The French Revolution—The Change Begins

The Estates-General was finally called in 1789.  The First and Second Estates had 300 members each and the Third Estate had 600 members.  Still when the voting took place, the Third Estate lost by a vote of 2 to 1 because of the voting by estate system.  Angry at this unfair voting system, the Third Estate left the Estates-General and declared themselves the National Assembly for all of France.  They invited members of the First and Second Estates to join them.

            Louis XVI was angry at the Third Estate and had them locked out of the Estates-General.  They were forced to meet in a nearby indoor tennis court.  It was here that they swore not to disband until France had a constitution.  Only then would they help the king with his financial problems.  This oath is known as the Tennis Court Oath.

            Louis refused to listen and told them to return to the Estates-General and continue voting.  Led by a man named Mirabeau, the new National Assembly refused and said they no longer took orders from the king.  This was the first time that national will was put above the orders of the king and it effectively ended the legal authority of the king.  

            The call for a constitution was cheered in the streets of Paris.  After several weeks, on July 14, 1789, the crowds in Paris attacked the Bastille.  The Bastille was an old fortress that was being used as a prison.  It was also seen as a symbol of the Ancien Regime and the crowds were eager to tear down anything that represented the old, oppressive ways.  The Bastille was attacked not only by lowly peasants but also by craftsmen and shopkeepers, representing a cross-section of the French population.  Although Louis would attempt to reconcile with the Third Estate, it was too late. The French Revolution had begun.