2. July 20th, 1789Entry 1: The Storming of Bastille (July 14th, 1789)
Depression has attacked this empire. My life is just getting worse and worse. Why wasn’t I born as a noble?
The Les Grands have all these privileges and law that benefit them, and they were just born into it. I am an
educated doctor. Shouldn’t I be given these privileges? I worked so hard!
My career, my hopes, my dreams, it’s all gone. Our bourgeoisie class doesn’t have the influence and
privilege that comes with the nobles, but we surely deserve it. I can’t even pursue my dream properly
because of the limitedness and unfair government this nation has.
How is King Louis XVI still in power? After King Louis XIV left the nation enormous debts, King Louis XVI isn’t
exactly doing anything to solve that problem. People are starving, prices are going up, and the only way
that’ll stop is if the people effectively show that to the government. That probably won’t happen soon
enough…
But I see hope. The working-class and others have all been dissatisfied by the Old Regime, and with the mob
storming Bastille, the aristocrats and leading class will finally hear our voices. I saw it with my own two eyes.
It was pretty depressing, actually. It was just a normal day, and I was just walking by hoping to buy some
bread, and it was the first time I saw a dead body. Bodies. The commanders in the prison panicked, so they
ordered the guards to fire. Boom, boom, boom. Instantly, a hundred people were killed and they dropped
helplessly to the floor. Nevertheless, the others still stood their grounds and stayed strong. They stormed the
prison for weapons and gunpowder.
I think something big is going to happen. Something enormous. Immense. I think our government’s going to
change.
Respect has grown in me. I respect the people that have bravely stood up to the government today. The
famine, the price increasing, I believe it will all stop. Someday, there will be a new person in power, and
there will be new, improved laws and government ways. We’re one step closer.
I think the thing that led us to this is mostly the Tennis Court Oath. This was another victory for the bourgeoisie.
The people actually defied the king. They dared to. It’s just one more sign that he is an immature leader. We
demanded a constitution, and we didn’t leave if we didn’t get it. This was such a big deal; I never thought
people would rebel against the government, no matter how brave they were. I was actually a part of this!
Calling ourselves the National Assembly, we just went to a court nearby and declared an oath. And as a
result, the king gave in. Hip hip hooray!
There will be changes in our government laws. I think it will be a long and bumpy road, but I will reach the
destination. We will reach the destination. The empire of France will be a better and improved place.
3. Pictures
This is when people stormed into Bastille for
weapons and gunpowder. It was the start of
our long journey in government change.
This is probably the thing that secured the
government’s decision to follow the peasants’
wishes. The Tennis Court Oath.
4. October 6th, 1789
Entry 2: Women’s March in Versailles (October 5th, 1789)
I can’t believe it. Things were finally beginning to seem peaceful, but there was another riot in Versailles, and
my wife was part of it. It was the Women’s March in Versailles, as they are calling it now. Now it all comes
back. I remember how angry my wife Adrienne was saying we have no food at all and the harvest was
horrible this year, and I guess they finally burst.
However, she wasn’t the only one. From what I saw yesterday, with large sticks and farm tools, a huge group
of people just marched through Versailles showing the government how irate they were. And come on, did
Marie Antoinette really have to tease the women like that? “Let them eat cake”?! Now I’m going to get
angry. We don’t have bread and she says let them eat cake. The famine of two years was also so stressful
and hard to survive for all of us.
What about King Louis XVI? What has he done? He is the reason why people are so angry. With an immature
and indecisive leader, our nation is nothing. The harvest isn’t going well, leading us to having no food, and
it’s all because of King Louis XVI. My wife agrees too.
Talking to my wife, she said at first there were a group of people who started the riot, but there were others
joining soon enough. They demanded and forced the royals to return to Paris. But once again, it was the
women’s victory. King Louis XVI, the nobles and everyone else had no choice but to cooperate with us, and
they made a constitutional reformation, and I believe we will soon have new laws. Just like the Storming of
Bastille.
These days, I find my feeling of hope growing. Through these events that have been happening lately, I
know that I’m not the only one that doesn’t like how the government works, and now our leaders will have
to change it. Maybe they’ll be respected someday.
My wife, as she safely came back, told me all about what she wanted. She told me her and her friends all
wanted equality. The others always discriminate upon women, and there’s this stereotype that women have
to stay in the kitchen and do all the housework, but she doesn’t like that. There should be equal chances for
girls and women. She wants the future generation of women to be strong and have leadership within them.
