How did I miss this French Rev was my favorite part in AP Euro </3 unfortunately I don't remember a lot of it but uhhh... It started with Louis XIV (sort of XIII too?) and he consolidated power for the monarchy... Like before that yeah there were monarchs, but they didn't have that much authority in actuality. Before absolutism (which started with Louis XIV) monarchs were on par with (and honestly even below) the nobility. But then Louis XIII (I think that's the right Louis?) restrained the power of the nobility by implementing this intendant system where nobles would work directly for the monarch. yeah! power! mwahaha

And Louis XIV took this a whole lot further but I forgot in what ways... Well he invested a LOT into remodeling the Palace of Versailles, commissioning lots of Baroque art and prettying up the place to show how Wealthy and Powerful he was. Called himself the Sun King too (this also parallels with dictators' tendencies to relate themselves to the sun, like the teletubby baby... Absolute monarchs are essentially just dictators but they're in power by blood). He also invested a lot into art, namely ballet iirc? But one of his goals was to establish France as a cultural center... And he kind of succeeded! As shown by all the art museums there... And all the art movements with origins in France... I digress

Can you tell I only cared for the artistic and intellectual movements and none of the political ones. We really needed to remember wars but I remember none of them except the Schmalkaldic wars because the name is long... And I don't even remember what the wars were about. Anyway! My teacher told me Louis XV wasn't important so I don't know anything about him. But he did fund the Rococo movement. It's like Baroque but less harsh and depicts the everyday life of nobility. I love Rococo art... It's pretty

Anyway by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette era the French citizens (primarily the sans culottes/lower class) were pretty fed up with it all. There's the debt from helping the US in the American Rev. and the economy worsened (no bread :c) while the royals are still just... playing around pretty much. The lower class (the 3rd estate; 1st and 2nd were clergy and nobility) weren't properly represented in government. Also at this point the 3rd estate was comprised of the bourgeoisie (new money rich ppl) and the peasants. Pretty sure the revolution thing was mainly led by the bourgeoisie. Anyway they were supposed to congregate and do something about representation in government but when they got to the place the doors were locked!

So they were pissed. And then they made the tennis court oath which basically says we are nawt giving up until we get a proper constitution!!!!!1 and that's where the French Rev basically starts... at first the moderates predominated and they just wanted a constitutional monarchy but people got angrier because no bread! And then the Jacobins took over and they started chopping off people's heads and turning churches into "temples of reason" whatever the hell that is. Led by Tub Guy and Robespierre. The latter of which later dying by guillotine even though he was the biggest advocate of the guillotine! And he started out as a moderate too! And his death marks the end of the French Revolution. What the hell man i love the French Revolution it's so interesting.........