The French Revolution
By: Jordan Gilbert
The Assembly Reforms France
Most noblemen desired freedom and privileges. They made speeches on the night of August 4, 1789, to prove their point. They eventually joined The National Assembly made everything equal. They took the privileges away from the members of the first and second estates. They were motivated by fear rather than idealism. Also, King Louis tried to escape the country and get out of the conflict between him and the church, because the assembly restructured this relationship.
Divisions Develop
By 1791, the significant changes in France's society and government were made by the Delegates. Louis VIII reluctantly approved the National Assembly's completed new constitution though it took a lot of his authority. This created a Limited Monarchy and a Legislative Assembly. These changes didn't change the power the king had to enforce laws. But they still wanted to direction of government.
War and Execution
Authorities in many other European countries saw the changes in France's government and the Legislative Assembly and feared similar outbursts might happen in their own countries. France went to war with Austria and Prussia. France was threatened by the Prussian commander and he ended up sending a mob to kill the royal guards and kidnap the Royal Family. Then, there were rumors that the Paris prisoners were going to escape and take control of the country. In result, citizens murdered more than 1000 prisoners throughout a few days in September. Marie Antionette and Louis VIII ended up being executed by the Guillotine in 1793.
The Terror Grips France
Foreign armies were enemies of the French Republic but they weren't the only ones. These included peasants, priests, and rival leaders. Slowly gaining power in the early months of 1793, Maximilien Robespierre and his supporters set out to build a "republic of virtue" by getting rid of France's past. Doing this included remaking the calendar by making it so there were 12 months and 30 days in each. Robespierre also became the leader of the Committee of Public Safety. Having this title, he basically governed the country for a year under a dictatorship.
End of the Terror
Members of the National Convention ended up turning on Robespierre in July 1794 because they feared for their own safety. The Reign of Terror ended the day Robespierre went to the Guillotine, on July 28, 1794. The opinion of the Public in France shifted a lot after Robespierre's death. After his death the third government revision was made. This put the the power in the upper middle class and a two house legislature and an excutive body of 5 guys, or known as the Directory. These guys were not moderates but idealists.