French Revolution French Revolution SimulationSimulation

Situation I France’s Government is in extreme debt.

Half of France’s debt is contributed to war, especially money owed for helping the US gain independence. Recent crop failures have caused a shortage in food, making famine a real possibility. Yet the newspapers publish stories about King Louis’ lash parties and his wife’s extreme spending habits.

Situation II Louis tries to force the nobles and clergy to

pay taxes but they refuse and summon the Estates General. It is a representative body of all three estates that can be traced back to 1303. In fact the last time it was called for was in 1614. The Estates General has members from each estate but each only has one vote regardless of the population. The Nobles and the clergy plan to force the third estate to pay even more taxes so they don’t have to. 2 votes against 1

Situation III

May 1789 members of all three estates meet at Versailles. After 6 weeks of negotiating nothing has happened. The first and second estates want reform as long as they don’t have to pay taxes. The third estates is seeing the entire Estates General as a waste of time and refuse to pay more taxes although they do want sweeping governmental reform.

Situation IV.

June 1789 Representatives of the Third Estate (meeting in an indoor tennis court) secede from the Estates General and form the National Assembly, the true representative of the French people. They then forced Louis to sign the Tennis court Oath accepting the establishment of the new Assembly .

Situation V Fearing that a full Riot will break out in

Paris, Louis sends his Swiss mercenary soldiers into Paris to maintain order. He can no longer trust his own army. The Parisians fear that the Swiss soldiers are being sent in to massacre the population and decide the must arm themselves. They riot in the streets storming the Bastille, a prison and armory. They free the political prisoners and others. The Revolution has begun!

DAY II: Major event 1

Austria and Prussia have declared War on you to reaffirm the right of the King and the Monarchy to rule. You must protect France and the new republic from this invasion at all cost.

Major Event II

The Radical or “Jacobins” have seized the King, Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette. They have executed them for treason. They have taken control of the Government and are persecuting all who resist. The Reign of Fear has begun. All those you resist are being rounded up, mock trialed and executed by Guillotine.

DAY III: Situation 1

The Jacobins have now taken control of the government. Anyone who speaks against them risk their own lives. Fear grips the countryside.

Situation I

The Reign of Terror was a time in which the Radicals/Jacobins tried to completely restructure the government. They shut down churches, tried to eliminate religion, reorganized the calendar (year 1 was started on Sept 22, 1792), and executed anyone who got in the way. 40,000people fell victim to the radical party.

Situation III The instability of the revolutionary

leadership eventually caused the downfall of the Jacobins. In the July 1794, other delegates, arrested the Jacobin Leader, Robespierre, and his allies. They themselves were guillotined. A group of conservative men of property known as the Directory took power. They however were likewise unable to fix France’s problems

Situation IV

In November 1799, a young army general, Napoleon Bonaparte stages a military coup d etat and seizes power.