4 Non-violent resistance

1789

• May 5, 1789: Estates-General convenes.

  • Marked the beginning of the revolutionary period.

• July 14, 1789: Storming of the Bastille.

  • A symbolic act against royal authority and a crucial event in the revolution.

• August 26, 1789: Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen adopted.

  • Proclaimed fundamental human rights and civil liberties.

1792

• September 21, 1792: Monarchy abolished and First French Republic established.

  • Marked the end of over a thousand years of French monarchy.

1793-1794

• Reign of Terror

  • A period of intense political repression and mass executions.

  • Led largely by Maximillian Robespierre.

  • Ended with Robespierre's execution in July 1794.

1799

• November 9, 1799 (18 Brumaire): Napoleon Bonaparte's coup d'état.

  • Overthrew the Directory.

  • Established the Consulate, with Napoleon as First Consul, effectively ending the revolutionary government.