Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

224

Marianne

The new revolutionary

calendar started from

the day the king was

overthrown. Marianne

—a symbolic but

imaginary revolutionary

woman shown here on

a stamp—illustrated the

first month.

MaxiMilien robespierre

When 35-year-old lawyer

robespierre came to power in

1793, he took severe measures

to safeguard the revolution.

He presided over the reign

of Terror but was himself

executed in 1794.

sans-culoTTes

The well-dressed aristocrats sneered

at the revolutionaries and called them

sans-culottes because they wore plain

trousers instead of fancy stockings. The

revolutionaries adopted this name as their

own. Their clothes came to symbolize the

new way of life in revolutionary France.

Royal

National Assembly palace

“liberTy! equaliTy! FraTerniTy!”

This slogan echoed throughout France in

1789, as the hungry French people united

to overthrow the rich noblemen who

ruled the country. The revolution put

ordinary people in control of France

and gave hope to oppressed people all over

the world. The revolution started when the

bankrupt king louis xVi summoned the

French parliament for the first time since

1614. instead of helping him raise taxes,
      they seized power. in paris, a crowd stormed the bastille prison, the symbol
      of royal authority. The king had to support the revolution, but in 1792 France
      became a republic, and louis was executed. counterrevolution broke out in
      parts of France in 1793, which led to a reign of Terror that undid many of
      the benefits of the revolution. in 1799, a military takeover put napoleon
      bonaparte in power and ended the revolution.

Place de

la Bastille

Place de

la Nation

reVoluTionary WoMen

Women were very active during

the revolution and led many

of the marches. but women

were never allowed to vote or to

participate in the government,

and the rights of Man (the

revolutionary charter of human

rights) did not apply to them.

Find out more

europe, history of

France

napoleon bonaparte

paris

although

the revolution

engulfed the whole of

France, paris was always

at the center of events, with

guillotines set up in many

squares. swords mark uprisings.

Place de

Louis XV

French Revolution

Tuilleries

gardens

the revolution

May 1789 estates

General (parliament)

meets at Versailles.

July 1789 paris crowd

storms bastille prison.

Aug 1789 Declaration

of the rights of Man.

June 1790 nobility

is abolished.

June 1791 louis xVi

tries to flee from paris.

Aug 1792 King louis

imprisoned.

Sept 1792 Monarchy

abolished and France

becomes a republic.

Mar 1793 counter-

revolution in Vendée

region.

Sept 1793 start of

reign of Terror.

July 1794 Terror ends

when robespierre

is overthrown.

nov 1795 a new

republic, the Directory,

takes power.

nov 1799 napoleon

bonaparte overthrows

Directory and assumes

power.

The red bonnet

worn by the

revolutionaries,

and the

republican

tricolor flag

THe execuTion oF louis xVi

“because the country must live, louis must die.”

With those words, the king of France was killed

on the guillotine on January 21, 1793.

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