The French Revolution
Provided to the Museum of St. Helena by Gabriel Castillo
Causes of The Revolution
A second cause of the revolution is for the reason of the taxes imposed on the poor. As a way to deal with France's financial crisis, the king called together a meeting of the Estates General in an effort to solve France's financial crisis. This meeting was comprised of three different classes of people. This includes the First Estate (the clergy), the Second Estate (the nobility), and the Third Estate (the middle and lower class). Solving France's problems through the Estates General was quite difficult as the largest group (Third Estate) had the greatest burden but the least power. The burden of taxation fell nearly entirely on the backs of the Third Estate, which was the poorest class. This was because the First and Second Estates were mostly exempt from taxes. This made a large amount of French people unhappy because of this unfair treatment.
Another cause of the revolution was the storming of the Bastille. As members of the Third Estate demanded better representation, the formation of a people's National Assembly began. This new assembly would no longer be controlled by the Estates, but rather be controlled by the people. Refusing this proposal, the other members of the Estates General locked out the members of the Third Estate from the Estates General. Louis XVI then created the National Assembly (which then renamed itself the National Constituent Assembly). Nevertheless, many people in France were concerned and thought that the king would ultimately try to put out the revolution, and for this reason, a period of Great Fear engulfed the French population in 1789. Fearful of punishment and conspiracy by the feudal lords, peasants rioted throughout the the French countryside. On July 14, 1789 an enraged Parisian mob stormed the Bastille and liberated a handful of prisoners, creating a powerful symbol of the people's strength to free themselves from the power of the detested king. This day is very influential as it marked the beginning of the French Revolution.
Events of The Revolution
Another event that took place during the Revolution was the abolishment of Christianity and a new calendar. During the same month that the Reign of Terror began, revolutionaries declared Christians as "enemies" and established a newly designed secular calendar on France. This new Revolutionary Calendar started with September 22, 1792 and it marked the beginning of Year 1. This new calendar also renamed months around the seasons and reconfigured weeks to have ten days.
A last event that took place during the Revolution was the end of the Reign of Terror. On July of 1794, Robespierre himself was sentenced by the National Assembly to the guillotine. After his execution, the bloody and violent Reign of Terror wound down and less radical revolutionary leaders were put into power in the French government. A panel of five executive directors known as the Directory replaced the National Convention. The regime of the directory lasted until 1799 and it helped reestablish full voting rights to all French citizens without distinction, along with the freedom of press.
Effects of The Revolution
Another significant effect of the Revolution was the rise and rule of Napoleon Bonaparte. He began as a young French officer who proved his military genius by leading soldiers to victory. His reputation as a leader was widely recognized and he was promoted to the rank of general after his conquests in Rome, Egypt, and establishing a peace treaty with Austria. However, he soon rose to power with the events of the Coup of Brumaire and then crowned himself Emperor on May of 1804. Nonetheless, as Napoleon gained more power, the more he wanted. So he set out to conquer and become emperor of all Europe. He quickly took over control of Austria, Italy, and Prussia. On the other hand, his attempts to take control of England and then Russia failed. Suffering heavy defeats, his grip on Europe began to collapse. Many battles were fought and Bonaparte lost most of them costing France the much territory that they gained during his rule. After much turmoil coming from his rule, Napoleon was eventually exiled to St. Helena.