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French Revolution: Causes,

Timeline & its Impacts |
UPSC World History Notes
The French Revolution began in 1789 and ended with the ascension of Napoleon Bonaparte in the late
1790s. It was a watershed moment in the history of modern Europe. This period saw French citizens
demolishing and rebuilding their country's political landscape. This undermines centuries-old
institutions like absolute monarchy and the feudal system.

The upheaval was caused by widespread dissatisfaction with the French monarchy and King Louis
XVI's poor economic policies, both of which were executed by guillotine, as was his wife Marie
Antoinette. The French Revolution did not achieve all of its goals and occasionally devolved into a
bloodbath.

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Background of the French Revolution

 The French Revolution lasted from 1789 to 1794. King Louis XVI needed more money, but
when he called a meeting of the Estates General, he failed to raise more taxes. Instead, this
became a protest against the conditions in France.
 On July 14, 1789, the Paris mob stormed the Bastille fortress, hungry due to a lack of food due
to poor harvests, dissatisfied with their living conditions, and irritated with their King and
Government (a prison). Because only four or five prisoners were discovered, this proved to be
more symbolic than anything else.
 King Louis and his family were relocated from Versailles (the Royal Palace) to Paris in October
1789. In 1791, he attempted to flee but was apprehended and forced to agree to a new form of
government.
 A 'legislative assembly' governed in place of the King from October 1791 to September 1792,
and was then replaced by the 'National Convention.' The French Republic was declared, and
the King was soon put on trial.
 With the passage of time, it became more radical and violent. On January 21, 1793, King Louis
XVI was assassinated, and 1,400 people suspected of being enemies of the Republic were
executed in Paris.

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The French Revolution Timeline and Important events

The timeline of the French Revolution are given as follows:
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 February 1787 - In order to discuss the nation's financial deficit, Charles-Alexandre de Calonne,
France's controller general of finances, brings together aristocrats and bourgeoisie figures.
Calonne proposes taxing the affluent classes, but the assembly declines to implement that
measure.
 May 5, 1789 - The First Estate (clergy), Second Estate (nobility), and Third Estate (lower
classes) are represented by members of the Estates-General, which convenes in Versailles.
 June 17, 1789 - Deputies of the Third Estate declared themselves the National Assembly due to
a disagreement over votes in the Estates-General.
 June 20, 1789 - Members of the National Assembly take over the king's indoor tennis court after
royal officials bar them from using their regular meeting space. They swear to stay together until
they have given France a new constitution in what becomes known as the Tennis Court Oath.
 July 9, 1789 - The assembly, which adopts the name National Constituent Assembly, is
persuaded by King Louis XVI to join the other two estates.
 July 14, 1789 - A sizable crowd seizes the Bastille jail, a symbol of royal tyranny, during the
Great Fear of July 1789, when Parisians were terrified that the nobility may destroy the Third
Estate.
 August 26–October 6, 1789 - The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, a
declaration that shares Enlightenment inspirations with the Declaration of Independence, is
presented by the National Constituent Assembly.
 April 20, 1792 - Austria now faces a conflict with France. The "French Revolutionary wars"
between France and several European powers continued for the following seven years.
 August 10, 1792 - Insurgents assaulted the royal Paris home and detained Louis XVI.
 September 20-21, 1792: The National Convention, a new assembly, convenes and declares a
republic and the abolition of the monarchy.
 January 21, 1793 - According to convention, Louis XVI is put to death for treason.
 August 22, 1795 - The bicameral legislature of France was established by a new constitution
that was passed by the moderate National Convention.
 November 9, 1799 - Napoleon Bonaparte, a military leader, overthrows the Directory and
appoints himself France's first consul. His title changes to emperor afterwards.

