The French Revolution was a long and bloody war that lasted from 1789 to the late 1790s. During this period, French citizens changed and redesigned their entire country, dismissing century old traditions such as monarchy and the feudal system. The war was primarily started by King Louis XVI and his poor economic policies. King Louis XVI met his death by guillotine, as did his wife, Marie Antoinette.
The French started to get upset with King Louis XVI after he spent almost his entire country's funding on sponsoring the American Revolution. Combined with poor harvests, drought, cattle disease and skyrocketing bread prices left the French citizens feeling uneasy. Many citizens expressed their anger for a bankrupt country with heavy taxes by rioting, looting, and pillaging.
The battles ensued for nearly ten years until the war was brought to a close. The war ended when Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the Directory and appointing himself "first consul." This marked the end of the French Revolution and began the Napoleonic era, where France would come to rule much of Europe.
Picture of King Louis XVI getting executed by means of the guillotine.
Fun Facts:
- Before the French Revolution, peasants were so poor and bread was so expensive that a loaf of bread was equivalent to a week's wages.
- The poor in France had to pay taxes while the rich did not. This only further infuriated the citizens of France during the revolution.
- The French revolutionaries stormed the Bastille in search of gunpowder. They were not interested in the seven prisoners locked inside.
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