French Revolution 4 Problems in France Debt Food Shortages Inexperienced King Hated Queen King Louis XVI Marie Antoinette Storming of the Bastille This assertion of popular sovereignty spread to Paris and on July 14 a crowd stormed the Bastille to seize weapons and ammunition This is the official start of the French Revolution

Need for Revenue Estates General In May 1789, in an effort to raise taxes, King Louis XVI convened the Estates General. –An assembly representing the entire French population The first estate was about 100,000 Roman Catholic clergy The second estate was about 400,000 nobles The third estate was about 24 million others (serfs, free peasants, laborers) Each estate had one vote The third estate demanded reform, but the other two estates resisted

National Assembly On June 20, 1789, the third estate seceded from the Estates General and declared itself the National Assembly Act as the government during the beginning of the revolution Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen In Aug 1789, the National Assembly issued the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen Proclaimed the equality of all men, declared that sovereignty resided in the people, and asserted individual rights to liberty, prosperity, and security The Royal Family will be brought back to Paris The National Assembly will create a constitutional monarchy in 1791

Austria and Prussia Invade France Alarmed by the disintegration of monarchial authority, the rulers of Austria and Prussia invaded France to support the king and restore the ancien regime France is now fighting a war against other countries and is in a civil war Leaders of the Revolution Maximilian Robespierre Jean-Paul Marat Georges Danton

Jacobin party believed France needed complete restructuring and used a campaign of terror to promote their agenda –Between the summers of 1793 and 1794, the Jacobins executed 40,000 people and imprisoned 300,000 –Many of the victims of the “Reign of Terror” were fellow radicals who had fallen out of favor with Robespierre and the Jacobins –Used the guillotine to execute enemies including King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette Because of the continued bloodshed, in July 1794, Robespierre and his allies are arrested, convicted of treason, and executed, ending the revolution Reign of Terror

The Directory A new constitution was created on August 22, 1795, setting up the Directory The Directory sought a middle way between the old ways and radical revolution Form of government was a Republic Created Bicameral Legislature