French Revolution: Key Events of 1789

• The French Revolution and the Empire (1789-1815) transformed societies and governance in France and Europe.
• The French transitioned from subjects of the king to citizens with rights.

The Year 1789

• May 5: Meeting of the Estates-General.
• June 20: Oath of the Tennis Court.
• July 14: Storming of the Bastille.
• August 4: Abolition of privileges.
• August 26: Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
• October 5-6: The King returns to Paris.

The Awakening of the Nation (1788-1789)

• The Third Estate criticized the privileges of the nobility and clergy, and the heavy tax burden.
• The Third Estate hoped for societal change
• On May 5, 1789, the Estates-General convened at Versailles.
• King Louis XVI addressed the need for new taxes.

Becoming a Citizen

• Deputies of the Third Estate, influenced by Enlightenment ideas, declared themselves the National Assembly.
• On June 20, 1789, they pledged the Oath of the Tennis Court to draft a constitution.
• A constitution defines the political functions of a country.
• The King responded by gathering troops around Paris in July 1789.

"A Crime at the Bastille"

• On July 14, 1789, the people of Paris revolted, seized arms, and attacked the Bastille.
• The Bastille served as a prison representing the king's arbitrary power and it was a reserve of powder.
• Privileges were abolished on August 4, 1789, ending the old social order and making the French citizens.
• On August 26, 1789, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (DDHC) affirmed liberty and equality as primary principles.

The French Citizen as Actor of the Revolution

• During revolutionary days, the "sans-culottes" were active in the streets.
• In October 1789, women from Paris marched to Versailles, leading to the King becoming a hostage of the Parisian people.
• Legally, with the deputies in the Assembly, a constitution was drafted in 1791.
• The constitution shared power between the king and the National Assembly, marking the beginning of a constitutional monarchy and the end of absolute monarchy.
• Active citizens (50,000 male electors over 25 paying 15 livres in taxes) elected judges.
• The French constitution implemented the separation of powers: executive, legislative, and judicial powers.
• In June 1791, the king attempted to flee but was brought back to Paris.

Defending the Nation

• In 1792, France declared war on European monarchies.
• On August 10, 1792, Parisians revolted, overthrew the king, and imprisoned his family.
• After the victory at Valmy, the First Republic was proclaimed on September 21, 1792 (1792-1799).
• King Louis XVI was tried and executed on January 21, 1793.

Establishment of the Empire: Napoleon I (1799-1815)

• The Republic fell in 1799 with Napoleon Bonaparte's coup d'état.
• Napoleon I ruled France authoritatively.
• Military defeats led to the fall of the Empire in 1815.

The French Revolution Transforms France

• The revolution spurred reforms and changes across France

The Influence of the French Revolution in Europe

• Revolutionary and imperial France extended its domination over vast territories in Europe.
• France spread ideas of liberty, equality, and national sovereignty.
• Initially welcomed as liberators, the French were soon viewed as occupiers.
• Peoples developed a sense of national identity and sought to expel France, claiming the "right of peoples to self-determination."
• In 1815, victorious European monarchs restored the old order, disregarding national aspirations.