The French welcomes you!

A Long Time Ago in France...
A long, long time ago, in the 1700, France looked like the fanciest place in all of Europe!
There were big palaces, beautiful clothes, and lots of parties.
But wait...not everything was as perfect as it seemed.
Behind the sparkle, people were upset, really upset.
And this is where the big changes began!

Im rich and part of the 

Second Estate

Peasant farmers get over taxed and are part of the 

Third Estate

Catholic Clergy are part of the First Estate with all the privileges

My high powered politician and I enjoy being part of the elite Second Estate

The people of France were divided into three groups called Estates.

The First Estate: made up of clergy of the Catholic Church.

The Second Estate: made up of rich nobles and high powered politicians.

The Third Estate: made up of lower class and peasant farmers.

The Third Estate paid majority of all taxes 

We are broke!  I need help!

The King's Big Problem

King Louis XVI was a poor leader and spent all the money.  His plan was higher taxes.

He needed help and called a meeting known as the Estates General.  

It was an assembly of the three estates and held on May 5, 1789.

We want to vote by head!

We want to vote by order!

In the 1789 meeting the original voting method was no longer accepted by the Third Estate.

They no longer wanted the vote by order but by head because they had many more delegates.

The Third Estate formed the National Assembly which ended the monarchy and was a true act of revolution.

You can't keep us from meeting!  We will meet anyway even if its on a tennis court!

Three days after the formation of the National Assembly they found themselves locked out of their meeting room.

Never fear, they just broke down the door of an indoor tennis court and drew up a new constitution.

This pledge became knowns the Tennis Court Oath.

LIBERTY, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY!!!

With revolution comes tension!

"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity!" was the cry of the people as they acted in revolt to King Louis XVI.

The king gathered army forces.  The people gathered weapons.

WE SURRENDER!

On July 14, Bastille, a Paris prison was raided.

The fall of Bastille became a great symbol of revolution and is celebrated yearly. 

Why are you ladies rioting?

Leave our bread prices alone!

Rumors and the revolution created panic known as the GREAT FEAR.

In October of 1789, thousands of Parisian women rioted over the cost of bread.  

They marched with knives, axes and weapons on Versailles.

The king feared for his life and left his palace.

Stop!!! Where do you think you are going King Louis XVI?

King Louis tried to escape Paris but was stopped at the border.

The National Assembly created a new constitution in September of 1791.

King Louis didn't want to approve it but he did.

This new constitution formed a limited monarchy which stripped the king of a lot his authority.

You like my pants

Emigres, nobles and others who had fled France wanted to undo the Revolution.

The san-culottes wanted even greater changes even though they wore funny pants.

They forced a new government on September 21 called the National Convention.

Off with his head!!!!