- [Narrator] King Louie and his family were now in the Tuileries Palace in Paris, where for the next couple of years, he watched as the revolutionary government began to strip away his power and fearing for his safety, he had to stay on their good side. Hey, look who it is. It's my favorite revolutionaries. Yep, I'm your number one fan. What can I do for you? Hey, King Louie. So we've made a few decisions. First, all of your friends in the nobility are gonna have to pay taxes
the same as everyone else. Great idea. I love it. And as a side note, the tax money can no longer pay
for all your lavish parties. Great, I hate those parties. They're so awkward. And also we're taking away your Porsche. Ah, come on. I mean, Yay. The king continually
found demand after demand being made of him to prove his support for the revolution. On one occasion, a mob would invade the palace and demand he wear the
revolutionary bonnet. This is the face of a
man who is definitely pretending he wants to wear that bonnet. Now around here, I wanna mention that one thing
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rapidly turning against him, the king decided it might be
a good idea to leave France and mount a campaign to retake
his country from abroad. Luckily for him, he was married to an Austrian. So on the night of June 20th, 1791, the king in his family
disguised themselves as servants and attempted to flee to
the Austrian Netherlands. The royal carriage made a
stop in the town of Varennes and the postmaster there was like, "hey guys, what's up? Where are you off to?" We are but a collection of inconspicuous servants
heading for the border for no particular reason at all. Say, you, the fat one. You look kind of familiar. Aren't you the king? Nope. Let me see your passport. It says here, you're King Louis the 16th. Nope, not me. Take him away, boys. The King was promptly returned to Paris, but now the jig was up. His lack of support for the revolution was clear to all and many considered him
a straight up traitor who tried to abandon his people. As a result, the new Constitution of 1791
completely reduced his powers to that of a simple figurehead, a constitutional monarch. However radicals, such as those in the Jacobin Club, were outraged that the king
wasn't to be removed entirely. So a month later, these radicals staged a protest on the Champ de Mars calling
for the king's removal. The government of Paris feared
an insurrection was mounting and they sent the military
to disperse the crowd. The confrontation escalated and resulted in the
revolutionary National Guard firing on a crowd of revolutionaries. It was a massacre. The incident exposed a deep division within the brotherhood of the revolution. On one side, the moderates who wanted to keep the King as a figurehead, on the other radicals who
wanted to see the king deposed and heads roll. In the wake of the massacre, these radicals received a wave of support. And speaking of rolling heads, one form of equality of
the revolution introduced was a quality in execution. This meant no more torturous
drawing and quartering, no more inhumane hanging. They wanted all criminals, regardless of economic status
to receive the same penalty. A quick and painless one. Luckily, a man by the name
of Dr. Joseph Guillotine had an idea. A heavy blade that falls like thunder. The head flies off, blood spurts, and the man is no more. The guillotine, otherwise
known as the National Razor. The guillotine made its debut in 1791 as the new form of execution. The writings of Marat and others continued to
call for the execution of anyone suspected of working against the revolution. For him, this included some members
of the clergy and nobility who had previously benefited from the cruel system of inequality that existed before the revolution. In many parts of the countryside, local lords had found
themselves become a target. Sire, the peasants, they're revolting. Oh, come on. That's a bit harsh. Sure, they smell a bit, but I wouldn't say they're revolting. Oh, yes, I see what you mean. Increasingly, these French aristocrats began fleeing France to find solitude in other parts of Europe. And once again, fear began to take hold. The privileged classes
of these foreign nations didn't like what they were seeing because they feared revolutionary ideas may spread to their own lands. The National Assembly, actually now the Legislative Assembly feared that these nations
may decide to attack. Then why don't we attack them first? No, you idiots. We are definitely not ready for war yet. Did somebody say something? France declared war in
Austria in April, 1792 and immediately got pummeled. It also didn't help that
Austria's ally, Prussia, joined in the fighting. The Prussian Duke of Brunswick posted a letter warning
the revolutionaries that if anything happened to the King, he would burn Paris to the ground. The Duke's letter proved
to be a massive success in inspiring the people of Paris to do the exact opposite
of what he intended. They were enraged by the threat. And on the 10th of August, 1792, the tension in the city exploded and a mob stormed the king's palace. Fighting broke out between
the revolutionaries and the king's Swiss guard with casualties in the 100s. King Louis fled and took refuge in the chamber
of the legislative assembly where Robespierre and his radical Jacobins were gaining evermore power. Given the developing situation, the chamber decided to hold a vote. And in what some considered
to be a second revolution, it was decided to suspend
the monarchy entirely. King Louis the 16th was
now just plain old Louis and he was sent to a prison cell where an eye could be kept on him. A month later, the newly established national convention officially declared the French Republic and society underwent a massive change. Enlightened ideas of democracy and equality were being implemented. But very quickly, these ideas seemed to
