The French Revolution (1789–1799) was one of the most important events in world history. It marked the end of absolute monarchy in France and the rise of democracy, equality, and modern political thought. This video explores the causes, key events, and consequences of the Revolution — from the storming of the Bastille to the Reign of Terror and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.
French Revolution, Bastille, Napoleon Bonaparte, Reign of Terror, 1789, French history, monarchy, democracy, liberty, equality, fraternity, world history, Age of Enlightenment, French monarchy, revolution in France
00:00The French Revolution was one of the most influential periods in European history.
00:05It led to the rise of Napoleon, the decline of absolute monarchy, and the spread of revolutionary ideas across Europe.
00:11So let's start at the beginning with a brief overview of the causes of the revolution.
00:16France, in the late 18th century, was an absolute monarchy.
00:21The king had supreme authority, and the nobility and clergy were exempt from most taxes.
00:27However, the rising middle class, or bourgeoisie, resented this and wanted more political power.
00:33At the same time, France was in a severe financial crisis.
00:38The country had spent a lot of money on the American Revolution, and there was a growing gap between the rich and the poor.
00:44By 1789, things had reached a boiling point, and the French Revolution began.
00:50The revolution began with the storming of the Bastille, a royal prison that had become a symbol of the monarchy's oppression.
00:56But the king kept going back on his word and didn't really want to share power.
01:15So in 1792, the National Assembly declared France a republic.
01:20The French Revolution was not just a change in government, it was also a change in the way people thought about society.
01:26The revolution gave rise to the idea of nationalism, which is the idea that people should be loyal to their nation, rather than to a king.
01:34It also led to the end of feudalism in France, and the abolition of slavery.
01:38Unfortunately, it also led to the Reign of Terror, a period of time when thousands of people were executed for opposing the revolution.
01:44The most famous victim of the Reign of Terror was King Louis VI, who was executed in 1793.
01:51After the Reign of Terror, Napoleon Bonaparte came to power and eventually became Emperor of France.
01:57In 1814, Napoleon was defeated and the Bourbon monarchy was restored.
02:01But the French Revolution had changed France forever.
02:05Absolute monarchy was over, and France was never again ruled by a Bourbon king.
02:11Let's take a deeper look at each of these topics.
02:14To understand the French Revolution, it's important to know how France's government worked before the revolution.
02:20France was an absolute monarchy, which meant that the king had complete control over the government.
02:26The king was the head of the state, and he made all the laws.
02:29He was also the head of the church in France, and he controlled the Catholic church there.
02:34France was divided into three groups or estates.
02:37The first estate was the clergy, and they made up about 1% of the population.
02:42They did un-have-to-pay taxes, and they held a lot of power because the king was the head of the church.
02:48The second estate was the nobility, and they made up about 2% of the population.
02:52Like the clergy, they didn't have to pay taxes, and they also had a lot of power.
02:58The third estate was everyone else, and they made up 97% of the population.
03:02The third estate was divided into three groups, the bourgeoisie, the peasants, and the urban workers.
03:10The bourgeoisie was the middle class, and they were educated and wealthy.
03:14But despite being wealthy, they didn't have any political power because all the power was held by the first and second estates.
03:22The peasants were the rural workers, and they made up about 80% of the population.
03:27They were very poor, and they had to pay heavy taxes.
03:29The urban workers were the people who lived in cities and worked in factories or as servants.
03:35They were also very poor, and they lived in horrible conditions.
03:40The situation in France in the late 18th century was terrible.
03:45The country was in a severe financial crisis, and there was a lot of poverty.
03:49The American Revolution had been expensive for France, and the king had borrowed a lot of money to pay for it.
03:55To make matters worse, there was a bad harvest in 1788, and food prices went up.
04:01Things continued to get worse.
04:03In 1789, the people of France revolted.
04:06In 1789, the representatives of the third estate met and created a new group called the National Assembly.
04:13They wanted to create a constitution for France, and they wanted to end the absolute monarchy.
04:17On June 1789, the National Assembly took the tennis court oath,
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04:53the most famous victim of the reign of terror was king louis the sixteenth louis was born on august 27 1755 he became king when he was only five years old he was very unpopular as a king
05:11because he was indecisive and couldn't make up his mind when the revolution began louis tried to escape france twice but he was caught both times he was brought back to paris and tried for treason he was found guilty and sentenced to death he was executed on january 21st 1793 another famous victim of the reign of terror was maximilian robespierre was a leader of the revolution and he was in charge of the committee of public safety this was the group
05:41that was responsible for the reign of terror eventually robespierre was executed by the guillotine on july 1794 the reign of terror ended with the fall of robes after the reign of terror ended france was still in chaos there were a lot of different groups fighting for power in 1795 a group of radical republicans wrote a new constitution for france this ended the chaos and made france a dictatorship the new government was called the direct
06:11directory it was led by five men and they held all the power the directory was corrupt and it didn't do a good job of running france in 1799 napoleon bonaparte came to power and ended the directory napoleon was born on august 5th 10th 1769
06:27he was a general in the french army and he rose to fame during the italian campaign he then led a group of military officers in a coup
06:36this is a sudden and illegal seizure of power napoleon was named first consul of france and he essentially became dictator of france
06:44in 1804 napoleon crowned himself emperor of france napoleon ruled france like an absolute monarch
06:53he did not believe in the ideas of the french revolution
06:56and he took away many of the rights that had been won during the revolution
07:01he also started a series of wars that spread the ideas of the french revolution across europe
07:07napoleon was finally defeated in 1814 and he died on may 5th 1821
07:12after napoleon was defeated the bourbon monarchy was restored in france
07:17louis the 18th became king and he ruled until his death in 1824
07:21after louis the 18th died his brother charles x became king
07:25charles x tried to take away some of the rights that had been won during the french revolution
07:29the people of france revolted and charles x was forced to flee
07:34this event is called the july revolution
07:38after charles x fled his nephew louis philippe became king
07:43louis philippe was more liberal and he respected the rights that had been won during the french revolution
07:48he ruled until 1848 when he was forced to flee during the february revolution
07:54the french revolution was one of the most important events in european history
07:59it led to the end of absolute monarchy in france and the spread of revolutionary ideas across europe
08:04it also led to the rise of napoleon who would have a huge impact on europe in the early 19th century
08:09if you want to learn more about the french revolution check out the resources below
08:13and if you want to learn more about european history stay tuned
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