French Revolution!
By: Ashlyn Perry
The National Assembly
On June 17, 1789 the National Assembly was established. The Third Estate thought that all of the estates should get together and have delegates who each have a vote. Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès was a leading spokesperson who suggested it be called the National Assembly. The National Assembly ended absolute monarchy and started the representative government.
Storming the Bastille
There were rumors that Louis was going to use military force to destroy the National Assembly and that foreign armies were going to go to Paris to kill French citizens. Citizens collected weapons to defend themselves and on July 14th, a mob looking for weapons attacked the prison Bastille. They killed many guards and ran through the town with the guards' heads on sticks. Now July 14th is Bastille Day in France.
The Declaration of the RIghts of Man and of the Citizen
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was a document that was written to clarify the rights of the people. They believed that man was born free and that they should all have equal rights. The citizens wanted freedom of speech, freedom of religion, liberty, property, security, and equal justice. Olympe de Gouges was a female writer who wrote about the rights of women. her ideas were rejected and she was executed.
Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly was created In September 1791 by the National Assembly. It could create laws and approve or reject wars, but the king still had the executive power. The Legislative Assembly split into three groups due to problems with food and debt. Radicals sat on the left of the hall and hated monarchy, wanting everything in government to change. Moderates sat in the middle of the hall, wanting only some changes. Conservatives say on the right side of the hall and liked limited monarchy, wanting few changes in the government.
Reign of Terror
Maximilien Robespierre was a Jacobin leader gained power in the French Revolution. In July 1793, he became the leader of the Committee of Public Safety. His job was to protects the Revolution from enemies. This usually involved the enemies to be tried in the morning and beheaded in the afternoon. Robespierre ruled as a dictator and most of the "enemies" that he beheaded were the radicals that disagreed with his rulings. His time of ruling was called the Reign of Terror.