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The French Revolution


            
             In the mid eighteenth century, France began to have problems with their absolute monarchy. The Enlightenment had brought the ideas that, yes absolutism helped with restoration and order, but it was time to move on. France was also having economic troubles. They had gotten into too many wars that they lost and they were financially drained. The estate system was causing enormous problems as well. The first estate consisted of the clergy, bishops, and archbishops. The second estate was the nobility. The third estate was basically everyone else. They were wealthy, educated doctors and lawyers that didn't have the aristocratic background to be considered nobility. They were also the poor peasants. This estate consisted of about 97% of the population. There was no way for the wealthy and educated people of the third estate to move up to the second estate and they became angry. They opposed the Old Regime and led a revolt. The philosophers of the Enlightenment were also saying that the right to govern should lay in the hands of the people. In 1789, they reinstated the Estates-General in order to make it appear as though everyone had a vote. This ended absolutism. .
             The outbreak of violence with the attack on Bastille marked the beginning of the first phase, known as the Girondist Phase (The Constitutional Monarchy Phase). The Constitution of 1791 was signed after two years. The National Assembly was formed to replace the Estates-General. The Assembly hall was set up with the conservatives on the left, the liberals on the right, and the moderates in the center. The liberals were called the Jacobins and the conservatives were the Girondists. The people believed that the revolution was over and this phase ended. However, war broke out in 1972, which began the second phase. The Jacobins voted to get rid of the monarchy and Louis XVI was executed. A new constitution was signing in 1793 which created a Republican government.


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