The Fiscal Crisis and the Summoning of the Estates-General At the heart of the revolutionary fervor was a profound fiscal crisis. This combination of financial desperation, social inequity, and a growing demand for political representation created a tinderbox that required only a spark to ignite.
The Storming of the Bastille: Symbolizing the French Revolution's Start
The King, under pressure, reluctantly agreed to convene the Estates-General, a representative assembly last assembled in 1614, to approve new taxes. When Necker was dismissed in July 1789, his dismissal signaled to the populace that the monarchy was unwilling to share power or address the needs of the Third Estate.
The Great Fear and the Abolition of Feudalism The events of July 14th unleashed what became known as the Great Fear (la Grande Peur). Locked out of their meeting hall on June 20th, the delegates, led by figures like Mirabeau and Abbé Sieyès, gathered in a nearby indoor tennis court.
The Storming of the Bastille: Symbolizing the Revolution's Start
On July 14, 1789, a mob stormed the Bastille, seeking gunpowder and weapons. Years of extravagant spending, coupled with generous loans to foreign powers, had drained the treasury.
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