French Revolution

Guide Note: The French Revolution was a chaotic, violent 10 year period during which the French government transitioned from an absolute monarchy, headed by Louis XVI and his Queen, Marie Antoinette, to a Constitutional Monarchy based on Enlightenment principles, and finally into a Consulate under Napoleon Bonaparte.

Fast Facts:

  1. Began with the Storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789
  2. King Louis XVI beheaded on January 21, 1793
  3. Time frame: 1789 - 1799
  4. Ended with the establishment of the Constitution of the Year VIII
  5. Approximately 50,000 people died
  6. Slogan: Liberty, Fraternity, and Equality
  7. Most noble families were executed by guillotine

Causes and Background

There is still discussion and debate about the main causes of the French Revolution, though most of the leading theories involve financial concerns among the general public and resentment of the privileged aristocracy and clergy. The principles of The Enlightenment, which had spread throughout Europe during the 18th Century, surely also had an impact on the public's view of the monarchy.

Beginnings

The members of the "Third Estate," who would in turn become the main legislative body of France, agreed to the Tennis Court Oath on June 20, 1789, naming themselves the National Assembly and agreeing to write a Constitution for a government of the people. The act was in defiance of the authority of Louis XVI.

On July 14, 1789, insurgents stormed the Bastille prison, a symbol of the power of the French monarchy that housed many enemies of the King, beginning the French Revolution itself in earnest.

National Assembly and the Reign of Terror

While composing the new Constitution, as laid out in the Tennis Court Oath, a number of factions and clubs formed in the National Assembly, including the powerful Jacobin Club, headed by Maximilien Robespierre. After the execution of Louis XVI, and under the threat of foreign invasion if the monarchy was not restored, the Jacboins instituted the Reign of Terror, a period in which at least 16,594 were executed by guillotine as enemies of the Revolution. The reign ended with the adoption of the new Constitution, on September 27, 1795.

Napoleon

French General Napoleon Bonaparte took advantage of the chaos following the adoption of the new Constitution (which included the first bicameral legislature ever in French politics) to stage a coup on November 9, 1799, forming the French Consulate with himself at its center, as Emperor.

The Mahalo Top 7

  1. Wikipedia: French Revolution
  2. Culture Wars: French Revolution
  3. Center for History and New Media: Exploring the French Revolution
  4. Internet Modern History Sourcebook: French Revolution
  5. Cornell University Library: French Revolution
  6. The History Channel: The French Revolution WARNING: Ad-heavy
  7. Project Gutenberg: The French Revolution by Thomas Carlyle

French Revolution Background and Causes

The Origin

Estates-General of 1789

National Assembly

The Storming of the Bastille

Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

Civil Constitution of the Clergy

Flight to Varennes

French Constitution of 1791

French Revolutionary Wars

September Massacres

Reign of Terror

Constitution of the Year VIII

French Revolution Central Figures

Louis XVI

Marie Antoinette

Maximilien Robespierre

Napoleon Bonaparte

French Revolution Images and Media

French Revolution Books and Research

French Revolution Blogs and Message Boards

French Revolution Timeline

French Revolution in Popular Culture

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