Outbreak of the French Revolution
The French Revolution was a period of radical social and political change in France from 1789 to 1799. It was marked by widespread unrest, economic hardship, and calls for political reform.

Causes of the French Revolution
- Economic hardship: The French economy was struggling, with high taxes, crop failures, and rising food prices leading to widespread poverty.
- Social inequality: The French society was divided into three estates, with the clergy and nobility enjoying privileges while the common people suffered.
- Enlightenment ideas: The ideas of liberty, equality, and fraternity spread by philosophers like Rousseau and Voltaire inspired the people to demand political change.
- Weak leadership: King Louis XVI's indecisiveness and inability to address the country's problems further fueled discontent.

Events leading to the Revolution
- The meeting of the Estates-General in May 1789, where the Third Estate declared themselves the National Assembly.
- The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, marking the beginning of the violent phase of the revolution.
- The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen in August 1789, which proclaimed the ideals of the revolution.

Impact of the French Revolution
- The establishment of a constitutional monarchy in 1791, followed by the execution of King Louis XVI in 1793.
- The Reign of Terror, led by the radical Jacobins, resulted in thousands of executions.
- The rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, who eventually became Emperor of France and spread revolutionary ideas across Europe.