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:

Began with the Storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789
King Louis XVI beheaded on January 21, 1793
Time frame: 1789 - 1799
Ended with the establishment of the Constitution of the Year VIII
Approximately 50,000 people died
Slogan: Liberty, Fraternity, and Equality
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.

Categories

History | European History | The French Revolution

View Note History

French Revolution

Also try: Storming of the Bastille | Marie Antoinette

The Mahalo Top 7

Wikipedia: French Revolution
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Cornell University Library: French Revolution
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Project Gutenberg: The French Revolution by Thomas Carlyle

French Revolution Background and Causes

University of Maryland: A Chronology of the French Revolution: 1789-1790
California State University, Fullerton: The French Revolution
EyeWitness to History: The Beginning of the French Revolution, 1789
The University of California at Santa Barbara: British Newspaper Coverage of the French Revolution

The Origin

The History Guide: The Origin of French Revolution
Wikipedia: Cause of the French Revolution
Google Books: Origin of the French Revolution

Estates-General of 1789

Wikipedia: Estates-General of 1789
H2G2:The Estates-General, May 1789
America First: The Opening of the Estes-General 1789

National Assembly

Wikipedia: National Assembly
Washington State University: The First Revolution
The Flow of History: The Start of the French Revolution

The Storming of the Bastille

Mahalo's Guide to Storming of the Bastille
Wikipedia: The Storming of the Bastille
ThinkQuest: The Storming of the Bastille

Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

Wikipedia: Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen
Human Constitutional Rights: Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
The History Guide: Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen (August 1789)

Civil Constitution of the Clergy

Wikipedia: Civil Constitution of the Clergy
Hanover College: The Civil Constitution of the Clergy July 12, 1790
The On-Line SourceBook: The Civil Constitution of the Clergy

Flight to Varennes

Wikipedia: Flight to Varennes
The History Guide: The Flight to Varennes, June 20, 1791
Center for History and New Media: The Flight to Varennes (21–23 June 1791)

French Constitution of 1791

Wikipedia: French Constitution of 1791
The On-Line SourceBook: The Constitution of 1791

French Revolutionary Wars

Wikipedia: French Revolutionary Wars
History World: History of the French Revolutionary Wars
War Times Journal: The French Revolt and Empire

September Massacres

Wikipedia: September Massacres
Center for History and New Media: The September Massacres
WebChron: The September Massacres Sept. 2-7, 1792
University of California at Santa Barbara: The September Massacres: London Times

Reign of Terror

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World War Diary: Reigh of Terror
BBC Radio: The Terror Radio Program

Constitution of the Year VIII

Wikipedia: Constitution of the Year VIII
The Napoleon Series: Constitution of the Year VIII
Assemblee Nationale: Parliament muzzled (1799-1830)

French Revolution Central Figures

Louis XVI

Mahalo's Guide to Louis XVI of France
Wikipedia: Louis XVI
The History Guide: The Trial and Execution of Louis XVI
BBC: Louis XVI (1754-1793)

Marie Antoinette

Mahalo's Guide to Marie Antoinette
Wikipedia: Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette Online: Marie Antoinette Biography
PBS: Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution

Maximilien Robespierre

Mahalo's Guide to Maximilien Robespierre
Wikipedia: Maximilien Robespierre
The History Guide: Maximilien Robespierre, 1758-1794
BBC: Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794)
Age-of-the-sage.org: Maximilien Robespierre Biography

Napoleon Bonaparte

Mahalo's Guide to Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte Internet Guide: Napoleon and the French Revolution
PBS: Napoleon: The French Revolution
Wikipedia: Napoleon of France

French Revolution Images and Media

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Arcadia Unified School District: French Revolution Images
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YouTube & Google Video Search: The French Revolution Videos

French Revolution Books and Research

Amazon.com: French Revolution DVDs and Books
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Google Scholar Search: French Revolution
About.com: Top Ten Books: French Revolution
Project Gutenberg: History of the French Revolution from 1789 to 1814

French Revolution Blogs and Message Boards

Tea at Trianon: An Early Feminist's View of the French Revolution
Pete's Super Blog: French Revolution: Witnessing the Guillotine
Marie Antoinette Online: Marie Antoinette & French Revolution Forum
A Look at Our World: French Revolution Reign of Terror: Truly Necessary?

French Revolution Timeline

1788: August, Louis XVI announces meeting of the Estates-General
1789: May 5th, Estates-General convenes
1789: June 17, Third Estate declares itself the National Assembly
1789: July 14, Storming of the Bastille
1789: August 26, Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen issued
1792: April, France declares war on Austria
1792: August 10, Storming of the Tuileries
1793: January, Louis XVI executed
1793: July, Maximilien Robespierre assumes leadership
1793: Reign of Terror
1794: Thermidorian Reaction
1794: Robespierre guillotined
1799: Napoleon Bonaparte seizes power.
1799: December 24, Constitution of the Year VIII ending the French Revolution

French Revolution in Popular Culture

Mahalo's Guide to Marie Antoinette (Film)
IMDb: Révolution française, La (1989) | Marie Antoinette
LibriVox: A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens

Related Searches

Storming of the Bastille | Louis XVI of France | France | Maximilien Robespierre | Marie Antoinette | Reign of Terror | Napoleon Bonaparte | Guillotine | History of France | Napoleonic Code

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