7/23/25, 3:10 PM The French Revolution - Study Guide
🇫🇷 The French Revolution (1789-1799)
A Complete Study Guide
📅 Key Timeline
1774 Louis XVI becomes king
1789 Estates General called, Bastille stormed (July 14)
1791 Constitution created
1792-93 Republic declared, King executed
1793-94 Reign of Terror
1799 Napoleon rises to power
1. French Society Before Revolution (Old Regime)
Three Estate System:
• First Estate: Clergy (priests) - didn't pay taxes
• Second Estate: Nobility (nobles) - didn't pay taxes
• Third Estate: Everyone else (90% of population) - paid all taxes
Problems:
• Only Third Estate paid taxes while being the poorest
• King Louis XVI had empty treasury due to wars
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• Population growth led to food shortages and high bread prices
• Growing middle class wanted equal rights
2. Immediate Causes
Financial Crisis: France spent heavily on American War of Independence against
Britain. Debt rose to over 2 billion livres.
Food Crisis: Bad harvests led to bread shortages. Bread prices rose rapidly while
wages stayed low.
Estates General Called ( May 5, 1789 ):
• Louis XVI called this meeting to approve new taxes
• Last time it met was in 1614
• Third Estate demanded voting by head, not by estate
• When refused, they walked out
3. The Revolution Begins (1789)
Tennis Court Oath ( June 20, 1789 ):
• Third Estate representatives met in tennis court
• Led by Mirabeau and Abbé Sieyès
• Declared themselves National Assembly
• Swore to create a constitution for France
Storming of Bastille ( July 14, 1789 ):
• Parisians attacked this fortress-prison
• Symbol of royal tyranny
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• Only 7 prisoners were freed, but it symbolized end of Old Regime
• July 14 is now France's National Day
4. Constitutional Monarchy (1791)
Major Changes:
• Feudal system abolished
• Church lands taken by state
• Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen announced
• Constitution limited king's power
• Separated powers: Legislature, Executive, Judiciary
Declaration of Rights (1791):
• All men born free and equal
• Right to life, liberty, property
• Freedom of speech and religion
• Equality before law
Limitation: Only men who paid taxes could vote (active citizens). Women and poor
men couldn't vote (passive citizens).
5. The Republic (1792-1794)
Jacobins Take Control:
• Led by Maximilian Robespierre
• Represented poorer sections of society
• Wore long trousers (sans-culottes) to show they weren't nobles
• Abolished monarchy in September 1792
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King's Execution ( January 21, 1793 ):
• Louis XVI tried for treason
• Executed by guillotine at Place de la Concorde
• Queen Marie Antoinette also executed later
6. Reign of Terror (1793-1794)
Robespierre's Policies:
• All 'enemies of republic' were guillotined
• Maximum price controls on food and wages
• Churches closed down
• Everyone called 'Citizen' instead of 'Sir/Madam'
• Equality bread (whole wheat) made compulsory
End of Terror ( July 1794 ):
Even Robespierre's supporters got scared of his extreme policies. He was arrested
and guillotined, ending the Terror.
7. Role of Women
Women's Participation:
• Active from the beginning - marched to Versailles
• Formed political clubs like "Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women"
• Olympe de Gouges wrote "Declaration of Rights of Woman and Citizen"
(1791)
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Limited Success:
• Got better education and marriage laws
• But denied political rights and voting
• Women's clubs banned during Terror
• French women got voting rights only in 1946
8. Abolition of Slavery
Background: France had colonies in Caribbean (Martinique, Guadeloupe) with slave
plantations producing sugar, coffee, tobacco.
• Convention abolished slavery in 1794
• Napoleon brought it back in 1804
• Finally abolished permanently in 1848
9. Rise of Napoleon (1799-1815)
Directory Period (1795-1799):
Political instability after Terror ended. This chaos allowed Napoleon Bonaparte, a
military general, to seize power in 1799.
Napoleon's Contributions:
• Crowned himself Emperor in 1804
• Introduced Napoleonic Code (civil laws)
• Spread revolutionary ideas across Europe
• Defeated at Battle of Waterloo in 1815
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10. Impact and Legacy
Ideas that Spread Worldwide:
• Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
• Democracy and constitutional government
• Individual rights and freedoms
• Nationalism
Impact on India:
• Inspired leaders like Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Tipu Sultan
• Ideas of freedom influenced Indian independence movement
• Democratic principles adopted in Indian Constitution
🎯 Key Points to Remember
Causes: Financial crisis, social inequality, food shortage, influence of
Enlightenment ideas
Key Events: Storming of Bastille (July 14, 1789), Declaration of Rights (1789),
King's execution (1793), Reign of Terror (1793-94)
Important People: Louis XVI, Robespierre, Mirabeau, Olympe de Gouges,
Napoleon
Results: End of monarchy, establishment of republic, spread of democratic ideas,
rise of nationalism
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💡 Remember: The French Revolution changed not just France, but inspired democratic
movements worldwide, including in India!
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