In 1789, a great revolution to overthrow absolute monarchy occurred in France. The ideals of "liberty, equality, and fraternity" spread throughout the world and became the starting point of modern society.
Basic Knowledge
In 18th-century France, under the ancien régime, the First Estate(clergy) and Second Estate(nobility) held privileges, while the Third Estate(common people, 98% of the population) suffered from heavy taxes. In May 1789, financial difficulties led Louis XVI to convene the Estates-General for the first time in 175 years. Because of a dispute over voting methods, the Third Estate formed the National Assembly and swore to write a constitution in the Tennis Court Oath. On July 14, 1789, the people attacked the Bastille prison, and the revolution intensified. On August 26, 1789, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, drafted by La Fayette, was adopted.
May 1789 Estates-General convened
June 1789 National Assembly formed; Tennis Court Oath
July 14, 1789 Storming of the Bastille
August 26, 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
1791 Constitution of constitutional monarchy; Legislative Assembly
1792 First Republic; National Convention
January 1793 Louis XVI executed
1793-94 Reign of Terror(Robespierre)
1794 Thermidorian Reaction(Robespierre executed)
1799 Napoleon's coup d'état(18 Brumaire)
In Depth (Background and Impact)
The Declaration of the Rights of Man stated that "men are born and remain free and equal in rights"(Article 1) and identified liberty, property, security, and resistance as natural rights. It included popular sovereignty, freedom of speech, equality before the law, and separation of powers, becoming a foundation of modern human-rights thought. The revolution became radical: Louis XVI was executed in January 1793, and Marie Antoinette in October. During the Reign of Terror in 1793-94, led by Robespierre(the Jacobins), executions by guillotine continued, and about 16,000 people are said to have been executed. In the Thermidorian Reaction of 1794, Robespierre himself was executed, and amid the disorder Napoleon seized power in a coup in 1799.
- Estates-General = May 1789, convened for the first time in 175 years
- Storming of the Bastille = July 14, 1789(now French National Day)
- Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen = August 26, 1789, drafted by La Fayette
- "Liberty, equality, and fraternity" = the three ideals of the revolution
- Execution of Louis XVI = January 1793
- Reign of Terror = Robespierre, Jacobins
- Napoleon's rise = 1799 coup d'état
Points to Note (Easy to Confuse)
① Organize the changes in assemblies and governments: Estates-General(estate-based assembly), National Assembly(separated from the Estates-General), Legislative Assembly(1791-92), National Convention(1792-95), Directory(1795-99), and Consulate(1799-). ② The Declaration of Independence(United States, 1776) and the Declaration of the Rights of Man(France, 1789) are different documents. ③ The Jacobins(radical, Robespierre) and Girondins(moderate republicans) were rivals. ④ Rousseau's theory of popular sovereignty in The Social Contract(1762) had an intellectual influence on the revolution.
Practice
- What event on July 14, 1789 marked the beginning of the French Revolution?
- What is the official name of the declaration adopted on August 26, 1789?
- Who was the Jacobin leader who led the Reign of Terror?