NCERT Class 9 History Chapter 1 - The French Revolution Timeline

Detailed Timeline of Events (1774-1815)

Pre-Revolutionary Period:

• 1715: The population of France is approximately 23 million.
• 1774: Louis XVI of the Bourbon family ascends the throne of France at the age of 20. He is married to the Austrian princess Marie Antoinette. The treasury is empty due to long years of war and the extravagant court at Versailles.
• Late 18th Century: French society is divided into three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners (Third Estate). The first two estates enjoy privileges, including exemption from most taxes, while the Third Estate bears the burden of taxation.
• Late 18th Century: France helps the thirteen American colonies gain independence from Britain, further increasing the national debt.
• Late 18th Century: Rising population (reaching 28 million by 1789) leads to increased demand for foodgrains, but production cannot keep pace, causing the price of bread (staple diet) to rise sharply. Wages for laborers do not keep pace with rising prices, widening the gap between the rich and the poor. Drought or hail frequently lead to subsistence crises.
• Late 18th Century: A growing middle class within the Third Estate, enriched by overseas trade and manufacturing, gains education and new ideas from Enlightenment philosophers like Locke, Rousseau, and Montesquieu, who advocate for freedom, equality, and a society based on merit. These ideas are discussed in salons and coffee houses and spread through books and newspapers.

The Outbreak of the Revolution (1789):

• May 5, 1789: Louis XVI calls a meeting of the Estates General at Versailles to propose new taxes, the first such meeting since 1614. The Third Estate demands voting by individual members rather than by estate.
• June 20, 1789: When the king rejects their proposal, members of the Third Estate declare themselves the National Assembly and take the Tennis Court Oath, vowing not to disperse until they have drafted a constitution limiting the monarch's power. Mirabeau and Abbé Sieyès are key figures in this movement.
• July 14, 1789: Amidst rumors of royal troops planning to fire on citizens, around 7,000 Parisians form a people's militia and search for arms. A group storms the Bastille, a royal fortress-prison symbolizing the king's despotic power, hoping to find ammunition. The commander is killed, and seven prisoners are released. The Bastille is subsequently demolished.
• Late July - August 1789: Rioting and unrest spread throughout Paris and the countryside. Peasants, fearing bands of brigands hired by lords, attack chateaux, loot grain, and burn records of manorial dues. This period is known as the "Great Fear."
• August 4, 1789: The National Assembly, recognizing the power of the revolting subjects, abolishes the feudal system of obligations and taxes. The clergy are forced to give up their privileges, tithes are abolished, and Church lands are confiscated.

Constitutional Monarchy (1791):

• 1791: The National Assembly completes the draft of a constitution, establishing a constitutional monarchy with separated powers (legislative, executive, judiciary). The power to make laws is vested in a National Assembly elected indirectly by "active citizens" (men over 25 who paid a certain amount of taxes). The Constitution begins with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, guaranteeing basic rights like liberty, equality before the law, freedom of speech, and freedom of opinion. Women and the poor remain largely excluded from political rights.

The Republic and the Reign of Terror (1792-1794):

• April 1792: The National Assembly declares war against Prussia and Austria, as neighboring monarchs fear the spread of the revolution.
• August 10, 1792: Jacobin-led insurrection in Paris. Parisians, angered by food shortages and high prices, storm the Palace of the Tuileries, massacre the king's guards, and take Louis XVI hostage.
• September 1792: Elections are held with suffrage extended to all men over 21. The newly elected assembly is called the Convention.
• September 21, 1792: The Convention abolishes the monarchy and declares France a republic.
• January 21, 1793: Louis XVI is tried for treason and publicly executed by guillotine at the Place de la Concorde.
• 1793-1794: The Reign of Terror under the leadership of Maximilien Robespierre and the Jacobins. A policy of severe control and punishment is implemented against perceived enemies of the republic. Revolutionary tribunals are established, and thousands are arrested, imprisoned, and guillotined. Laws are passed placing maximum ceilings on wages and prices, and food is rationed. Churches are shut down.
• July 1794: Robespierre is overthrown by the Convention, arrested, and executed by guillotine, ending the Reign of Terror.