Causes of the French Revolution

 By the end of the 18th century, France's costly involvement in the American Revolution,
combined with the excessive spending of King Louis XVI and his predecessors, had brought the
country to the brink of bankruptcy.
 Not only has the royal treasury run out, but two decades of poor harvests, drought, livestock
disease, and skyrocketing bread prices have created fear among the peasants and the urban
poor.
 Many people have used riots, looting and strikes to express their despair and hatred of the high-
tax regime without providing any assistance.
 In the fall of 1786, Charles Alexandre de Calonne, general controller of Louis XVI, proposed a
package of financial reforms. This included instituting a uniform land tax from which the
privileged classes would no longer be exempt.
 To garner support for these measures and prevent a growing aristocratic uprising, the King
summoned the General of State, a gathering of the French Clergy, Nobles and Bourgeoisie, for
the first time since 1614.
 The conference was set for May 5, 1789; in the interim, delegates from each of the three
estates would collect lists of grievances to bring to King George III.

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The course of the French Revolution

Ascension of the Third Estate

 Since 1614, France's population had changed dramatically. Even though 98 per cent of the
people now represented The Third Estate's non-aristocratic members; they could still be
outvoted by the other two bodies.
 In the run-up to the May 5 conference, the Third Estate had begun to mobilize support for equal
representation and the lifting of a noble veto, in other words, voting per person over status.
 While all orders shared a desire for fiscal and judicial reform, as well as a more representative
form of government, the nobles, in particular, were unwilling to give up the privileges they had
under the traditional system.

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Tennis Court Oath

 The intense discussion over its voting method had deteriorated into animosity between the three
orders by the time the Estates-General gathered at Versailles, overshadowing the meeting's
initial goal and the authority of the man who had called it.
 On June 17, the Third Estate convened alone and formally accepted the title of National
Assembly; three days later, they met in a nearby indoor tennis court and took the Tennis Court
Oath, promising not to disperse until constitutional change was accomplished.
 The bulk of the clergy delegates and 47 liberal nobles joined them within a week, and on June
27, Louis XVI grudgingly integrated all three orders into the new parliament.

The Great Fear and the Bastille

 On June 12, fear and violence dominated the capital as the National Assembly continued to
convene at Versailles.
 Though pleased with the recent breakdown of royal power, Parisians became concerned when
rumours of an impending military coup began to circulate.
 On July 14, rioters stormed the Bastille fortress in an attempt to secure gunpowder and
weapons; many consider this event, now commemorated as a national holiday in France, to be
the beginning of the Revolution.
 The Great Fear agrarian insurgency expedited the flight of nobility from the land, inspiring the
National Constituent Assembly to abolish feudalism on August 4, 1789, signing the "death
certificate of the old system" as characterised by historian Georges Lefebvre.

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Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

 In late August, the Assembly adopted the Declaration of Man's and Citizen's Rights.
 It's a proclamation of democratic ideals based on Enlightenment philosophers like Jean-
Jacques Rousseau's philosophical and political views.
 The Assembly's intention to replace the ancient régime with a system based on equality, free
expression, popular sovereignty, and representative governance was stated in the text.

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The French Revolution Devolves Into Radicalism.

 On August 10, 1792, a gang of revolutionaries led by extreme Jacobins assaulted the royal
house in Paris and imprisoned the monarch, bringing the political situation to a head.
 The Legislative Assembly was replaced by the National Convention, which declared the
monarchy abolished . This led to the creation of the French republic.
 On January 21, 1793, it executed King Louis XVI and his wife Marie-Antoinette, who had been
sentenced to death for high treason and crimes against the state.

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Reign of Terror


o The French Revolution entered its most violent and chaotic era after the king's
execution, marked by wars with numerous European countries and significant
disagreements within the National Convention.
o The Jacobins took over the National Convention from the more moderate Girondins in
June 1793, adopting a series of radical measures such as the adoption of a new
calendar and the abolition of Christianity.
o They also started the horrific Reign of Terror, a 10-month period in which thousands of
suspected revolutionaries were executed by guillotine.
o Robespierre, who ruled over the harsh Committee of Public Safety until his death on July
28, 1794, ordered many of the killings. His death heralded the Thermidorian Reaction, a
more moderate period in which the French people rose up against the excesses of the
Reign of Terror.

