1. The Third Estate got locked out of the normal meeting hall in Versailles on June 20, 1789 so they went to an indoor tennis court and they refused to disband until they got what they wanted. The Third Estate wanted to declare themselves the National Assembly and make an oath to remain opposed to the king until France became a constitutional monarchy.
2. On July 14, 1789 when the Parisians hear that troops are leaving Versailles, they panic and assume that the French Monarchy is turning against them so they storm the Bastille and kill hundreds of people there including the royal governor there.
3. Tennis Court Oath
4. Storming of the Bastille
5. The Great Fear
5.1. On July 22, 1789 peasants around France were afraid of the nobility plotting against them and they hear about the Bastille so they feel powerful enough to plan their own mutinies and they attack the homes of many nobles around France. These peasants cause many nobles to be scared for their lives causing several to flee France and become émigrés. Now, everyone that had power in France is afraid and it proves that French people are capable of what ever they want.
6. Declaration of the Right of Man and the Citizen
6.1. On August 26, 1789 the French National Constituent Assembly issued the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen which defined individual and shared rights during the French Revolution. The National Assembly had lots of ideas about human rights and was inspired by Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence so Marquis de Lafayette convinces France to make their own. It was used as a preamble to French constitutions in the future and is one of the most important pieces of enlightenment literature. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen is a document that declares what rights are "natural, unalienable, and sacred" for all men but it doesn't help women or slaves at all.
7. Reign of Terror
7.1. From September 5, 1793 to July 27, 1794, France needed power and a strong military so Robespierre makes France into a military superpower. They imprisoned thousands of people and later executed them because they were threats to the country. France is on the other extreme but they have a 850,000 man army to defend their country.
7.1.1. Jacobins - Robespierre
7.1.1.1. The Jacobins were Radical Revolutionaries and extremists. They wanted extreme changes. The Jacobins led the National Convention. Marat was their newspaper editor and was called for the executions of anti-Revolutionaries. He was later assassinated. Danton was the speaker, he inspired French men to join their army in order to defend France. Robespierre was the extreme leader of the Jacobins. He was more paranoid than the other men and he led the Reign of Terror. They voted to execute Louis XVI on January 15, 1793. 361 of 700 men voted to execute him. On January 21, 1793, Louis XVI was executed by the Jacobins. The Jacobins believed that "We must suspend free speech and liberty so we can win the war. Otherwise, there will be nothing left to defend."
8. Napoleon Bonaparte
8.1. Napoleon was a French military leader and the first emperor of France who conquered a lot of Europe in the early 19th century. Because France needed stability, Napoleon becomes the 1st consul. Napoleon then wanted more power so he creates the Coup d'etat and makes the citizen vote him into power in order for him to approve the new constitution and win the war. Even after 10 years of war, France is still at war and they are out against Britain, Austria, and Russia but he is still winning battle after battle. In 1802, Europe was finally at peace. Napoleon made many changes like re-establishing relationships with churches, made vast economic changes, and created the Napoleonic Code - a uniform set of laws that eliminated injustices but it limited liberty and speech in order to promote order. He also restored slavery. In 1804, Napoleon crowns himself emperor. He wanted to create a Napoleonic empire so he wanted all of Europe. Napolean needed a lot more money so he sold French territory (Louisiana Purchase) in the Americas to the US. ($15 million)
8.2. 3 HUGE MISTAKES!!!
8.2.1. Challenged Britain's Navy with the "Continental System"
8.2.1.1. In 1806, There was a blockade against Britain that angered Napoleon's allies.
8.2.2. The "Peninsular War"
8.2.2.1. In 1808, Napoleon invaded Spain to get to Portugal to force them to accept the Continental System. Napoleon appointed Joseph Bonaparte (his brother) as King of Spain. The Spanish people were very angry so they fought the Guerrilla War. Napoleon misjudged their power and lost over 300,000 men.
8.2.3. The Invasion of Russia
8.2.3.1. In June 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia with an army of 600,000 men because Russia refused to stop selling grain to Britain. The armies met outside of Moscow and Napoleon thought he won but the Russian army retreated while killing livestock and burning crops leaving absolutely nothing for Napoleon's army. When winter hit, Napoleon's army had to retreat but they suffered enormous losses because of starvation, wounds, and exposure leaving them to return with an army of only 40,000.