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The French Revolution

                The ideas of the Enlightenment influenced the French Third Estate to begin a revolt. The people were enraged and scared by the severe economic crisis. (Esler) The First and Second Estates hoped that the financial reforms would appease the Third Estate but, it didn’t. The storming of Bastille shocked the king and showed him that the people were serious about their desire for freedom from oppression. On August 4, the National Assembly agreed to give up some of their rights to start a constitution in which all men and women were created equal. (Esler) The new constitution limited the power of the king and queen. Even after the constitution was created, the revolts continued. The radicals began to take over whit their ideas of a republican government. They executed the king, queen, and various others accused of not supporting the revolution. The people then turned to Napoleon for relief. Napoleon made France go though many wars, gaining land and resources. In the end, Napoleon died and left a strong feeling of nationalism within the European countries.

Works Cited

Esler, Ellis. World History: The Modern World. Boston, MA: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. 108-126.