The French Revolution

The French Revolution is a vital moment in French history. It lasted around ten years, it

lasted form 1789 to the late 1790’s. In this period, French citizens demanded a change in the

political scene. They wanted to make an alteration to the monarchy, their power, and the

outdated system. The revolution did help create modern day France. This isn’t the only cause of

the war, however. (1)

Enlightenment ideals motivated the French revolution, similarly to the American

Revolution. Also, there was a strong fight for hegemony and the Empire exceeded the financial

resources of the land. There was a strong political conflict involving Monarchs and the decency

over the tax system reformation which led to bankruptcy in the state. King Louis XVI was also

an inefficient king who did very little toward the economic problems. (2)

King Louis XVI was the last king France before the French Revolution when his father

died in battle. He took the throne in 1765. He married Marie Antoinette five years later. His

father and wife paid little attention to him, so he paid little attention to his wife. Louis XVI

showed the people of France is inability to lead them by paying little attention problems with the

economy. (3)

Marie Antoinette was the last queen of France. She played a large role in irritating the

unrest in the land. She married Louis XVI in 1770. He ignored her, which annoyed her. In return,

many people believe she was having an affair with the Swedish diplomat, Count Axel von

Fersen. She was a gambler and a partier who often threw parties when her husband was asleep.

When she gave birth to her children, she cared very little about them. She also did little for the
state and was hated by French citizens. She spent money on expensive diamond necklaces, that

were stolen and taken to England, which cost the state money. She also spent money jewels, and

most importantly her clothing. She was a fashion icon in France with her large dresses. (4)

The first attack was the “Storming of the Bastille”. France was on the brim of revolution.

The military governor, Bernard-René Jordan de Launay, saw the attack coming and shipped

barrels of gunpowder and weapons to the Bastille. A mob showed up on July 14. Launay was not

able to hold them for long and surrendered with a red flag. The mob freed prisoners, stole the

gunpowder, and killed Launay. This caused great fear throughout French country sides. This was

the first step toward the French Revolution. (5)

Another major step toward the revolution is the Women’s March of Versailles. This event

is one of the first of the revolution. Women started to riot because of the ridiculous price of

bread. The group of women slowly became a mob. Rebels supported them in the idea of

marching to Palace of Versailles. They stated their demands to King Louis XVI through a violent

confrontation. This is the first sign of French civilians overthrowing the government. (6)

The French Revolution had many other important moments. The National Assembly

essentially started the French Revolution. The National Assembly were made up of third estate

members who agreed they wouldn’t give up until they were treated better. The Declaration of the

Rights of Men declared all men must be treated equal, a problem America wouldn’t solve for a

while. The Civil Constitution of the Clergy occurred when the government ceased control of the

church and when they sold the land of the churches to get money. These events lead to the end of

the revolution. (8)

 The end of the revolution marked an important moment in French history. The death of

King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. In 1791, they were hated by their people and were forced

to leave France and go to Austria. The people of Paris captured them and took them back. A year

after, they were arrested, and the monarchy was destroyed. Louis’s democratic scheming with

other nations was exposed and he was accused of treason. A year later he was sent to the

guillotine. People booed as he walked by and threw things. The French remember January 21 as

the day they executed their leader (7). Marie Antionette was stunned by the hatred. In October

she too was put on trial for shocking reasons. Not just for treason, but for theft and for sexually

abusing her young son. While Louis XVI did nothing the night before his death, Marie did

something. She wrote to her sister-in-law. In the letter, she said that she was calmly awaiting the

next day and said the town viewed her as a villain. The next day came quickly and before she

knew it, she was walking toward the guillotine. People were throwing things at her as she bent

over and put her head in (4). The blade came down and there was no king or queen.

The French Revolution had a massive affect. The end of the revolution ended feudalism.

This means that instead of the government/monarchy owning land, the civilians do. This also

means that the economy of marketing was slowed. Another effect was that the people ruled

France, not an unproductive monarchy (9). Many people also say the culture has changed. The

French Revolution effected Europe. Many rebels went against cities across the continent. (10)

The French Revolution saw the end of the monarchy for a while. The people wanted a

change in power. They didn’t want rulers like King Louis XVI and Marie Antionette, but they

wanted a stable government. All of France fought the undeserved power the rulers had and were

able to overthrow the monarchy. The violence ended, and France was satisfied with its new way

of life.
 Work Cited

http://www.history.com/topics/french-revolution (1)

https://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist151s03/french_rev_causes_consequenc

es.htm (2)

https://www.biography.com/people/louis-xvi-9386943 (3)

https://www.biography.com/people/marie-antoinette-9398996 (4)

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/french-revolutionaries-storm-bastille (5)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_March_on_Versailles (6)

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/king-louis-xvi-executed (7)

https://www.preceden.com/timelines/32587-french-revolution-10-key-events-

timeline (8)

https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/French_Revolution/Results (9)

https://www.thoughtco.com/consequences-of-the-french-revolution-1221872 (10)