9. The American Revolution and the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Played a Key Role
That same 97% were astounded to hear of happenings going on in America, where the American Revolution led to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Pennsylvania. Since the European peasants had become so hopeless in their efforts to create any difference in lifestyle for themselves, this new turn of events renewed their faith and gave them more reason to fight for a potential uprising in Europe that would overthrow the aristocracies.
8. Scholarly Debate Still Continues About the Exact Causes of the Revolution
The main cause of the French Revolution is still debated among historians and experts. However, it seems most likely that the upheaval began in France due to its heavier population living in squalor, as well as excessive crop failures leading to the constant starvation of the French citizens in 1788. Adding these matters to an already dicey economy was purportedly the final straw, and the Revolution was underway.
7. The Revolutionaries Storm Bastille in July 14, 1789
The Revolution began on July 14, 1789, when the people of France armed themselves and stormed the Bastille, a royal fort which had later become a prison, in order to find themselves more gunpowder. But it wasn’t a random attack by any means, as the Parisians were under the impression that the army had already been told to attack them first. While this misinformation may have instigated riots earlier on, there’s no denying that the Revolution had been bound to happen anyway.
6. The fall of the Bastille Marked the Beginning of the French Revolution
After the Bastille was overrun by angry, armed peasants, only seven prisoners were found within its walls. The Marquis de Sade, a French aristocrat and politician who was well known for his sexual explorations and pornographic writing, was one of them. And since the citizens weren’t stocked with any major explosives, the men, women and children actually tore down the building by hand, extracting brick by brick in an effort to leave the building in ruins and make it a symbol of their movement.
5. A Tennis Court was the First Official Meeting Place of the French Revolutionaries.
Those involved in the French Revolution had a rather unusual meeting place – a tennis court. The classes were divided into three Estates: the First Estate was made up of the clergy, the Second Estate was the nobility, and the Third Estate combined the masses below them. Therefore, a few members of the Third Estate, after getting banned from a meeting with the Estates-General, rallied together on this tennis court near the Palace of Versailles. Organizing here, they formed the National Assembly, where they also took the Tennis Court Oath.