French Revolution - Phase 1 by Ryan Barkley

May 5, 1789 - The Estates-General is called

ryanb255 — 2025-04-30 00:59:30 UTC

In May of 1789, Louis XVI was forced to call the Estates-General for the first time since 1614 due to financial and political problems surrounding the Crown. The Estates-General was the closest thing France had to a parliament and it represented the 3 Estates in France. Each got one vote, leading to the Third Estate being outvoted by the upper two estates, despite having more people than the rest of the estates combined. The Third Estate, especially the bourgeoisie called for voting by head, rather than voting by order. The Third Estate would have supported the King but he didn't put in reforms, or a new constitution, something all estates wanted.

June 17, 1789 - The Third Estate meets separately and creates a National Assembly

ryanb255 — 2025-04-30 00:59:56 UTC

On June 17, 1789, after much disagreement in the Estates-General and a lack of action, the deputies of the Third Estate voted to separate themselves, as they represented most of the nation. They wanted the right to manage their affairs and decide taxation. This separation was called the National Assembly and was supported by about 85% of the Third Estate. On June 19 of the same year, the clergy voted to join the Third Estate in the National Assembly, worrying the government.

June 20, 1789 - The Third Estate is locked out of the Estates-General, the Oath of the Tennis Court is made

ryanb255 — 2025-04-30 01:00:33 UTC

The King saw all of this happening and decided to hold a Royal Session. He closed a hall to prepare and in doing this he effectively locked the Third Estate out of the Estates-General. They met on a nearby tennis court and made an oath, the Tennis Courth Oath, not to leave until France had a constitution, claiming that the King didn't have the right to dissolve them. This had only one member vote against, showing that the Third Estate was becoming more revolutionary and more aggravated with their leadership.

July 14, 1789 - Storming of the Bastille

ryanb255 — 2025-04-30 01:00:47 UTC

In July 1789, Louis XVI fired his finance minister, Jacques Necker. He was considered the only minister able to tackle the financial crisis. When this news reached Paris, the population feared that Louis would start to get his power back by force and speakers called the people to take up arms. They seized over 28,000 muskets and 20 cannon at Les Invalides, a reitrement home for soldiers/arsenal but still needed more so they marched on the fortress of the Bastille. Bastille was a royal prison, and the army did not believe that they could win against the people. Battalions of soldiers deserted and some joined the Parisians in taking Bastille. The governor, De Launay, called on his troops to fire on the crowd, killing 98 Parisians. The Parisians stormed Bastille and overcame the defenders, murdering and decapitating De Launary.

This was important because it was the first and most famous of the journées, days of popular action and disturbance linked to great political change. About a quarter of a million Parisians took up arms to storm Bastille, it was the first big revolutionary moment by citizens and not just deputies of the estates. It also was successful, showing that the citizens had power, and the concept of a revolution was possible and not just a wish.

August 20-26, 1789 - The Declaration of the Rights of Man is adopted by the National Assembly, it is a predecessor to the Constitution

ryanb255 — 2025-04-30 01:01:36 UTC

According to George Rudé, a historian, The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen "sounded the death-knell of the ancien régime, while preparing the public for the constructive legislation that was to follow". Some of it's key points involve:

all men are born free and equal, in their rights
the main rights o fman are liberty, property, security and resistence to oppresion
power rests with the people
freedom of worship, expression, and to own property
taxation to be borne by all in proportion to their means

It flipped the practices of the ancien régime on their heads, and outlined what rights general citizens of France should have. It was officially issued on August 26, 1789.

October 5, 1789 - Women's March on Versailles

ryanb255 — 2025-04-30 01:01:55 UTC

In the beginning of October, the King summoned the Flanders regiment to Versailles, where he hosted a banquet. During this banquet, there were anti-revolutionary demonstrations, with officers stomping on the tricolor emblem and replacing it with the King's emblem. At the same time, there was a food shortage, enraging citizens. October 5, a crowd of women stormed the headquarters of the Commune of Parisiens supporting the revolution, wanting bread. They were persuaded to march to Versailles to complain to the King, with 6-7 thousand women marching for 5 hours to Versailles. 20,000 soldiers joined the women later. Upon reaching Versailles, they invaded the Assembly and got the King to provide Paris with grain. He also approved the August Decrees (abolishing feudalism and ending unfair taxation), the Declaration of Rights, and was forced to return to Paris.

