This sweeping abolition of special rights was a revolutionary act in itself, dismantling the legal foundations of the Ancien Régime. The establishment of the First Republic in 1792 was the logical endpoint of the revolutionary momentum that began with fiscal crisis and a demand for representation.
Formation of the National Assembly: Key Steps in the French Revolution
The Convening of the Estates-General In 1789, facing total fiscal meltdown, King Louis XVI was forced to convene the Estates-General, a representative assembly that had not met since 1614. Thinkers like Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu challenged the divine right of kings and advocated for liberty, equality, and popular sovereignty.
This act of defiance, known as the Tennis Court Oath, marked a pivotal shift in authority away from the monarchy. Attempts at reform were consistently blocked by the privileged classes, leaving the burden of taxation squarely on the Third Estate.
Formation of the National Assembly During the French Revolution
Combined with poor harvests in the late 1780s that drove up bread prices, the financial crisis created a tinderbox of public resentment. From the Declaration of Rights to the Republic The adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen in August 1789 enshrined the principles of liberty and legal equality, further radicalizing the revolution.
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