1. Storming of the Bastille and the Great Fear
The French Revolution Continues

2. The National Assembly Was made up of the third estate
On June 20, 1789, they took the Tennis Court Oath, in which they swore not to separate until a constitution had been established.
Members from other estates slowly joined and they began to draft a constitution.

3. The Bastille
People began to be afraid that the king would use the royal military to attack them.
The people wanted to arm themselves against attack, and stormed the Bastille, which is a fortress-prison in Paris.
This happened on July 14, 1789.

4. It also had a large supply of ammunition and gunpowder.
This was symbolic of the revolution because the Bastille had been a prison for people who spoke out against the monarchy.

5. This event was a turning point of the revolution.
Eventually, the citizens overwhelmed the guard and took control of the building. They hacked the guards to death and paraded around the streets with their heads on sticks.
This event was a turning point of the revolution.
3 weeks later, the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen was proclaimed.
What were the main ideas of this document?
Freedom, equal rights for people, liberty, property

6. Bastille Day
This is a French national holiday celebrated every July 14.
It is symbolic of the uprising of modern France.
There are parades and parties.

7. The Great Fear
Before long, this rebellion spread into the countryside.
People became afraid that the nobles would attack the peasants.

8. Because they were afraid, the peasants began preemptively attacking nobles’ manor houses.
They burned them down and burned papers that bound the peasants to pay feudal dues.

9. In October 1789, thousands of women in Paris rioted because the price of bread was too high.
Bread was the most important part of the French people’s diet. It typically cost families at least half of all wages.
When prices rose, many were on the verge of starvation.
The women had weapons and marched on the king’s palace at Versailles.

10. They broke into the palace and killed some guards
They broke into the palace and killed some guards. They demanded that Louis and Marie Antoinette return to Paris.
The king and his family left Versailles and never returned.
This signaled the start of radical reforms about to take over France!

11. Answer these questions:
How did the women’s march signal a turning point in the relationship between the king and the people?
How were the storming of the Bastille and the women’s march on Versailles similar? How were they different?