This is important because it is another journée in the history of the French Revolution. It shows that the King did not have full authority over his subjects and shows his declining power. It also shows that all citizens, not just men, were against the monarchy and shows that women were fighting as well.

June 20-21, 1791 - Louis XVI flees to Varennes

ryanb255 — 2025-04-30 01:02:19 UTC

In June of 1791, King Louis XVI decided to flee from Paris to Varennes, near Luxembourg. He was hoping that he could rewrite the parts of the Constitution that he disliked and was forced to accept. He left on June 20, and the next night was recognized by the postmaster, stopped, and brought back to Paris. This was regarded as a bad move and there was a very tense atmosphere as the royal family was brought back to Paris. Louis' younger brother also fleed, to Brussels, but was successful.

This was important for multiple reasons, it shows that Louis did not know how popular the changes were that had been made since 1789, he would be unsuccessful if he tried to change the constitution. It also shows that the French people were unwilling to put up with the King, he lost a lot of popularity after fleeing and the people weren't willing to put up with him anymore. The King would be suspended mid-July until the constitution was completed showing that the country was close to not needing a monarch at all, and they were willing to show that.

September 13, 1791 - Louis XVI agrees to the new constitution

ryanb255 — 2025-04-30 01:02:56 UTC

Despite not trusting him, the movement's success depended on the King. Louis XVI accepted the Constitution on September 13, 1791, marking the end of the Constituent Assembly, an assembly formed from the National Assembly. The Legislative Assembly was formed and had their first meeting October 1. At this point, the mood was far more suspicious than it was co-operative, like it was in 1789. This was for a number of reasons, the King was reluctant to accept measures he disliked, they were suspicious about the King's commitment to the Revolution since his flight to Varennes, and the fear of counter-revolutionary plots.

August 10, 1792 - Storming of the Tuileries Palace - Overthrow of the Monarchy

ryanb255 — 2025-04-30 01:03:11 UTC

Louis XVI decided that war would serve his interests, and hoping for a short fast war with a French victory, declared war on Austria on April 20, 1792. This war, the Revolutionary War, lasted until 1802, killed 1.4 million French people, and altered the direction of the Revolution. Louis was suspected of not being committed to a French victory and his political opponents became more determined to overthrow the monarchy. After Louis XVI vetoed some lawas, there was the expectation of a military coup in his favour, but the leaders of the Paris Sections, or districts, held an armed demonstration. This was held on June 20, the anniversary of the Tennis Court Oath and the King's flight to Varennes. About 8000 demonstrators flooded the Tuileries Palace, showing their power. Later, the revolutionaries were getting more and more sick of the monarchy, on August 3, the Mayor of Paris went to the Legislative Assembly and demanded the abolution of the monarchy. They refused, persuading Parisians that an uprising was necessary. August 9, sans-culottes, or lower-class Parisians, took over City Hall and set up a revolutionary Commune. The next morning, a few thousand citizens marched on the Tuileries, resulting in the bloodiest journée of the Revolution. The rebels invaded the Assembly, forcing them to recognise the Commune as a new government. The King was imprisoned in an old fortress, and a new National Convention was formed to draw up a demoncratic constitution. The Commune had taken control of Paris, abolishing the monarchy and creating a republic.

December 1792 - January 21, 1793 - Louis XVI is arrested, put on trial, and executed

ryanb255 — 2025-04-30 01:03:32 UTC

After the storming of the Tuileries, Louis' fate was to be decided by a referendum. Due to his correspondance with the Austrian royal family, and the fact that each deputy was required to declare his decision on Louis' guiltiness or innocence, he was voted against. The assembly was made of 749 deputies, no-one voted him innocent, 693 voted guilty. 387 voted for the death penalty, 288 for imprisonment. A reprieve was attempted to be made but it was voted against 380 to 310. Despite not all of the Assembly being for the death of the King, he was executed the morning of January 21, 1793. According to Saint-Just, a leading Jacobin, "he was executed not for what he had done but for what he was: a menace to the Republic". Louis' death left factions hostile to each other and lead to the emergence of a governement by Terror, involving bloodthirsty purges, terrified citizens, and heavy use of the guillotine.