1. The French Revolution Unfolds: The Moderate Phase

2. Recap Up to 1789, France was ruled by a king
France had a lot of financial problems, and peasants were undergoing a severe food crisis
French intellectuals were looking to reform France
In 1789, there is a rebellion in the Estates General that creates the National Assembly

4. The National Assembly Acts
The National Assembly voted to end all noble privileges
privileges included:
manorial dues, exclusive hunting rights, special legal status, and exemption from taxes
“feudalism is abolished”
This was more symbolic than anything, as most noblemen had already lost such privileges

7. The Declarations of the Rights of Man
French document that declared the equality of all male citizens
inspired by the Declaration of Independence
According to declaration, all men “were born and remain free and equal in rights” and enjoyed natural rights to “liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression”
“no distinction other than that of their virtues and talents”

10. The March on Versailles
While turmoil engulfed France, King Louis XVI stayed with his family in Versailles
A mob of women marched to Versailles and forced the King to return to Paris
The National Assembly passes the Constitution of 1791, establishing a Constitutional Monarchy much like Great Britain
King Louis XVI “pretended” to go with the flow

13. Failed Escape Attempt
June 1791, King Louis XVI and his wife Mary Antoinette were caught attempting to escape France
The French people felt that the King was trying to escape in order to gather an army and crush the rebellion
King Louis was seen as a traitor to the revolution
The Austrian kings threatened military action in order to protect the monarchy

15. Radicals Take Over
France’s financial woes cause massive inflation, which only worsen the financial crisis
Radicals in the assembly, known as Jacobins, begin to push for a republic (a society without a king)
The Jacobins take control and declare war on the most of Europe
The revolution would become unhinged