Even William Doyle highlights the storming of the Bastille as "the climax of the popular movement".1 However, the political institutions of Old France were already beyond reconstruction by then. The events of 14th July were in fact the result of a series of events which can be traced back to 20th August 1786, when Calonne (the General of the royal finances) informed Louis XVI that the state was on the brink of financial collapse.2 For this reason (as well as others which will henceforth be examined), although the French Revolution was caused by a mixture of economic, social, politica...

• Word Count: 3440
• Approx Pages: 14
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The Bourbon king Louis XIV, the powerful monarch of the early seventeenth century (1661-1715), had been the most successful absolute monarch in history, but his grandiose imperial ambitions led to massive military failure and had left his country in economic ruin. ... As hard as he might have tried, he couldn't exercise the power that divine right absolutism claimed. ... Napoleon proved to not only be a genius at war, but also at politics and domestic reform. ... The Magna Carta was a feudal document that was intended to limit the power of the king. ... One of the main stipulations of ...

• Word Count: 4395
• Approx Pages: 18
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In the coup d'etat of November 9th -10th , 1799, he and his colleagues seized power and established a new regime-the Consulate. ... In 1800, he assured his power by crossing the Alps and defeating the Austrians at Marengo. ... By taking the position which France was in at the time, re-vamping the entire political system, and giving equality and freedom to all of France he quickly showed his loyalties. ... By this linking his dynasty with the oldest ruling house in Europe, he hoped that his son, born in 1811, would be the more readily accepted by established monarchs. ... The impact of Nap...

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He was a Corsican provincial who would have never been able to come to power were it not for the revolution. ... Napoleon first got a taste of power under the Jacobins as a commander in the recapturing of Toulon. ... After conquering the peninsula he placed himself in the position of supreme power. ... It was also another sign of how he would govern France in the near future when he came to power there. ... Also of importance was that it rationalized the law, rather than the irrational mess it had been in ancien regime in which laws were put in place based on the reigning monarch's desir...

• Word Count: 3218
• Approx Pages: 13