The French Revolution - Key Events by Daniel Emilio Kafie Montoya

1789 Meeting of Estates General

dkafie — 2024-10-15 15:49:06 UTC

This was a meeting meant to adress the debt caused by King Louis XVI where representatives of all estates (clergy, nobility, and peasants) gathered together. Even though the representatives of the 3rd estate, or peasants, represented the majority of the people, they were denied entrance to the meeting hall and thus, they decided to break off from the government and form the National Assembly.

Storm of Bastille

vcano6 — 2024-10-15 15:52:08 UTC

The storm of Bastille occured in Paris, France, on 14 July 1789, when the revolutionary insurgents attempted to storm and seize control of the medieval armoury, fortress and political prison known as Bastille and then represented royal authority in the centre of Paris. The prison contained only seven inmates at the time of its storming and was already scheduled for demolition, but was seen by the revolutionaries as a symbol of the monarchy's abuse of power. Its fall was the flashpoint of the French .

Establishment of the directory.

elisamontserrathyuway — 2024-10-15 16:02:35 UTC

The final four years of the French Revolution were governed by the French government from November 2, 1795, to November 9, 1799. During the first two years of its establishment, the Directory worked to put an end to the excesses of the Jacobin Reign Terror. Mass executions ceased and limits placed on exiled priests and royalists were relaxed.

The French Constitution

dkafie — 2024-10-15 16:06:33 UTC

After the beggining of the revolution, the French Constitution of 1791 was created and it helped limiting the power of the second and first estates as well as stating rules that everyone in every estate must follow.

Period of reaction against the violence of the revolution

vcano6 — 2024-10-15 16:07:00 UTC

The French Revolution (1789–1799) was driven forward and permeated by violence. There was intrinsic violence in organized political activities, crowd behavior, riots, executions, military actions, and slave revolts. Although terror was never explicitly established as a legal policy by the Convention, it was more frequently used as an idea.

Execution of Louis VXI

msierra88 — 2024-10-15 16:07:43 UTC

On January 21, 1793, during the French Revolution, Louis XVI was put to death. He was found guilty of treason and given a guillotine death sentence. His execution was a major turning point in the revolution and represented the end of the French monarchy. Deep rifts in French society at the time were reflected in the conflicting responses to Louis XVI's public execution in Paris.

Rise of maximilien robespierre

msierra88 — 2024-10-15 16:08:27 UTC

Maximilien Robespierre became a pivotal figure in the French Revolution and prominent in the Committee of Public Safety. At once a champion of democracy, he came to represent the Reign of Terror, defending harsh tactics against those deemed to be the revolution's adversaries. He was overthrown and put to death in July 1794 as a result of his extreme tactics.

Reign of terror

msierra88 — 2024-10-15 16:08:59 UTC

The Reign of Terror lasted from September 1793 to July 1794. Mass killings that were intended to destroy "opponents" of the revolution was the main purpose of the reign. The most famous part of the Reign of Terror was the use of the guillotine. Thousands of people were put to death during this time, which led to an environment of terror and repression that ended in July 1794 with Robespierre's own execution.

The Bill of Rights

dkafie — 2024-10-15 16:10:18 UTC

When the Bill of Rights was first written, it was known as the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. It stated that all humans have rights that cannot be alienated, both the constitution and bill of rights was based on the ideas of Cesar Beccaria and Voltaire, two of the most influential enlightened.

Napoleon Bonaparte: Emperor to Dictator

dkafie — 2024-10-15 16:21:02 UTC

Following the French Revolution, the brilliant military tactician and political figure Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned emperor. During the Napoleonic Wars, he used strategic warfare to increase the size of France's empire and gain control over most of Europe. Well-known for his reforms, which included the Napoleonic Code, he brought political and legal systems up to date. But his ambition got him into trouble once he lost, especially in Russia and at Waterloo, which sent him into exile where he eventually died.

France Builds an Empire

dkafie — 2024-10-15 16:23:21 UTC

Napoleon used military conquest, strategic alliances, and political reforms to transform France into an empire. Taking advantage of the upheaval that followed the French Revolution, he led triumphant campaigns throughout Europe. His consolidation of authority, the Napoleonic Code, and the propagation of revolutionary ideas strengthened his hold on power and increased France's hegemony.

The Fall of Napoleon and his Empire

dkafie — 2024-10-15 16:24:56 UTC

Napoleon's empire fell because of military setbacks, overstretching, and mounting resistance. His army was severely reduced in 1812 after his unsuccessful invasion of Russia. The expensive Spanish Peninsular War significantly depleted supplies. He was ultimately driven into exile after being beaten by a coalition of European powers at the Battle of Leipzig and then at Waterloo.

The Tennis Court Oath

dkafie — 2024-10-16 20:31:32 UTC

One of the most important events that cemented the French Revolution as an actual movement and not as an idea was the Tennis Court Oath on June 20, 1789. Locked out of their meeting hall, Third Estate members swore in an indoor tennis court that they would not dissolve until they drafted a new constitution. This act of rebellion represented their determination to subvert the authority of the monarchy.

The Disolving of the National Assembly

dkafie — 2024-10-16 20:36:45 UTC

Following the drafting of the 1791 Constitution, which established a constitutional monarchy in France, the National Assembly was dissolved in September of that year. The Legislative Assembly took its place to rule under the new structure. But rising radicalism, internal strife, and outside forces quickly brought about the fall of the monarchy and the establishment of the more radical National Convention in 1792.