A Social History Project
The French
Revolution
Six landmark articles tracing the key events of the French Revolution — from the Estates General to the fall of the monarchy.
Explore Articles ↓The Revolution at a Glance
Explore the Revolution
Click any article to read the full piece — politics, uprising, rights, people's power, and the fall of the monarchy.
The Estates General Meeting
The Gathering That Sparked a Revolution
In May 1789, Louis XVI summoned the Estates General for the first time in 175 years. What began as a financial crisis meeting quickly became the flashpoint for the entire French Revolution.
The Tennis Court Oath
We Shall Not Disband Until France Has a Constitution
Locked out of their meeting hall on June 20, 1789, the Third Estate delegates gathered on a nearby tennis court and swore not to disperse until they had written a constitution for France.
Declaration of the Rights of Man
Liberty, Equality, and the Birth of Modern Rights
Issued on August 26, 1789, the Declaration proclaimed that all men are born free and equal. It became the philosophical foundation of the Revolution and inspired human rights movements worldwide.
Storming of the Bastille
The Day the People Seized the Symbol of Royal Tyranny
On July 14, 1789, an armed Parisian crowd stormed the Bastille fortress — a hated symbol of royal despotism. The fall of the Bastille marked the true beginning of the Revolution.
The March on Versailles
Women Lead the Revolution to the King's Doorstep
On October 5, 1789, thousands of Parisian women — furious at bread shortages — marched 12 miles to Versailles and forced Louis XVI to return to Paris, effectively ending royal independence.
Trial & Execution of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
The Death of a King and Queen — and of the Old Regime
In January 1793, Louis XVI was guillotined before a crowd in Paris. Nine months later, Marie Antoinette followed. Their executions signaled that France had broken irrevocably with its monarchical past.