The French Revolution Unfolds

• Essential Question: What political and social reforms did the National Assembly institute in the first stage of the French Revolution?

Political Crisis Leads to Revolt

Famine and rumors fueled peasant revolts in the countryside. Parisians were splintered into

various factions who fought for power.

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The French Revolution and NapoleonSection 2: The French Revolution Unfolds

Witness History Audio: Parisian Women Storm Versailles

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The French Revolution and NapoleonSection 2: The French Revolution Unfolds

The National Assembly Acts

The National Assembly finally voted to give up many of their exclusive privileges and declared

“Feudalism is abolished.” In the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, all male citizens

were proclaimed equal before the law, which disappointed many women.

Color Transparency 109: “High Fashion in France”

The National Assembly Presses Onward

The National Assembly voted to take over and sell Church lands and to place the Catholic Church

under state control. The Assembly also produced the Constitution of 1791, which set up a limited

monarchy. Louis XVI and his family attempted an escape from France, but were discovered and

sent back to Paris.

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The French Revolution and NapoleonSection 2: The French Revolution Unfolds

Radicals Take Over

Soon, radicals held power in the Legislative Assembly. They wanted a republic, not a monarchy.

The radicals also declared war on the tyrannical rulers in Austria, Prussia, Britain, and other states.

Color Transparency 107: The French Plague

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The French Revolution and Napoleon: Section 2Color Transparency 109: “High Fashion in France”

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The French Revolution and Napoleon: Section 2Color Transparency 107: The French Plague

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