The Directory (1795-1799):

• Post-1794: The wealthier middle classes seize power. A new constitution establishes a Directory, an executive of five members, and two elected legislative councils. The vote is restricted to property-owning citizens. The Directory is politically unstable, marked by clashes between the executive and legislative branches.

The Rise of Napoleon (1799-1815):

• 1799: The political instability of the Directory creates an opportunity for the rise of a military leader, Napoleon Bonaparte.
• 1804: Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself Emperor of France. He embarks on a campaign to conquer neighboring European countries. He introduces legal reforms like the protection of private property and a uniform system of weights and measures.
• 1815: Napoleon is finally defeated at the Battle of Waterloo.

Long-Term Impacts:

• The ideals of freedom, equality before the law, and fraternity, born from the French Revolution, inspire political movements in France and the rest of Europe during the 19th century, leading to the abolition of feudal systems.
• The French Revolution's ideas influence colonized peoples in their struggles for sovereign nation-states.
• Many democratic rights enjoyed today can trace their origins to the French Revolution.

Important Person Bios:

• Louis XVI (1754-1793): King of France from 1774 until his deposition in 1792. Faced with an empty treasury and social unrest, his attempts to raise taxes led to the convocation of the Estates General and the outbreak of the Revolution. His indecisiveness and perceived opposition to the revolution ultimately led to his trial and execution for treason.
• Marie Antoinette (1755-1793): Queen of France and wife of Louis XVI. An Austrian princess, she was unpopular due to her perceived extravagance and foreign origins. She was also tried for treason and executed shortly after her husband.
• Mirabeau (1749-1791): A noble by birth but a key leader of the Third Estate in the early stages of the Revolution. A powerful orator, he advocated for a constitutional monarchy and played a significant role in the formation of the National Assembly.
• Abbé Sieyès (1748-1836): A clergyman who became a prominent political theorist and writer during the Revolution. His pamphlet "What is the Third Estate?" was highly influential in shaping the demands of the commoners. He played a key role in the early stages of the Revolution and the formation of the National Assembly.
• Georges Danton (1759-1794): A lawyer who became a prominent figure in the early stages of the French Revolution. Known for his powerful oratory and energy, he served as Minister of Justice and was a key figure in the establishment of the Republic. He was later a victim of the Reign of Terror.
• Arthur Young (1741-1820): An English agriculturalist and writer who traveled through France in the years leading up to the Revolution. His detailed observations provide valuable insights into the social and economic conditions of the Old Regime.
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778): An influential Enlightenment philosopher who advocated for a social contract between the people and their representatives and the concept of the general will. His ideas heavily influenced the French Revolution.
• John Locke (1632-1704): An English philosopher whose ideas on natural rights, government by consent, and the separation of powers had a profound impact on Enlightenment thought and the French Revolution.
• Montesquieu (1689-1755): A French political philosopher who advocated for the separation of powers within government (legislative, executive, judiciary), a model that influenced the French Constitution of 1791 and the US Constitution.
• Jean-Paul Marat (1743-1793): A radical journalist during the French Revolution. His newspaper, "L'Ami du peuple," voiced the concerns of the sans-culottes and often called for extreme measures against perceived enemies of the revolution. He was assassinated in his bath.
• Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794): A lawyer and radical Jacobin leader who became the central figure during the Reign of Terror. He believed in using "terror" to establish a virtuous republic and ruthlessly suppressed opposition. He was eventually overthrown and executed.
• Camille Desmoulins (1760-1794): A journalist and close associate of Danton who initially supported the Revolution but later criticized the excesses of the Reign of Terror. He was eventually arrested and executed alongside Danton.
• Olympe de Gouges (1748-1793): A playwright and passionate advocate for women's rights during the French Revolution. She wrote the "Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Citizen" in response to the exclusion of women from the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. She was eventually executed for her political activism.
• Chaumette (1763-1794): A radical Jacobin politician who supported the closure of women's political clubs, arguing that women's primary role was in the domestic sphere.
• Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821): A military leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and eventually became Emperor of France in 1804. While he consolidated some revolutionary ideals, his rule became authoritarian and focused on military conquest.
• Tipu Sultan (1750-1799): The ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in India who was known to be aware of and inspired by the events of the French Revolution.
• Raja Rammohan Roy (1772-1833): An Indian social and religious reformer who was deeply influenced by the ideas of the French Revolution, particularly the ideals of liberty.