Emelie Shany
4/29/13
Period 6
AP Group Study Project
1. What is the dictionary definition for this idea/event?
French Revolution- When the third estate, later to be known as the National
Assembly, rose up and tried to overthrow the absolute monarchy that was
governing 1789 France at the time.
2. Who (give me precise people) started this idea/event?
The third estate of France which was about 95%of the population started the
revolution officially when they declared themselves the National Assembly
and went to form a new constitution for France.
3. What were the reasons that this happened (previous philosophies/events
that led up to this)?
The event that started the French revolution happened to be the American
Revolution. France in 1777 went over seas to help the colonists defeat the
British but when the French came back home, France was broke. King Louis
XVI needed to get money to get France out of debt, but he needed
everyone’s consent. Louis called the Estates General, a sort of governing
body for France that hadn’t had a meeting in the past 175 years before this
meeting was called. When he called the Estates General, Louis was met by a
want for a new constitution by the second estate (nobility). The third estate
wanted freedom like they saw in the newly freed British colonies. When
they feared that they would receive the short end of the stick they stormed
out and declared themselves the National Assembly.
4. List and describe the major events and people in this idea/event?
1789- King Louis XVI calls a meeting of the Estates General
June 17th 1789- The third estate declares themselves the National Assembly
in the tennis court of the Palace at Versailles and swear upon the Tennis
Court Oath.
July 14th 1789- Peasants storm the Bastille prison to obtain its weapons
when they felt that Louis wouldn’t comply.
August 1789- The National Assembly adopts the Declaration of the Rights
of Man, a document based off of the ideas of the Enlightenment, the
Declaration of Independence, and several writings of Jean-Jacques
Rousseau.
1791-The National Assembly ratifies the new constitution. This constitution
places the power at the hands of the Convention which declared France a
republic.
1793-The Jacobins, a group of radicals, the Convention imprisoned the royal
family and beheaded the King and Queen.
1795- Just two years after the Convention threw out the old constitution and
created the Committee of Public Safety led by Maximilien Robespierre and
killed tens of thousands by guillotine, Robespierre was put on one himself.
1795- France reorganizes itself and establishes a 5-man-government called
the Directory.
1799- Napoleon Bonaparte one of the five men in the Directory overthrows
it by popular vote.
1804- Napoleon establishes the Napoleonic Codes, which recognized the
equality of French citizens and made some Enlightenment ideas
institutionalized.
1804- Napoleon makes himself Emperor.
1810-1812-Napoleon takes over most of Europe.
5. What countries/civilizations were affected most by this idea/event?
France was the number one country affected by this revolution (obviously),
but when Napoleon came to power countries such as Austria, Prussia, Italy,
Spain, Portugal, and England were all affected due to their land being taken
over.
6. What effects of this idea/event do we encounter today?
Statues of Napoleon are everywhere in France and we have come to know
several painting on Napoleon. The guillotine though not used anymore is
still shown in movies as a method of killing someone. After the Congress of
Vienna some European boarders were re done and are still the same today.