"In France, nine-tenths of the population died of hunger and one

tenth of indigestion".

It is clear from this that while the majority in France lived in misery

a minority, including the rulers, led a life of LUXURY and extravagance.

This situation was the result of the social and economic inequality

that existed in France. The French society was divided into three

strata and they were known as the Estate.

Voltaire-Ridiculed the exploitation of clergy.

• Promoted rational thinking, ideals of equality and humanism.

Rousseau-• Spelled out the importance of freedom with the STATEMENT,

'Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains'.

• Declared that the people are the sovereign.

Montesquieu-• Encouraged democracy and the Republic.

• Suggested division of powers of the government into

legislature, executive, and judiciary

Physiocrats-The economists who advocated for

the freedom of everyone to own

and manage property

• Promoted the interests of the

middle class

Philosphes-• The thinkers, scientists and

writers who gave primacy to

reasoning

• Compiled encyclopedia and made

scientific thought popular.

The luxurious life and squander of the Bourbon kings, clergy and

lords and the frequent wars they waged, along with the frequent spells of drought and crop failure, brought France to the brink of bankruptcy. The financial and military assistance given to AMERICAN colonies in the American War of Independence also AGGRAVATED the financial crisis in France. To levy new taxes upon commoners, Louis XVI summoned the States General, the legislative assembly of the representatives from all the three estates, in 1789. Similar to the French society, the States General also had three estates. Traditionally, each Estate would vote as a group and had one vote. As a result,the nobility and the clergy could always overrule the Third Estate. The first two Estates argued for Estate wise single voting system, while the Third Estate (the Commons)demanded individual vote for each member of all the three estates.While the arguments went on, the members of the Third Estate declared themselves as the National Assembly of France. They assembled in the tennis court nearby, and swore not to leave until they had framed a constitution of France.

This event is known as the 'Tennis Court Oath'.

14 July 1789 Revolutionaries stormed with the slogan 'liberty,

equality, and fraternity', demolished the Bastille prison, the symbol of

Bourbon monarchy. This event is considered as the commencement

of the French REVOLUTION.

12 August 1789 The National Assembly passed the Declaration of

the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

October, 1789 Thousands of women marched from Paris to the

Palace of Versailles with the slogan 'Give us bread'.

September, 1792 The National Convention, formed as per the new

constitution, proclaimed France as a republic.

The French who revolted for noble aims had to survive under the

autocratic rule of Napoleon Bonaparte for a short period. Napoleon

played a crucial role in defeating the European alliance which was

formed under the leadership of Britain against France in the postrevolution

period. He seized the power in France in 1799. Though

an autocrat, he instituted several reforms in France. Those reforms

were stimulated by the ideas and aims of the French Revolution.

In France, nationalism strengthened duringthe reign of Napoleon. One by one,heinvaded the other European countries. TheEuropean countries feared that the reformsof Napoleon would spread all over Europe.They organized themselves under theleadership of England. It was the ideals of

the French Revolution and not Napoleon thatthey were afraid of. Napoleon was defeatedby the European Alliance in the battle ofWaterloo and lost his power in 1815.