become secondary to fear, paranoia and a thirst for blood. The new republic began
working to violently remove any semblance of the old royalist regime. The church became a prime target. Priests who refused to take
a oath to the revolution were deported or arrested. A new state-sponsored atheistic religion named the Cult of Reason was created as a replacement for the Catholic Church. Notre Dam, along with many other churches, had the religious treasures destroyed and were converted to temples of reason. Even the Christian
calendar didn't survive, as a brand new revolutionary
calendar was soon introduced. Hey honey, I'm home. Yeah, whatever jerk. Whoa, what's wrong with you? You forgot. Forgot what? Everything. This entire year, my birthday was on the third of Germinal. Our anniversary was the 12th of Thermidor and you promised that in Frimaire, we'd go on a romantic
weekend trip to Venice. No, I said would do that in December. December hasn't been a thing for years. The government of Paris now under the control of
the radical San-Culottes began rounding up suspected
enemies of the revolution and sending them to prison in the 1000s. Naturally, a large
number of those arrested were members of the
clergy and aristocracy. As Francis foreign enemies
continued to close in, panic spread. Georges Danton made impassioned calls for men to defend the republic and tens of 1000s of troops left Paris for the front lines. However, in their absence, Paris was left to its own devices. As enemy troops arrived in Verdun, the people of Paris feared
that their crowded prisons were becoming a breeding ground for counterrevolutionary conspiracy. What would happen if the
Prussians reached Paris and freed the aristocrats? Marat believed he knew what would happen. The aristocrats would
enact their vengeance on the people. Fearing those they had already imprisoned, mobs descended on Paris's prisons. They broke in. And during the brutal September massacres, aristocrats, priests and others were tried and executed on the spot. Even women and children weren't spared. With over 1,600 victims, word of the massacre spread across Europe. One British newspaper wondered, are these the rights of men? Is this the liberty of human nature? But there was still one man in particular that Robespierre and his radicals really wanted to see executed. Austria and Prussia pledged that after they defeated France, they'd returned King Louis to the throne. Well checkmate Austria and Prussia because he can't return
a man to the throne if he's already dead. Citizen Louis Capet was
put on trial for treason. Obviously he was found guilty, but his punishment was less certain. Many moderates wanted
to simply deport him. But Robespierre insisted the
revolution could only live if the king was dead. A vote was held and by just one vote, Louis was sentenced to the guillotine. If you don't mind, I'd like to say a few words first. Gentlemen, I am innocent of everything of which I am accused... Wait, you're too loud. They can't hear me. Hang on, I haven't finished yet. Wait, dude. Uncool. In her prison cell, Marie Antoinette heard the guns fire signaling her husband's death. Before long, she would meet the same fate. Back on the war front, France defied all expectations, and actually managed
to push the enemy back. But then more countries
joined the coalition against France and it
all went to pot again. What do we do? Conscript the masses. The National Convention
introduced a conscription law with each regional department having to meet a certain
quota of men for the army. However, not everyone was
happy with this new law. You see, while Paris
was definitely a hotbed for radical revolutionary fervor, some of the regions outside of Paris weren't quite so keen on the revolution. Some were largely still conservative, still supported the church and just didn't suffer
from that much inequality before the revolution. So as the revolution
turned increasingly violent and anti-Christian, many were outraged. Now they were being conscripted to fight for the new republic they hated. That was the last straw. Counterrevolutionary uprisings erupted in a number of regions across France. Some would last for years, such as in the Northwest where a large scale uprising
was led by The Owls. Why were they called The Owls? Because their leader was named Jean Owl. Why was he called John Owl? Possibly because he could do a really good impression of an owl. Really? That's what we're going with? Owls? Just because this guy can
do an impression of one? Hit him with it, Jean. Hoot, hoot. Yeah, okay. That's pretty good. The Chouanary uprising lasted
all the way until 1800. In the summer of 1793, the southern city of Toulon
invited the British Navy over for some tea and crumpets. And then they asked if
they'd possibly like to stay and occupy the city. Being an important naval base, this was a heavy blow to the republic who sent a relatively
unknown young captain by the name of Napoleon Bonaparte to help stage the siege of the city. Toulon was recaptured
by France in the winter and for his service Napoleon was promoted to the
rank of brigadier general. The most infamous
counterrevolution, however, occurred in the Vendee region. Throughout 1793, revolutionary forces
clashed with the region's Catholic and royal army. The republic defeated
the counterrevolution through cruel pacification. In particular, general Jean Baptist Carrier committed brutal atrocities. In one instance, he had 1000s of civilians, priests, women and children tied to ships, which were then sunk. Carrier would later be
found guilty of war crimes and executed. Back in Paris, the government was still
dominated by moderates. With the war going badly, revolts in the provinces and