Through all the things that have been happening lately, I think that will be granted, too. I’m sure my wife is
not the only one, and soon enough the laws will change. I will have the career and life that I want. I believe
in this.
I must go. I hear Adrienne calling me for dinner. I will write soon.
5. Pictures
Women changed things this day. The
government will know that we want more food
and this all must end.
Just look at my poor wife. Always in the kitchen,
longing for equality, but these times are just
unfair.
6. October 24th, 1792
Entry 3: Revolutionary War With Austria (April 20th, 1792)
So, I guess soon can be three years, but oh well. I’m actually thinking of fleeing now. War on Austria?! Why
in the world would the empire declare war on Austria?
Ever since the Women’s March in Versailles, things changed. The women’s victory led the government to
change laws, and people favored a more republican government rather than a monarchy.
However, also, on September 14th last year, King Louis XVI approved the National Assembly’s new
constitution. That established a monarchy that was ruled by a set of laws and rules.
I just realized Marie-Antoinette’s family is in high class in Austria. The Hapsburg family. They were trying to go
back there, because the king and herself thought the revolution was going a bit too far, but from what I
heard, the guards ordered them to go back on the border. The king just didn’t want to lose his precious
throne. Funny, isn’t it? Guards ordering the royals to do something.
To elaborate, Marie-Antoinette’s family apparently were making plans to escape to Austria. What would
happen if they did that? If the royals were gone, would we have an anarchy? I don’t even want to
imagine what would happen then. There’d be riots breaking out and new people wanting to be leader.
That might even come true; the revolutionaries feared people would have a counterrevolution to restore
the old government. Ah, I don’t want that. It’s a good thing the guards stopped them.
Ugh. I really hate these people. Hate is a very strong word, but in this case, I feel like I can use it. The fury just
boils up inside me and won’t try to leave. We like our government now. A king? Again? I would never want
that. The radicals wouldn’t want that. Then the famine, the high prices, it would all come back. I was
actually glad when King Louis fell the day before the Battle of Valmy, to know that there would be
someone else leading soon afterwards and they wouldn’t make the same mistakes as King Louis XVI.
Why are we even having the war? Oh, is it because we want to fight and destroy other places? Ever since
France declared war on Austria in April, people just didn’t want to live the way we did now. Apparently,
we’re having the war because it will bring liberty to everyone. But that didn’t work out, did it? Austria just
attacked us. Us Parisians were scared at first, but now we’re angry.
However, once again, I see the small ignition of a flame that can only be hope. The war is going well, and
we might even win! It reminds me of having our first victory; winning the Battle of Valmy in September.
Prussia didn’t stand a chance. The enemy forces may have wanted to end the revolution once and for all,
but that didn’t happen. But I do wonder about my job… what will happen to me? I’m not going to be
doing anything… was all the hard work and education a waste?!
7. Pictures
Oh, look at her smiling. Why didn’t she spend
her life in Austria…rulers can’t simply escape!
France’s first victory in the revolutionary war!
Three cheers for our empire!
8. January 22nd, 1793Entry 4: Execution of King Louis XVI (January 21st, 1793)
I’m scared. I’m actually scared. I thought this revolution was going to a new, improved, wonderful direction.
However, one day they brought out that … tool. The device designed to kill. The guillotine.
The National Convention that was created last year met for the very first time in September of last year. They
thought the same things as me; the first act they took was to end the monarchy and start a republic. But I
think one of the ways they did this was to execute the leader himself; King Louis XVI.
King Louis XVI’s execution was the most horrifying thing I had ever seen in my life so far. Well, it was probably
the most horrifying thing I’d ever see in my life. He was bound when he was walking to the scaffold and
afterwards, in a flash, he was on the guillotine. The axe fell and he was decapitated in one strike.
I didn’t have a clue what was happening, but I knew one thing. King Louis XVI’s death marked the period for
the end of the monarchy. There’s going to be a new government. I just know it. King Louis XVI abdicated, it
all foreshadowed it.
What’s going to happen now? It’s only been a day since King Louis XVI left our world, but I don’t even know
what’s happening outside. What about the rest of his family? Is Marie-Antoinette going to be guillotined too?
It’s actually kind of surprising; I thought the society hated Marie-Antoinette more than they hated King Louis
XVI… I mean, Marie-Antoinette wasn’t even French. She was born in Austria, so she was born marked as a
traitor.
Wow, I can’t believe through all of this, the king and queen’s deaths, I was standing on the sides watching as
Adrienne struggled to get our food. Yesterday, even the sound of the blade coming down scared me.
