The French Revolution was a huge event that lasted from 1789 to the late 1790s. This time of revolution and revolt from the people against the government was influenced by the enlightenment and other revolutions that had arose. Even though, the French Revolution might seem extremely large and vast, you can actually break it up into different parts. It is simpler to comprehend this revolution if you break it up and look at each part individually.
The French revolution began in 1789, when the people of Paris no longer wanted the king to be in power. Why did the people of Paris want to overthrow the king of France? There were a few reasons that led to the decision to get rid of the king. The most important reason was that the people began to read and hear the thoughts of the enlightenment thinkers. These new ideas told them that the government should be run by the people and not by an absolute monarchy. Along with being influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment thinkers, the people were facing a time of economic crisis, and they happen to take their anger out on the one in charge. The people faced a starvation, this made it impossible to grow crops and much less afford bread. The price of bread increased rapidly because the demand for it was so great, and there was only a small amount of it available. During the time of famine the 3rd estates were being taxed extremely cruel, and they could not afford to buy bread. Since the people were in debt because of the large taxes they had to pay, France went on the edge of being bankrupt. While the people suffered the king was in control of the struggle to buy bread, the king enjoyed his luxury. However the king’s indulgences would not last forever.
The revolution officially began when the French king was overthrown. Shortly after, the National Assembly was formed. This was the first stage of the revolution that began because of all the repulsive peasants. The National Assembly accomplished a great deal in the time it was in action. The assembly eliminated feudalism and the nobles in the assembly agreed to end their rights. The main goal of the National Assembly was to make a constitution. The Rights of Man brought them closer to reaching this goal. This declaration gave all men their natural rights. These include liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression. It also allowed freedom of religion, and taxes were imposed according to the ability to pay. The National Assembly also placed the church under state control. In 1791, after many years of hard work and dedication, the National Assembly finally reached its main goal. They were now able to produce a constitution which created a constitutional government instead of an absolute monarchy. This did not solve all of France’s problems.
France now faced the Reign of Terror. This started with the storming of Tuileries. The storming of Tuileries was when 1,200 prisoners were killed when prisons were invaded by the people. Radicals then decided to create a national convention. This convention created a new constitution, which granted suffrage to all males. The National Convention was also responsible for executing the king and queen of France in 1793. With all of the violence breaking out, the committee of public safety was created. This committee was made up of 12 members who had so much power they were the judge and jury executor of the time. This committee was run by Robespierre. The chairman, Robespierre, was a man who invented the guillotine. Robespierre was responsible for the death of 17,000 and the arrest of 300,000. Many of these people were accused and their identity was mistaken. After seeing how unwise Robespierre really was the committee of public safety turned against their chairman by having him arrested. The day after Maximilien Robespierre was executed and the reign of terror was over.
The Directory was the third stage of the French Revolution, which created another constitution. The Constitution of