
1789
~ 1795
The French Revolution was an exciting, dramatic, and violent episode in
western history. The rise of the middle class, the use of the guillotine,
the fall of monarchy, the outbreak of European warfare, the growing role
of women, and the harsh realities of mob violence all contributed to making
this episode truly significant and memorable.
By 1789 the French Government of Louis XVI
was in trouble. Significant discontent was evident throughout the
country.
Intellectuals were dissatisfied with the scope of absolutist controls,
the bourgeoisie was antagonized by the excessive financial burdens that
fell upon them, the peasants decried the various feudal obligations that
remained, and the urban workers struggled to survive amidst inflating prices
and stagnant wages. It was the financial issues that forced the King to
call a meeting of the Estates General, a national assembly that had not
met since 1614. Needless to say there was tremendous excitement about that
meeting as hopes for change arose from all sides. France would never be
the same again.
Or take a look of the
time line for The French Revolution