The Origins and Outcomes of the French Revolution

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FRENCH REVOLUTION
Discuss the origins and outcomes of the French Revolution. What historical and cultural developments account for the Revolutions success or failure?

Origins of French Revolution (1789-1799)
There were many interrelated political and socioeconomic factors that contributed to its beginnings: the monarchy's severe debt problems, high taxes, poor harvests, and the influence of new political ideas and the American Revolution, to name a few.

The Estates General were reluctantly summoned by King Louis XVI in May of 1789 with an aim to solve the monarchy's financial crisis.

On July 14, 1789, an angry crowd marched on the Bastille, a medieval fortress in east Paris that was mostly housing political prisoners. To many people in France, it was considered as a symbol of the much-hated Louis' regime.

Many people in Paris and the rest of France were hungry, unemployed and restless. In October 1789, a large crowd of protesters, mostly women, marched from Paris to the Palace of Versailles, convinced that the royal family and nobility there lived in luxury, oblivious to the hardships of the French people.

The National Assembly continued working on a new constitution for France. After much debate, members of the Assembly decided to impose limits to the King's authority.

The long-awaited constitution finally came into effect on September 30, 1791. France was proclaimed a constitutional monarchy, while the National Assembly was dissolved and replaced by a new political body named the Legislative Assembly.

On April 20, 1792, France declared war on Austria.

In spring and summer of 1792, the French government found itself in a very difficult situation. The Austrian army and its Prussian allies started advancing into the French territory. Over the next month, hundreds of suspected royalists were executed in what became known as the "September Massacre".

Following the arrests of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the Legislative Assembly disbanded and replaced itself with a new political body named the National Convention. The first act of the latter was to declare France as a republic on September 21, 1792.

It turned radical and violent with the execution of Louis XIV (see below).

The new National Convention was dominated by the Committee of Public Safety. One man in particular, Maximilien Robespierre came to dominate the Committee and established himself as the leader of the so-called Reign of Terror (see below).

After the dramatic fall of Robespierre, the National Convention created a new constitution for France that was implemented in 1795. Napoleon established what he called the Consulate and himself as the First Consul (see below).

Outcomes of French ...