History Made Easy A Simple Method

Sample text The French Revolution (1789-1799) was a period of great social and political upheaval in France. It witnessed the collapse of the monarchy, the establishment of the First French Republic and culminated in the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte and the beginning of the Napoleonic era. The French Revolution is considered one of the defining events of Western history.The Revolution of 1789, as it is sometimes called to distinguish it from later French revolutions, had its origins in deep-seated problems that the government of King Louis XVI of France (who reigned from 1774 to 1792) was unable to solve. These problems were primarily related to France's financial problems, as well as systemic social inequality rooted in the Ancien Régime. The Estates General of 1789, convened to address these issues, led to the formation of a National Constituent Assembly, a body of elected representatives from the three social orders who vowed not to dissolve until they had drafted a new constitution. During the following decade, the revolutionaries attempted to dismantle the old oppressive society and build a new one based on the principles of the Age of Enlightenment exemplified in the motto: Liberté, égalité, fraternité (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity). Although initially successful in establishing a French Republic, the revolutionaries soon became embroiled in the French Revolutionary Wars (1792-1802), where France fought against a coalition of European great powers. The Revolution quickly turned into violent paranoia, and between 20,000 and 40,000 people were killed in the Reign of Terror (1793-94), including many of the former leaders of the Revolution. After the Terror, the Revolution stalled until 1799, when Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) took control of the government in the Coup of the 18th of Brumaire, and eventually turned the Republic into the First French Empire (1804-1814, 1815). Although the Revolution could not prevent France from falling back into autocracy, it succeeded in other respects. It inspired numerous revolutions around the world and helped shape modern concepts of the nation-state, Western democracy and human rights.