French troops fought alongside American colonists in the American War of Independence. The cost of these wars left France virtually bankrupt. To try to raise money, the French king, Louis XVI, proposed an increase in taxes. However, most of the country’s richest people – the clergy and the noblemen – did not pay taxes. So the burden fell on the ordinary peasants. On July 14, 1789, a mob attacked the royal prison in Paris, the Bastille. Although few prisoners were released, this event marked the end of royal power in France and the beginning of the Revolution.
Fact File: A French doctor, a member of France’s National Assembly, suggested the use of the guillotine as an instrument of execution. |
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