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STORMING OF THE BASTILLE
The angry population of Paris stormed the Bastille prison, an ancient fortress that had become a symbol of royal despotism. Its fall into the hands of the people was the vibrant beginning of the French Revolution. -
DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF MAN AND OF THE CITIZEN
In 1789, the people of France brought about the abolition of an absolute monarchy and created the platform for the establishment of the first French Republic. Only six weeks after the sudden attack on the Bastille, and just three weeks after the abolition of feudalism, the National Constituent Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen (French: La Déclaration des Droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen) as the first step in writing the constitution of the French Republic. -
EXECUTION OF KING LOUIS XVl
When a final decision on the question of a respite was taken on January 19, Louis was condemned to death by 380 votes to 310. He was guillotined in the Place de la Révolution in Paris on January 21, 1793. Nine months later his wife met the same fate. -
THE REIGN OF TERROR
According to some historians, "The Terror" was characterized by the brutal repression by the revolutionaries through the use of "State terrorism". This period passed under the aegis of the Committee of Public Salvation, an executive body created in April 1793 to support and reinforce the action of the Committee of General Security that had existed since 1789.