French+Revolution

__The French Revolution__
Time Period: 1789-1799 French Time Period: 1789-1848 However many people in France consider the revolution to have continued until 1848 when France finally became a Republic.

Many people often believe the French Revolution was a fight by the peasants, but in actuality, it was a fight by the upper middle class who used the peasants as cannon fodder. The middle class wanted power, and manipulated the lower class into fighting for them. The middle class, who were the intelligentsia, knew that they had to have the social masses on their side. Under the Estate System, only Nobles and Clergies had power. The third class had no rights or say in government. However, there was the Estates General that resembled a representative government, but it was a false one. A law would be passed if it received 2/3 of the vote. Each section of the Estates General was represented by the classes. The two upper classes would always vote for laws in their favor, and thus they would always win the vote and keep the lower class in line. The French Revolution's origin began from inspiration of the American Revolution as well as huge amount if starvation. Climate issues from a volcano in Greenland caused a failure in the grain market. The monarchs at the time were completely ignorant and clueless at the time, lavishing in their immense wealth. Louis XVI came into power when he was only 19 years old, and was referred to as a "pathetic slob". He wasn't ever expected to become king, but his brother dies before his coronation so Louis had to become the new king with no training or experience. His wife, Marie Antoinette, is either referred to as being cruel or just an airhead. She was from Austria and never wanted to marry Louis so she decided to live a glamorous and expensive life to make up for it. She had 20,000 dresses, often spent 5 hours getting ready, and threw insanely lavish parties. The intelligentsia used stories and rumors about the ignorance and wealth of the Nobles to enrage the peasants. Finally the first shots rang out at an event known as the Fall of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. It began to start of the violence in the revolution and became the signature spark of the revolution. After the fall, the masses turned their attention to the noble classes all around France. A time called The Great Fear began when tens of thousands of nobles were eliminated. Others fled France to surrounding countries like England. The Great Fear ended quickly, only lasting for about a year between 1789-1790. France became calmer, with a little less chaos. The Declaration of the Right's of Man was completed which showed a glimmer of a new Republic, also setting debates about the king and what to do with him. New political parties formed during this time including the Jacobins who were radicals including Marat, Danton and Robespierre who would prove to be very influential later. The emigres were nobles who fled France during the Great fear who returned and wanted things to resume how they used to be. The Sans-Culottes, the working class, saw one group of elites just replacing another, but feared the Jacobins for their power. Then a new invention was created, which forever changed execution, The fearsome machine, La Guillotine, could slice off heads in a matter iof seconds and was considered more humane then hanging or execution by axe. Louis XVI was executed in January of 1793 which began the new Reign of Terror for another year. Robespierre commanded the deaths of more tens of thousands of people who sympathized at all with the noble class. The Committee of Public Safety searched homes for royalist pictures/materials and would drag the people out, sentencing them all to death. He even killed his other two friends who accused him of committing atrocities. Finally Robespierre was executed which ended the Reign of Terror, bringing a new dictator, Napoleon. Oddly enough the people loved Napoleon. They needed the chaos to end and security to be brought back into France. One if the bloodiest times of history was finally brought to an end, and France began improving once more.