InNo+christopherc2012+09.02.10

= Chapter 2: Revolution and Terror, 1789 - 1794 =
 * began at Versailles in 1789
 * brought changes in the next five years in society, government, and religion
 * millions hated the revolution and wanted to stop it

Revolution, 1789

 * setting up National Assembly was a great victory for the third estate but a defeat for the king
 * Louis XVI lost control of Estate General
 * riots in the capital showed he risked losing the capital, Paris too
 * Louis ordered 20,000 royal troops to move in the area around Paris
 * claimed was to keep order
 * people thought he was disbanding National Assembly
 * On 12, July, Louis replaced finance minister with one that opposed the third estate
 * people looked for weapons to defend themselves against the king's troops
 * search for weapons went for 2 days
 * 14, July: rumors of gunpowder in Bastille an old fortress in the east end of Paris

Storming of Bastille

 * Parisians hated the Bastille
 * used as a prison for hundreds of years where prisoners were given sealed letters
 * people heard stories of sinking dungeons, torture chambers, and masked prisoners chained to the wall for life
 * The Parisians broke into the courtyard and threatened to blow the door with cannons. The governors gave in and the people took control of the Bastille
 * many pictures of the Bastille explained the people attacking the Bastille, but it is unknown whether they are accurate

King Loses Control

 * Louis XVI considered sending his army to recapture the Bastille but his war minister warned that his soldiers may refuse to do so
 * Louis XVI gave up his control of Paris and the people set up National Guard units

The Great Fear

 * violence spread in the countryside
 * employment was high and millions were hungry
 * thousands left home to seek work or beg
 * farmers lived in fear of thieves
 * rumors said that nobles were tried to starve people by hoarding grain
 * nobles were paying gangs to attack farms
 * angry peasants broke into their lord's homes and burned records of their dues
 * in July, the whole country was gripped by a "Great Fear"

The Assembly Begins its work

 * assembly was scared by the violence of peasants
 * on night of Aug 4, nobles announced that they would give up feudal rights and dues
 * by next morning, feudalism was dead
 * three weeks later, assembly issued 'Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen' where everyone became equal
 * changed laws of arrest and torture
 * power of France became the people's

Women's March to Versailles (Oct 5)

 * Louis XVI disliked the assembly's decisions and refused to sign them so they did not become law
 * ordered more bodyguards that looked like they were going to break up the Assembly.
 * women gathered on the streets, collected weapons, and marched to Versailles in protest
 * complained to king of high prices and extra guards
 * told them to live in Paris
 * Louis did want to go until people smashed in, killed two guards, and threatened to kill queen
 * king and queen lived in Tuileries Palace in Paris

Reforms

 * Assembly changed laws and the way France was run
 * taxes
 * local government reorganized
 * classes
 * Assembly took money and land from the church because they had too much power
 * Catholics protested
 * Assembly created 'Civil Constitution of the Clergy' in July 1790, where bishops and priests must be elected and take an oath of loyalty to the French law
 * half of clergy refused to take oath, claiming Assembly had no right to interfere with church affairs
 * pope refused to take the oath and the clergy divided
 * entire nation was divide against the church and its power

Flight to Varnnes

 * Louis XVI was unhappy with Civil Constitution and sided with priests who decided not to take oath
 * angry crowds protested at the gates of Tuileries Palace
 * Louis decided to leave France
 * wanted to get Armies that left France
 * tried to escape and invade France with help of Antoniette's brother, emperor of Austria
 * On June 21, 1791 midnight, royal family including 3 children disguised themselves and rode on a carrage
 * arrested in Varnnes and sent back to Paris

Summary
After the formation of the National Assembly, King Louis XVI started to lose power. It started when the French people heard rumors that there was gunpowder in Bastille, an old French fort. Fearing the separation of the Assembly, the people stormed the fort, and Louis XVI lost control of Paris. Violence spread all over France, so the Assembly created many new laws, which made the people of France equal, abolishing their rights and dues, and removing the taxes. Feudalism in France had ended. The Assembly created many reforms, in the government, social classes, and taxes. When they tried to reform the church however, the people separated into two groups. The royal family, supporting the minority tried to flee from Paris only to be caught and sent back.

Questions
I wonder how the Assembly came about to creating all these changes that were mainly benefiting the third estate, although the Assembly itself was a mixture of all of them.