 Jacobins were the revolutionaries that belonged to the most famous political
Jacobins club during the French Revolution from 1789 to 1799.
 They planned the overthrow of the monarchy and the establishment of the
French Republic. They are commonly connected to the violent "Terror" period of the French
Revolution.
 They were the advocates of centralization, more equal formal rights, and moderate
authoritarianism in France.
 Maximilien Robespierre served as the head of the French Jacobin club.
 Within the Jacobins, there were primarily two groups:
o Mountain - They were the most extreme group of Jacobins and its leader was
Robespierre. They battled the Girondists and eventually took over the club.
o Girondists - They were less radical than the Mountain group. At the outset of the Terror,
many Girondists were put to death for defying Robespierre.

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Role of women in the French Revolution

 Women were involved in almost every element of the French Revolution, although their
involvement was almost always contentious. Politicians have long debated the place of women
in the household, society, and the political sphere.
 In the Third Estate, women had to work for a living and were not given access to training or
education. Only daughters of noblewomen and members of the wealthier classes of society had
access to schooling.
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 Compared to men, women earned less money. The majority of homemakers were women, so
they were also responsible for all household duties and child care. Women established their
own publications and societies.
 The Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women was one of the most well-known political
organisations, and they were unhappy with the Constitution of 1791's designation of them as
passive citizens.
o Equal political rights for men and women were advocated by this society. They desired
the right to cast ballots and run for office.
o Divorce was made lawful, and the practice of marriage without consent was outlawed.
Women were also permitted to own modest companies and practise crafts.
 Sophie de Condorcet was a powerful Revolutionary War woman. She collaborated with her
husband, the Marquis de Condorcet, to argue for full women's suffrage in a July 1790
document.
 Salonnière Germaine de Stal wielded equal power in the higher tiers. As the daughter of
Jacques Necker, the famous and adored finance minister, de Stal had a particularly privileged
position in society, and she utilised her position to advocate for the rights of others.
 Madame Roland, an outsider who moved from Lyon with her husband, was another figure in
Revolutionary politics. She frequently visited Jacobin leader Maximilien Robespierre, but her
measured demeanour led to her imprisonment and execution as an enemy of the Revolution.

End of the French Revolution And Napoleon's Rise

 On August 22, 1795, the National Convention, which was primarily made up of Girondins who
had survived the Reign of Terror, passed a new constitution, creating France's first bicameral
legislature.
 Parliament would establish a five-member Directory to exercise executive power. Royalists and
Jacobins resisted the new rule, but the army, now headed by Napoleon Bonaparte, a young and
brilliant commander, swiftly hushed them.
 Financial difficulties, social dissatisfaction, inefficiency, and, most all, political corruption plagued
the Directory's four years in power.
 By the late 1790s, the directors had outsourced most of their power to field commanders and
relied nearly completely on the military to preserve their control.
 As discontent with their leadership grew, Bonaparte mounted a coup, dissolving the Directory
and proclaiming himself France's "first consul" on November 9, 1799.
 The conclusion of the French Revolution and the beginning of the Napoleonic era, during which
France came to control most of continental Europe, were marked by this event.

The downfall of Napoleon

The downfall of Napoleon Bonaparte are described below:

 The Continental System was one of the first attempts to either conquer or gain an edge over
much of Europe. Napoleon intended to weaken England with the passage of this proclamation.
However, the Continental System was unsuccessful, in part because England had enough
natural resources to support itself. Ironically, France was the nation that suffered.
 France fought Spain and Portugal in the Peninsular War, which lasted from 1808 to 1814. Great
Britain supported Spain and Portugal. When Napoleon overthrew Spain in 1808, he actually
accomplished his goal of conquering the Iberian Peninsula, which he had set out to do. As King
of Spain, he proclaimed his elder brother Joseph. Between 1808 and 1813, he had a brief reign.

