Summary: Government Evolution During The French Revolution

Isabel Fernandez
Ms. Del Toro
World History
9 February 2015
Government Evolution During the French Revolution
The French Revolution came about when the population of France did not have their basic needs met. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette had a lavish lifestyle and ignored all the economic problems France was facing. The country was in debt because it had aided the Americans in the Revolutionary War against Britain, which ultimately bankrupted France. The monarchy and nobility was also spending a tremendous amount of money in Versailles, without having to pay any taxes. France had a deficit spending. To try and levitate this economic problem, Louis XVI raises taxes on the Third Estate, which worsened the situation for the poorest. There
Bread riots began to form in France when the people could not afford bread to feed their families. Louis XVI appointed Jacques Necker as his finance minister and they decided to call the Estates General. One day, after six weeks of discussion amongst the three estates, members of the third estate found the door to the assembly had been locked. These men go to the Tennis Court and vow never to stop leading until a new constitution is made. This act, known as the Tennis Court Oath, marked the beginning of the National Assembly. The people of the Third Estate supported the National Assembly. When they feared that the king’s troops were preparing to fight back, a mob stormed the Bastille for gunpowder. It was an act of defiance on the king, demonstrating how he cannot get rid of the National Assembly. The National Assembly then enacted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. This eliminated the estates and the people are granted natural rights. It also increased the bourgeoisie’ rule because they limited the suffrage to themselves. France was still struggling economically. The peasants could not feed their families, leading to the women’s marched to Versailles.
Since the Paris Commune was now in charge, they arrested him. He was tried for treason and executed, officially ending the monarchy in France. A republic was formed. The Paris Commune created a new constitution and formed the National Convention. The Convention took away anything that had to do with the old regime, gave suffrage to all male citizens, and abolished slavery. It gave most of its power to the Committee of Public Safety because it could not handle the continuing bread riots and the counterrevolution. The power within the Convention was divided between the Gerondins and the Jacobins. In the end, the Jacobins gained the power after Jean Paul Marat had twenty-two Gerondin leaders arrested and executed. To quickly cement the republic ideals, the Committee, led by Robespierre, created the Reign of Terror. Robespierre believed terror was needed to control the people and suppress its enemies. The Guillotine was used to execute more than 40,000 people in nine months. It was taken so far that it went against the Republic’s ideals and destroyed both the Republic itself and the man that began the