Key Points of the French Revolution

Subject and Outline

• Time: From the coronation of Louis XVI to the rise and fall of Napoleon
• Main Points:
  • Coronation of Louis XVI and the treasury issue
  • Social structure and tax system
  • Beginning of the revolution and major events
  • Impact of the revolution on various classes
  • Rise and fall of Napoleon

Tangible Prison and July 14, 1789

• Attack on the Bastille (Fortress prison)
• Coronation of Louis XVI in 1774 and the empty treasury
• Financial problems of France:
  • War and military expenses
  • Aid in the American War of Independence
  • Administrative expenses
  • Loans and interest
• Problem of increasing taxes
  • Privileges of the First and Second Estates
  • Entire tax burden on the Third Estate

Subsistence Crisis and Rise of the Middle Class

• Condition of peasants and artisans
• Philosophers and new thinking:
  • John Locke (Two Treatises of Government)
  • Rousseau (Social Contract)
  • Montesquieu (Spirit of Laws)
• Rise of the National Assembly
• Deterioration of state conditions and inflation

Constitution of 1791

• Check on the power of the king
• Rise of political clubs
• Importance of the Jacobin Club
• Fall of Louis XVI and execution in 1793
• Establishment of the Convention from the National Assembly

Reign of Terror by Maximilien Robespierre

• Period of 1793-94
• Strict control on government and people
• Execution of Robespierre

Rise and Fall of Napoleon

• Changes in government and their impact
• Napoleon coming to power in 1804
• Napoleonic Code and modernization of Europe
• Defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo

Contribution of Women and Slaves

• Women and their political clubs
• Slave trade and their angle
• Abolition of slavery in 1848

Impact of the Revolution on Everyday Life

• Removal of censorship laws
• Spread of liberty, equality, and justice

Conclusion

• Napoleon and his contributions
• Impact of the French Revolution on the world
• Rise of these ideas in India
• French Revolution: A symbol of liberty and democratic rights