Living hand to mouth, much of the population grew increasingly upset by a monarchy that lived in splendor, ignoring the needs of the masses. Simultaneously, the emerging middle class was gaining importance in political affairs. The monarchy of King Louis XVI seemed in danger of crumbling. The Estates-General, the governing body of France, attempted to settle the unrest with a meeting in May and June of 1789. But the dissension of the Third Estate, the subbody made up of the middle and lower classes, deadlocked the talks. Inspired by this show of power, citizens in Paris convened and stormed the Bastille, a national prison. Soon revolts erupted throughout the nation. In many instances, peasants burned the homes of wealthy aristocrats and demanded greater social equality. Although the Revolution passed through several phases, key events included the beheading of the king in 1793 and the ascension of Napoleon as the crown emperor in 1804.
Napoleon's reign marked a period of nationalism for France. By embarking on foreign military excursions, the emperor set France up to become leader of the world. He had fought England once before-from 1793 to 1802-and made preparations to attack it again after becoming emperor, but England's Admiral Horatio Nelson prevented the invasion, defeating a combined fleet of Frenchmen and Spaniards at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
This is a free page. This page contains 196 words. This
article contains 3,547 words (approx. 12 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Article with our Pride and Prejudice Access Pass.
