French people in the 18th century were not equal under the law. There were different sets of laws for the nobles and for the common people. They were alienated both politically and economically. However, they also paid a lot of taxes to the government compared to their low income.

Even though the French government received taxes, it was not enough for Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette since they enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle. They spent money lavishly with poor people¡¯s tax.
France was also deeply in debt due to a long series of colonial wars with England. So, Louis XVI asked the people to pay new taxes. This made the French people mad.

On July 14, 1789, an angry crowd of people took guns and weapons from the city hall in Paris. Then they attacked the Bastille, a fortress prison where the government imprisoned anyone it wished without a trial. This first act of the French Revolution is celebrated to this day in France as a national holiday called Bastille Day.

Many changes were made in France during the 10 years that followed the Revolution. The monarchy was abolished, nobles lost their privileges and the Church lost most of its lands and power. France became a republic in 1792.

The new rulers said that King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were dangerous to the public. They were put to death by the guillotine, a machine invented for beheading people.