How would you explain these historical events to a 10 yr. old? (Answer Quickly, please?)?

Question

First off: SERIOUS ANSWERS ONLY!!! I WANT ACCURACY!! NO BULLSHITTING IT!

I need to explain these events to a group of 10 year olds....I'm not sure how to do it....They are all part of the French Revolution.
They all are rather complicated. Please help?

Oh, and quickly too, please?

1.Meeting of the Estates General
2. The Tennis Court Oath
3. The Storming of Bastille
4. The March on Versailles
5. The Reign of Terror
6. The Rise of Napoleon

I would also appreciate a brief description of the condions of France in the late 1780's, and how a brief explainatoion of how these events represented a step toward Democracy (of France)

Please and Thank you!

~ Emi

Thanks for the links, but what the hell are you talking about?
I meant no bullshitting for the idiots that answer things like "i dont now wat u tlk about!!!111!!"

I am in much need of this. I can explain it all just fine, but I am having difficulty condensing it to the point for LITTLE KIDS to FULLY understand the things that happened.
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Answer 1

Well Steve is good for the Historical part so I wont re-write that. I think you can get the steps toward Democracy from his answer. Now for the kids and how to explain.
Make it a story that gets them involved:

First, if you can actually interact with them, get one to stand aside as the King. Then the rest of them can be merchants, peasants, craftsmen...ect. Now at the time France was run by a King, who was greedy and rich, who had all the power to himself. The people had nothing to say. ( Last time they were respresented in the Estate General was before Louis XIV early 1600's)
Now, on this day, the peasants ect...decided to meet at the Estate General to demand that the King listen to them. They even marched onto the nearby tennis courts to promise each other that they would not give up until he gave in to them.

When the King only showed that he was afraid and did not want to help them, they got angry and stormed the prison where the King had people put who he didnt like. They then marched on his palace at Versailles. They were angry and yelling wanting the King to be killed.

Finally, the King was captured and killed. Now the people could rule themselves but since they had not for so long, they didn't remember how to do it and keep everyone happy. So people were violent and there was chaos for many years. Then one day, a military man, who had helped France against it's enemies during this revolution became the answer to their problems. Napoleon restored order and promised the people who had revolted aginst the King what they wanted and the France under Napoleon began.

Obviously, you dont need to touch on specifics because that is too complicated. Get hem to understand the basics. The need to have a say, the long time the King had control, the desire to be free and equal...things that a 10 year old might understand.

It is not an easy task..but you can definately do it. Put the King on one side on top of a chair and have them take him down at some point! That will probably be an event in itself! ;)

Answer 2

I am a writer myself. I suggest you write three or four paragraphs on each one and then look at the vocabulary.

I can tell you right now that the important events for the kids will be the storming of the Bastille and the March on Versailles, THEN the Reign of Terror culminating with the beheading of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

The Rise of Napoleon should be treated as a separate subject.

If you find yourself writing too much on each subject, go ahead, then cut it down to quick statements.

Oh, and you could do parallels between the French Revolution and our life today. How would we feel if we had no food, no jobs, etc?

Answer 3

1. Part of the government of France of 1789 was left over from the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages, only those taxes and fees could be collected that were traditional, that had "always been." To get a new grant of money, the king had to summon representatives of the first estate (clergy), second estate (nobility), and third estate (commoners) to vote it to him. In England, the king had summoned the three estates since the 1200's. They evolved into Parliament, and in particular, the Commons, through their Speaker, was able to extract change from the king in return for the extraordinary money grants. In France, the estates general had not met since the 1200's. When the king's government did summon them to meet, they demanded thoroughgoing change. The king's ministers tried to dissolve the estates. This led to

2. The Oath on the Tennis Court. The delegates marched out of the palace in Paris where they were meeting onto an adjacent tennis court. There, they took an oath that they would not disband until their demands were met.

3. Storming of the Bastille. The Bastille was an infamous prison where political prisoners were kept. In particular, it was the custom of the king's ministers to issue "lettres de cachet." These were commands signed by the king letting any one fill in the name of another person and have that person sent to the Bastille. In July 1789, a mob stormed the Bastille and tore it down.

(Note to teacher: It would be good if you could search the internet for a picture of the Bastille. It was truly an awesome fortress. Also, if you or any pupils in your class ever get to Mount Vernon in Virginia, the home of George Washington, you can see the key to the Bastille, which was sent to Washington by the Marquis de Lafayette.)

4. The March on Versailles. I have to plead ignorance.

5. The Reign of Terror. Once the king and the royal government were overthrown, the people were furious at the clergy and the nobility that were part of the system that had oppressed them. Rather than a president, prime minister, and parliament, there arose the Committee of Public Safety. This large body was led by such revolutionaries as Maximilien Robespierre, Georges Danton, and Jean-Paul Marat.

(Note to teacher: It is worth your while to Google these names and get mini biographies of them for yourself and the class. As you read, you will appreciate the quote, "The revolution devoured its children.")

The Committee of Public Safety ordered mass executions by the guillotine of all aristocrats (nobles) they could find. King Louis XVI, queen Marie Antoinette, and their son Louis were first detained and then captured when they tried to escape in 1792. The king and queen were beheaded, and Louis probably died of neglect in a prison. The Terror finally burned itself out, with Marat assassinated by Charlotte Corday and Danton and Robespierre going to the guillotine.

6. Napoleon's rise was subtle. He was a graduate of the military academy of St. Cyr. At 19, he joined the revolution. The Committee of Public Safety made him a general. Most other French officers were either nobles or sided against the revolution. Other European countries made war on France. This was because these countries were ruled by monarchies, and they feared that the French revolution could be contagious. Napoleon made his name when the British attacked the French port city of Toulon, and he led a successful defense. In 1795, Napoleon joined with others to form a government called the Consulate, with himself as First Consul. European countries continued to attack France, and Napoleon continued to defeat their armies and conquer a lot of Italy and Germany. In spring of 1804, Napoleon held a referendum on whether he should adopt the title Emperor of the French. He won. He crowned himself emperor in December 1804.

Democracy in France. Actually, democracy in France was slow in coming. The period 1789-1795 is called the First Republic, but it was dominated by the Terror and the Directory, which were more mob rule. After the final defeat and exile of Napoleon in 1815, the kings were restored, Louis XVIII and Charles X. In 1830, a revolution overthrew Charles X and brought in the "citizen king" Louis Phillipe. He ruled as a constitutional monarch, though people were still unsatisfied, and he was overthrown in 1848. From 1848-1852 was the Second Republic. The first president under the Second Republic was Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, nephew of the original. In 1852, he was so popular that he declared himself emperor Louis Napoleon III. He ruled as a constitutional monarch until the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. He was overthrown, and the French established the Third Republic, which lasted until 1940, when the Germans invaded France. So you could say that the French had to wait 80 years until 1870 to get true democracy.

Answer 4

i cant it would help u much but as u can see ..none answered ur question because u stated no bullshitting.

http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/holidays/bastilleday.htm

http://www.elbalero.gob.mx/kids/history/html/independ/antecind.html

http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Treaty_of_Versailles

http://academickids.com/encyclopedia/n/na/napoleon_i_of_france.html

The research for ur question is not worth two points, none would bother to answer.. i wouldnt have too.. but u said that they are for a bunch of kids. For the kids... they deserve everything, that includes my time regardless of the points; the best i could.