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 The Peninsular War ended up being exceedingly expensive, and although France defeated
Spain, it marked a turning point in Napoleon's rule because it was at this time that his former
friends learned how land-hungry he had become.
 Meanwhile, Napoleon's French launched an invasion of Russia in 1812. With this invasion, he
had intended to defeat Russian forces and gain political advantage with both Poland and
Russia. But it was a terrible failure.
 The Russians were definitely not interested in any battles with the French, and it was bitterly
cold. They went further away from the French before retreating, but not before implementing a
"scorched earth" policy in which they burnt all the crops. Napoleon's men had little to eat as a
result. Over the course of the six-month invasion, the French army would lose hundreds of
thousands of men.
 Britain, Austria, Prussia, and Russia were added to Napoleon's list of adversaries by his actions
by June 1815. When Napoleon learned of this, he believed he might surprise them and attempt
to overpower them. The four nations all prepared for what they all believed would be a war with
Napoleon's forces. The Battle of Waterloo was then set off by his subsequent invasion of
Belgium. This battle would end Napoleon's reign in defeat when he and his troops were routed.

Impact of the French Revolution

The impact of the french revolution are listed below:

 End of Monarchy - It established democracy in France and put an end to the monarchy.
Additionally, it prompted other nations to declare war on France. It also contributed to Napoleon
Bonaparte's rise to power.
 Political Parties: As a result of the revolution, France is now a multiparty system. Political
organisations that fought for control, such as the Jacobins, Cordeliers, etc., grew as a result of
the freedom to associate. By denouncing poor policies, these parties kept the government in
check and in touch with the people.
 Modern Nationalism’s Growth - A nation's commitments are prioritised over the interests of any
one person or group of people according to the nationalism concept. The development of the
modern nation-state was started by the French Revolution, which was also a major factor in the
emergence of nationalism throughout Europe.
 French Land Ownership Has Changed - Feudalism included a practice known as manorialism,
which made peasants reliant on their land and their lord. In order to finance the church, tithes
were one-tenth of annual output or earnings collected as a levy. During the French Revolution,
both of these tariffs were eliminated.
 Bourbon Rule In France Comes To An End - A French Dynasty known as the House of Bourbon
governed France for more than 400 years. The French Revolution ended its dominion. In
France, the monarchy was abolished in 1792, and the Republican system of government took
its place. Although the Bourbon monarchy was reinstated following Napoleon Bonaparte's
defeat in 1815, it only lasted until 1830 before it was eventually abolished in the July Revolution.
 Declaration of Human Rights: The constitutional assembly published the declaration of human
rights, which guaranteed political freedoms such as the right to own property and the freedoms
of expression, press, association, and religion.
 Rule of Law and Constitution: The French Revolution established the rule of law. Before 1789,
France lacked a written constitution to protect individual freedoms and rights. The executive,
judicial, and legislative branches were clearly separated under the constitution.
 Liberalism’s Expansion - Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy centred on equality and
liberty. With the motto "liberty, equality, fraternity," the hereditary aristocracy was toppled during
the French Revolution, and France became the first state in history to provide universal male
suffrage. The Revolution's triumph of liberalism was symbolised by two significant occurrences.
On the evening of August 4, 1789, feudalism was abolished in France.
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Global impact of the French Revolution

The global impact of the French Revolution are as follows:

 Many nations drew inspiration from the ideals that the French Revolution gave rise to, and it
altered the course of modern history irrevocably.
 People all around the world were opposing the repressive monarchs.
 Over the years, the French military helped the concepts of equality and liberty grow throughout
the globe.
 As the French radicalised the 18th century's political and social structure, they emerged as the
main force to be considered.
 By putting an end to feudalism, the French Revolution paved the way for future advancements
in personal freedom, democratic values, and equality of life.

Conclusion
The main legacies of the French Revolution were the concepts of liberty and democratic rights. Over the
course of the nineteenth century, when feudal systems were abolished, these expanded from France to
the rest of Europe. Colonized peoples modified the concept of freedom from servitude to fit their
migrations and establish independent nation-states. Rammohan Roy and Tipu Sultan are two examples
of those who reacted to the ideologies propagated by revolutionary France.

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