the economy getting worse, it seemed the government just
wasn't doing a very good job. Radicals' fear for the safety
of the revolution intensified and Marat even began
calling for the moderates in the government to be executed. In return, the moderates called
for the arrest of Marat. This led to a chain of events with the two sides in heated conflict. Robespierre declared the
Jacobins to be be an insurrection and called on the people
to arm themselves. It all ended on the 31st of May, 1793 with the National Convention surrounded by radical Sans-culottes and 29 moderate Girondin
politicians arrested. From this moment on, the moderate ceased to
be a political force. Robespierre and his radicals would be an almost total
control of the government. And this brings us to the story of a woman named Charlotte Corday. Charlotte lived in the
northwest city of Caen and like many in the area was horrified at the rapid radicalization and increasing violence of the revolution. And the man she blamed more than anyone was Jean Paul Marat. She wanted to bring peace back to France. And so she did something drastic. She traveled to Paris and told Marat she had a list of enemies for
him to publish in his paper. Marat eagerly invited
her in for a meeting. So where's that list of
enemies you promised me? Here it is. Wait a minute. This isn't the list of enemies. It just says "yippee ki yay mother..." (Marat screams) And just like that, Marat was no more. Charlotte was quickly arrested
and sent to the guillotine. Her dream of restoring peace,
however, died with her. Marat became a martyr. In temples of reason, symbols of the dead Marat became the new crucifix. In death, he became an even more
powerful inspiration for the extreme levels of violence that were about to rip
throughout the new republic. And that's right. Here comes the reign of terror. If you thought this revolution already sounds pretty violent, well you ain't seen nothing yet, son. The radicals were now in control and they believed not only was France
surrounded by foreign enemies, but that within the masses, there were also plenty
of internal ones too. Individuals not loyal to the revolution, conspiring to bring about it's downfall. Robespierre and the rest
of the radical faction were having none of it. A new committee of public safety was established with 12 members. Its purpose was to protect
the new French republic from its enemies and it basically became
a 12 man dictatorship with Robespierre as its leading voice. The revolutionary tribunal
was also reinstated. A special court created to streamline the process of trying suspected enemies and handing out their death sentences. With these two new institutions, Robespierre wanted to scare
Francis enemies straight. In September, 1793, it was announced that terror
would be the order of the day. In other words, fear had become official
government policy. And from then onwards, we entered to the period known as the reign of terror. Spies and secret police were everywhere and watched the people closely. France's public had to
be extremely careful what they said and how they behaved. Obviously criticizing this new system or the government would quickly have you sent off to the guillotine. But that's not all, even the most minor offense could have you tried before
the Revolutionary Tribunal. Hello, citizen Martin. Hello, Monsieur DuBois. Monsieur? Did I just hear you say monsieur? That's the old style
of address, my friend. To the guillotine. You know what? I didn't like him but I do feel kind of bad
for the King and his family. Ooh, expressing sympathy for
the royal family, are we? To the guillotine. 12 sous for a loaf of bread? That's way overpriced. To the guillotine. Man, this bread line is taking forever. To the guillotine. And you, you look like you're thinking
anti-revolutionary thoughts. To the guillotine. Max, we're sending way too many people to the guillotine. To the guillotine. Chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop. It was insane. All across France, about 40,000 people were killed for suspected crimes against liberty. Let's say your neighbor won't stop mowing the lawn at seven in the morning. Well, then all you gotta
do is tell the government they've been talking
smack about the revolution and there's a good chance they'll end up in front of
the Revolutionary Tribunal. Maybe they'll even be executed, taking a metaphorical
load off your shoulders and a literal one off theirs. The most prominent victim
of the reign of terror was a certain Marie Antoinette who has finally tried and found
guilty of treason in 1793. She expected she'd be
brought to the guillotine in a royal carriage fit for a queen. All the republic could
provide for her, however, was a wooden (indistinct). At 37 years old, the most hated woman in French history met her end on the 16th of October, 1793. Robespierre had saved the
revolution through terror. Internal dissent was being suppressed. The food situation was
no longer quite as bad. Even the French military had
got its act together again and pummeled the allies at the Battle of Fleurus. For Danton and his followers, the time was right to try to
normalize the French Republic. Hey, Robes P, so we were thinking that since things are finally going better, maybe we should reign in the terror. And while we're on it, we could possibly start
taking it easier on the church and also try to end this costly war. Hmm. Oh crap. As time went on, Robespierre seemed to go, for lack of a better term, a bit mental. He was hellbent on creating what he called a republic of virtue. And for him this meant amping
up the bloodshed even more. Throughout the spring and summer of 1794, executions reached an unprecedented level during a period known as the great terror. Even those closest to him found their way to the guillotine if they dare to pose
