Few events have so powerfully influenced the modern world as the French Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1789. The slogan of the revolution—Liberty, Equality, Fraternity (brotherhood)—spread to several countries and spurred others to take action. Many modern ideas about political and economic change can be traced back to the French Revolution.

Events leading to revolution

In the 18th century French society consisted of three classes: the nobles, the clergy, and the common people. The three classes were also called estates, and the common people were referred to as the Third Estate. The government that existed in France before 1789 did not treat people equally. The nobles and the churchmen were the privileged classes and did not pay taxes. Members of the Third Estate, some of whom were quite poor, paid taxes to both the nobles and to the church. Peasants were also required to follow rules set by the nobles even if they were harmful to the peasants. Rabbits and birds might destroy a farmer's crops, but he had no right to kill them because the animals were being kept for the nobles to hunt.

Writers of the time were important in getting people to think about their plight. Because of their writings, many members of the Third Estate began to believe that every person was entitled to certain political, economic, and social rights.

As many French people struggled, the government spent millions of dollars in the 1770s and early 1780s to help American colonists in their revolution against England. This expense, along with the grand lifestyles of the French rulers, greatly hurt the treasury. The ministers who managed the money tried to get the king and queen (Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette) to stop spending so much. The king and queen and other members of the court, however, were unwilling to do so. Foreign bankers refused to lend France more money. Louis XVI wanted to solve the problem by collecting more money from the commoners, but the courts of justice refused to enforce new taxes.

Revolution begins

Louis XVI gave in to pressure to call a meeting of the Estates-General. This was a meeting of the three different classes, or estates. Representatives from each group met at Versailles, a suburb of Paris, on May 5, 1789. The date is considered the start of the Revolution.

The Third Estate demanded reforms and a constitution. Some of the nobles and many of the clergy agreed. The name of the meeting was changed to National Assembly to show that the gathering represented people instead of classes. The king was not happy with the National Assembly and tried to break it up. When the king shut them out from their usual place of meeting, the representatives took the famous Oath of the Tennis Court on June 20, 1789. They pledged that they would not separate until they had written a constitution.

Fall of the Bastille

In nearby Paris, rumors of troops gathering at Versailles stirred further action among the commoners. A mob stormed and captured the Bastille, an old royal prison in Paris where for generations kings and ministers had put men and women at will. The date of its capture, July 14, became a French national holiday known as Bastille Day.

After the fall of the Bastille, a committee of middle-class citizens governed Paris. Leading the new national guard was General Lafayette—a French nobleman who fought against the British in the American Revolution.

Other regions in France followed the lead of Paris and formed revolutionary governments. Peasants in many places burned the castles of the lords. Chaos followed in many districts.

Movement towards change

Reports of the peasant outbreaks made a strong impression on the National Assembly, and August 1789 was a month of great change in the nation. Some liberal nobles willingly gave up their privileges, and the National Assembly officially ended the practice of feudalism. Under this system peasants had been forced to serve the lord who owned the land on which they lived.

Since it would take a long time to draft a constitution, the National Assembly introduced a basic set of principles called the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. The core idea of this document was that all people are born free and have equal rights.

Royalty and the constitution

As the constitution was being created, the National Assembly struggled to figure out how to handle royalty. A group known as the Constitutional Royalists wanted to keep the royalty, whereas an opposing group called the Republicans wanted to do away with the king and queen.

When the constitution was finished in 1791, it set up a limited monarchy in which the king had some power, but most power rested in a one-house legislature. Louis XVI at first promised to obey the constitution, even though it restricted his power. Later, however, he changed his mind.

On August 10, 1792, a mob invaded the royal residence and killed the guards. France was declared a republic in September. Louis XVI was later executed, as was his wife.

Revolution faces problems

In addition to uprisings by some Royalists, the Revolution ran into other troubles. The priests and many faithful Roman Catholics withdrew their support because of laws that were made against the church. For financial reasons, church property had been taken by the state. Later, an order was passed that required clergy at all levels to take an oath to support the government.

Many nobles left France before and during the Revolution. They tried to convince the rulers of the countries in which they now were living to help put an end to the Revolution. Although their pleas were ignored early on, some nations later became involved because they feared that the great changes going on in France would lead to similar revolutions in their own countries.

Reign of Terror

To guide the Revolution through this upheaval, a strong government was needed. While a convention of people prepared a new constitution, a group called the Committee of Public Safety controlled France. Its three leaders were Georges-Jacques Danton, Jean-Paul Marat, and Maximilien Robespierre—all of whom were members of a powerful subgroup of the convention. Through agents and spies, they watched over the whole country and created a sense of fear. Many of their opponents were sent to the guillotine, a machine that was used to kill people by beheading them. Thus, this period became known as the Reign of Terror.

The new government accomplished many of its goals. Royalist uprisings were stopped with force, and foreign invaders were turned back. In the process, however, thousands of people were beheaded or put in prison—most without any sort of fair trial.

Marat was killed in 1793 by a woman pretending to be bringing him the names of people who opposed him. In 1794 when Danton urged Robespierre to modify their actions, Danton was charged with trying to restore the monarchy and was beheaded.

Although he was not responsible for all of what was going on during the Reign of Terror, Robespierre made no attempt to stop the bloodshed. His enemies had him arrested, and he was executed on July 28, 1794.

Napoleon comes into power

With the end of the Reign of Terror, less extreme men came to govern France. Not all people, however, were satisfied with how the new government (known as the Directory) was formed. A young, unknown general named Napoleon Bonaparte was appointed to help put down revolts against the Directory.

France was not well organized, and the Directory proved unable to solve the country's problems. However, the Directory was able to win foreign victories due to Bonaparte's leadership. On November 9, 1799, Bonaparte helped overthrow the Directory and replaced it with a government of himself and two other members. In 1804 he declared himself Napoleon I, Emperor of the French.