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Why did the French Revolution Start? The French were in debt because they funded
the American Revolution and the rich didn't have to pay taxes. While they were bankrupt,
a hailstorm came and ruined a year's worth of crop causing food prices to rise and widespread
hunger. Enlightened thinkers challenged God's mandate for the King. In response, King Louie
XVI called the estates general, the closest thing to a parliament that France had, in
1788 which hadn't met since 1614. It was made up of three estates; the first being the clergy,
second being the nobles, and third everyone else. After six weeks of gridlock, the 3rd
estate was fed up and decided to call themselves the National Assembly and left. When they
tried returning to the meeting after the break, King Louie had locked them out so they held
a meeting at an indoor tennis court and recited the Tennis Court Oath, swearing that they
would not stop until a new constitution was made. This was a turning point because it
started the French Revolution. King Louie amassed troops in Versailles to arrest the
representatives of the third estate. However, on July 4th, 1789, the common people sieged
and attacked the Bastille, a medieval fortress used as a prison. This was the beginning of
the revolution. After the nobility compromised their privileges, the third estate, along
with the king, wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, which limited
monarch power, protected land, and made equal law. While this was happening in Versailles,
the economic crisis worsened in Paris where rumors spread that Marie Antoinette was hoarding
grain in her palace in Versailles. Market women, who struggled to survive due to food
shortages, became angry and marched 12 miles to siege the Palace of Versailles. In this,
they killed some of the king's guards and kicked out the royal family to Paris. This
was the Women of Paris Act. In 1792, a crowd forced the king out of his palace in Paris,
so he sought protection in the Legislative Assembly who took away his power and imprisoned
him. This led to the creation of a new legislative and executive body, the National Convention.
The newly elected National Convention, made up of radical republicans called the Jacobins,
executed King Louie by the Guillotine on accounts of treason on January 1793 making France a
republic. They were soon led by a young lawyer, Maximilien Robespierre who took control of
the French government and killed and imprisoned all of his enemies. Because of rebellions
and invasions, he started a period of repression called the Reign of Terror where he executed
40,000 and imprisoned 300,000. He also made changes to the church and the calendar. However,
by spring 1794, most of his affiliates were dead which lead to his execution by the people
in July, 1794. With Robespierre gone, a new executive authority called the Directory came
into power in 1795 but refused to give up power after losing the election of 1797. This
called for military force and Napoleon Bonaparte, a young French general, seized power by way
of popular authoritarianism. Napoleon, having won the support of the peasantry by writing
the Civil Code of 1804, which denied women basic political rights, declared himself emperor
of France in 1804. Then, he humiliated Austria and Prussia in war and they became allies
of France. However, after failed attempts of attacking Russia, Spain, Portugal, and
England, the countries formed an alliance and banished Napoleon from France. Twice.
The allies then restored the French Monarchy, ending the revolution. The End.
So what did France get out of this revolution? Well, not much. For one, France was restored
back to a Monarchy; however the reign was no longer hereditary. What did change was
that France now had worker's rights, property rights, and equal law for peasants and nobles
alike. Great going, France.