his ideas and actions. And he began alienating himself from the rest of the convention. He created a new deistic religion called the Cult of the supreme being along with the new annual
festival of the supreme being. Man, I think Robespierre is
really starting to lose it. He thinks he's a God or something. Nonsense. Sure, he's gone a little extreme, but he doesn't think he's a God. My children, bathe your immortal souls in
the virtue of my republic. Okay, yeah. He's completely lost it. Robespierre's ultimate mistake, however, came on July 26th when he made a speech to
the National Convention in which he said this, "I have in my hand a
brand new list of enemies to be sent to the guillotine. And many of you are on this list but I'm not gonna tell you who yet. What do you think of that?" I think we should send Robespierre to the guillotine first. All in favor? Oh, no. Two days later, Robespierre
became the final victim of the monstrous terror and paranoia he had created. Many historical accounts
of the revolution end here with the death of
Robespierre and his terror. But the revolution officially continued for another five years until 1799. So what happened between now and then? Well, after the fall of Robespierre, a more moderate political
group called the Thermidorians took control of the convention. They wanted to restore
stability to the government. Now Robespierre's allies and other radicals who had
fueled the terror themselves became the target of
political suppression. Bourgeois street fighters took on the radical San-Culottes in the streets during a
period named the white terror. In 1795, the Thermidorians
drafted a new constitution and created a government
called The Directory with the purpose of preventing power from being able to fall into the hands of a single individual again. As this new government
was being established, royalists who wanted to
bring the monarchy back to France saw this moment
as an opportunity to strike. They staged an insurrection in Paris and battled with the National
Guard in the streets. Luckily, one Napoleon Bonaparte happened to be in Paris at the time, and he took control of the situation firing on the crowd and
putting down the insurrection. From this moment on, the people of Paris would never again be able to stage a popular uprising and lost their control
over the revolution. For his actions, Napoleon became a general and was sent to take control
of the French armies in Italy. The new directory remained a
fairly ineffective government for the remainder of the revolution. It was plagued with corruption and struggled to keep the economy afloat. And as a result wasn't very popular. For the people of France, with the strict social customs of both royalist France
and the terror gone, they didn't really know
what to do with themselves. Men no longer removed their
hats when talking to women, different classes began intermingling and a publication began circulating that looked a lot like
a modern dating app. It was social anarchy. Outside of France, the war continued. In 1795, France took the Netherlands where they set up a puppet state. Then they negotiated both
Prussia and Spain out of the war. The British attempted
to land French royalists in the West to reinforce rebellion. But that plan failed. In 1796, the French planned
a three-pronged attack with the aim of marching on Vienna and knocking Austria out of the war. The two northern armies were defeated and forced to retreat. However, Napoleon in the South with groundbreaking military strategy, won battle after battle after battle. He pushed the Austrians out of Italy and began closing in on Vienna. The Austrians freaked out and Napoleon oversaw the
signing of a peace treaty. He had almost single-handedly
knocked Austria out of the war. And by the way, he was only 28. So maybe it's about time you moved outta your mom's basement. Napoleon became a famed
hero among the French people but his aspirations were still higher. He briefly went off to Egypt and discovered a bunch
of gnarly Egyptian stuff. But then the British destroyed his fleet and trapped his forces. Say, Napoleon, sir, you're not gonna leave
us here stuck in Egypt and return to France, are you? Nonsense, my boy. I would never dream of
abandoning my loyal soldiers. Wow, what's that over there? On his return to Paris, Napoleon found himself
to be extremely popular and the government extremely unpopular. And he started getting
some power-hungry ideas. Conveniently, a politician
named Emmanuel Joseph Sieyes approached Napoleon and said, "hey man, since you're so popular, do you wanna help me stage a coup?" Great idea. Let's stage a coup and then I'll coup you. What? Napoleon, with the help
of his politician brother entered the government chamber, possibly got punched in the face and finally his troops
intimidated the council to dissolve the government and create a new constitution that basically made Napoleon a dictator. So there you have it. The French Revolution, born with a great promise
of liberty and equality. The common people dared
challenge an oppressive system that had existed for centuries but before they knew it, they found liberty sidelined by terror. Equality that possibly
didn't quite hit the mark and an absolute monarchy replaced by an absolute dictator. Napoleon began stabilizing French society. He restored the Catholic church and got rid of that crazy
calendar among other things. But he remained ever ambitious. He was Francis's first consul, but he slept soundly at night dreaming of being something even bigger. Napoleon's expansionist aspirations combined with the ongoing
conflict in Europe would eventually lead the
continent into a huge conflict. Known today as... (dramatic music) (upbeat music)