1. What Is the Dictionary Definition for This Idea/Event?

Emelie Shany 4/29/13 Period 6 AP Group Study Project

1. What is the dictionary definition for this idea/event? French Revolution- When the third estate, later to be known as the National Assembly, rose up and tried to overthrow the absolute monarchy that was governing 1789 France at the time.

2. Who (give me precise people) started this idea/event? The third estate of France which was about 95%of the population started the revolution officially when they declared themselves the National Assembly and went to form a new constitution for France.

3. What were the reasons that this happened (previous philosophies/events that led up to this)? The event that started the French revolution happened to be the American Revolution. France in 1777 went over seas to help the colonists defeat the British but when the French came back home, France was broke. King Louis XVI needed to get money to get France out of debt, but he needed everyone’s consent. Louis called the Estates General, a sort of governing body for France that hadn’t had a meeting in the past 175 years before this meeting was called. When he called the Estates General, Louis was met by a want for a new constitution by the second estate (nobility). The third estate wanted freedom like they saw in the newly freed British colonies. When they feared that they would receive the short end of the stick they stormed out and declared themselves the National Assembly.

4. List and describe the major events and people in this idea/event? 1789- King Louis XVI calls a meeting of the Estates General June 17th 1789- The third estate declares themselves the National Assembly in the tennis court of the Palace at Versailles and swear upon the Tennis Court Oath. July 14th 1789- Peasants storm the Bastille prison to obtain its weapons when they felt that Louis wouldn’t comply. August 1789- The National Assembly adopts the Declaration of the Rights of Man, a document based off of the ideas of the Enlightenment, the Declaration of Independence, and several writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. 1791-The National Assembly ratifies the new constitution. This constitution places the power at the hands of the Convention which declared France a republic. 1793-The Jacobins, a group of radicals, the Convention imprisoned the royal family and beheaded the King and Queen. 1795- Just two years after the Convention threw out the old constitution and created the Committee of Public Safety led by Maximilien Robespierre and killed tens of thousands by guillotine, Robespierre was put on one himself. 1795- France reorganizes itself and establishes a 5-man-government called the Directory. 1799- Napoleon Bonaparte one of the five men in the Directory overthrows it by popular vote. 1804- Napoleon establishes the Napoleonic Codes, which recognized the equality of French citizens and made some Enlightenment ideas institutionalized. 1804- Napoleon makes himself Emperor. 1810-1812-Napoleon takes over most of Europe.

5. What countries/civilizations were affected most by this idea/event? France was the number one country affected by this revolution (obviously), but when Napoleon came to power countries such as Austria, Prussia, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and England were all affected due to their land being taken over.

6. What effects of this idea/event do we encounter today? Statues of Napoleon are everywhere in France and we have come to know several painting on Napoleon. The guillotine though not used anymore is still shown in movies as a method of killing someone. After the Congress of Vienna some European boarders were re done and are still the same today.