weather was not good for the crops. There was a big storm that destroyed the limited number of crops. This proceeded to cause a mass starvation in France. The French people did not like this. John Locke came up with an idea making it able for people to have a say in their country. The king and queen would have limits on their powers. Leading up to the French Revolution France was in a disastrous state, it was falling apart. Louis XVl wanted to get back at England, so he decided to join the Americans in the Revolution which made him lose the last bit of money France had left. All these problems are what caused the French Revolution.

Citation: Cause of the French Revolution handout

The Meeting of the Estates General May 5th, 1789

mwagschal2028 — 2024-09-23 18:49:02 UTC

The Estates General was a meeting held in the Palace of Versailles. The Estates General meeting involved all the three estates: Clergy, Nobility, and Commons, led by King Louis XVI. In this meeting they discussed how to deal with their hardships with the financials and societal crisis. The first estate had roughly 240 people, the second estate had around 270 people, and the third estate had approximately 600 people in their estate. This was very unfair since they had incomparable numbers of people in each estate, but each estate still had the same number of votes. Each estate got one single vote. The Estates General meeting resulted with the decision that the Third Estate is leaving the royal authority and is forming a national assembly.

Citation: britannica.com

worldhistory.org

The Tennis Court Oath June 20th 1789

mwagschal2028 — 2024-09-24 18:09:12 UTC

On June 20th, 1789, the Third Estate was not allowed into the Estates General meeting. They decided that they weren't going to give up. They proceeded to perform an act of defiance on the tennis court. The Third Estate took an oath to not separate until a constitution is written for France, this was called the Tennis Court Oath. The Third Estate representatives created a revolutionary assembly, which we call the National Assembly. The National Assembly established civil equality and brought more freedom to France.

Citation: brittanica.com

Storming of Bastille July 14, 1789

mwagschal2028 — 2024-09-24 18:47:15 UTC

On July 14th, 1789, fright rose in France that King Louis XVI is attempting to arrest the newly composed National Assembly. As a result of this news, they attacked Bastille. Bastille has been a state prison since 1659. They chose to do this to show that they have power. Bastille was a preferrable prison for inmates, when Bastille was attacked there was as little as 7 inmates in there. This event resulted to Bastille being destroyed, this also symbolized the despotism of the ruling Bourbon Monarchy. Todays days there is a holiday in France on July 14th named Bastille Day, commemorating this important event that affected how France is today.

Citation: brittanica.com

The Establishment of the French Republic and the Declaration of the Rights of Man August 20th-26th 1789

mwagschal2028 — 2024-09-25 18:45:51 UTC

After Bastille Day the National Assembly completed the abolition of feudalism, and finally instituted civil equality amongst men, and made most men be able to vote. This was a great change to France. The National Assembly wrote the Declaration of Rights of Man containing basic points of human liberty, which was the preamble to the constitution of 1791. Some of the rights included in this document are rights of liberty, no one is able to get arrested without going to court first, and freedom of speech. The Catholic people did not like the fact that this document was established.

Citation: brittanica.com

Trial of the King December 1792

mwagschal2028 — 2024-09-27 17:39:31 UTC

Louis XVI signs the constitution and shortly after he flees France. His sudden flight to Varennes because of the fierce opposition towards the royal couple, resulted in the people of France losing their trust in King Louis XVI. By leaving Louis hoped to come back to a stronger country. The French people did not like this, they felt betrayed. In August 1792 the royal couple was arrested and put to trial by the National Convention, which we know as the National Assembly.

They were arrested because of evidence found of Louis XVI's counterrevolutionary intrigues with some foreign nations, and he is brought to trial for treason. In the next January, Louis was condemned for death by the guillotine. A few days later Marie Anntionette was convicted for treason and soon followed her husband to the guillotine. A guillotine was an execution device used in the times of the revolution that is meant to slice through your neck.

Citation: brittanica.com

Reign of Terror September 5, 1793, to July 27, 1794

mwagschal2028 — 2024-09-27 17:58:09 UTC

The Jacobins was a political group during the French Revolution, with a mission to establish a French republic. Maximilien Robespierre was in charge of this political group. If someone was rebelling against the new government, they were killed by the guillotine. Approximately 17,000 people were killed during this time period. This time period was called the reign of terror because people were scared that they were next for execution. This time period lasted for a little bit more than a year.

Citation: brittanica.com

Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte July 1794

mwagschal2028 — 2024-10-01 04:51:05 UTC

Once Maximillien Robespierre was arrested and executed the reign of terror ended. Soon after the National Convention formed the first republic, and Napoleon Bonaparte was appointed as director of the new government. This era marked the beginning of the French Revolution.

Citation: brittanica.com