Although it was just a big whoosh, it was a little bit different from the sounds of winds that I’m normally used
to. The King was never much to my liking, probably along with a lot others, but may he rest in peace.
During the war last year, after losing to Austria (yeah, it wasn’t very good), the people were so infuriated. I
was actually one of the ones that stayed put and let the anger go, but the others attacked. They were
brave, too, having the guts to attack the guards and servants. At least we won the Battle of Valmy, which
happened a month and 10 days later.
The Guillotine’s scaring me. In July 1789, my eyes sparkled every single time our people achieved and
accomplished a goal. Now I feel like the light has died. The guillotine’s apparently a humane way to execute
anti-revolutionaries. Slicing off people’s heads is humane?! No. This can’t be right. The Guillotine is certainly
not a good way to kill. It may be clean; it may allow people to use the heads to intensify a rebellion, but it is
just not right.
Maybe this revolution has gone too far. I keep telling myself it will end soon…
9. Pictures
This was the
icon and tool
of death in our
time. So many
people died
from it, I’m
happy I wasn’t
a proper anti-
revolutionary…
10. July 28th, 1794Entry 5: Reign of Terror (September 5th, 1793~July 28th, 1794)
Okay, the execution of King Louis XVI was one thing, but this was just way too far. It finally ended and I’m so
grateful that I’m even alive, but I just feel so bad for the tens of thousands that were guillotined.
The Reign of Terror, people called it. Ugh, I shiver just at the thought of it. King Louis XVI shouldn’t have been
executed. So many people have died. Robespierre… that brutal man. If I were emperor, he would be
executed. Oh wait, he was. Just today. Ah, I finally can sleep in peace.
Just like King Louis XVI’s death, Robespierre’s death marked the end of a crucial period of time. The Reign of
Terror finally ended with that one chop of the guillotine. It’s all over now.
I think Robespierre is the icon for cruelty in this empire. He was the one that started off the Reign of Terror,
and karma has attacked him in an evil manner. Now that he’s gone, peace will revisit our empire once
again.
This period of time was probably one of the creepiest times in my life. There were so many deaths, the worst
penalty possible, and now we basically have no leaders. We’re back to first base; that state when nobody
knows what to do anymore. The nobility, leaders, they’re all gone. We’re seriously in a critical and vulnerable
stage, and for me personally, I don’t know what to do anymore.
From rumors and from my own eyes, I realized Robespierre really is a bad person. His conclusion to
everything is just to guillotine them. His ally, Georges Danton is dead because of Robespierre. I mean, Danton
might’ve had some issues, trying to fill his own pockets and all, but that doesn’t mean he should die! It just
isn’t humane.
What about the Jacobin Club? Robespierre as leader, was that really a smart decision? He was an orphan.
He might’ve grown up to be educated, and put himself into power, but if his decisions were to kill people
using the guillotine, he must’ve not been educated right. He killed many innocent people, and that is not
right. The values we live for: “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” is not demonstrated in any way right here. This Reign
of Terror, is just an example of monstrosity.
I’m only 38, but I can’t even pursue my dream properly. Just because of the Les Grands, I couldn’t even be
a doctor. It’s not right. I should be given this chance, and these distractions like the bloody guillotine killing
plenty of innocent people.
However, my hope has started its journey back to me. The Reign has finally ended, and there are no signs
that there will be another one of these and it’s going to be like that for a while. We’ve had a series of
leaders with the worst influences, from King Louis XIV leaving the empire enormous debt to Robespierre who
has executed tens of thousands, but this will not be forever. France, our beloved empire, will thrive. Liberty,
Equality, Fraternity! My job doesn’t matter anymore, I will now live by these values.
12. Bibliography
- "Top 5 Marie Antoinette Scandals." HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web.
4 May 2013. <http://www.howstuffworks.com/historical-
figures/top-5-marie-antoinette-scandals1.html>.
- Perry, Marvin. “Chapter 22: The French Revolution.” History of the
World. N.p.: Houghton Mifflin, 1991. 434-55. Print.
- Millard, Anne, and Joseph McEwan. “French Revolution and
Napoleon’s Wars.” Comic strip. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 10-11. Print.
- Kreis, Steven. “Lecture 11: The Origins of the French Revolution.”
Lecture 11: The Origins of the French Revolution. N.p., 30 Oct.
2006. Web. 4 May 2013.
<http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/lecture11a.html>.
- “The French Revolution.” The French Revolution. History World
International, n.d. Web. 5 May 2013. <http://history-
world.org/french_revolution1.html>.
