In 1789, a terrible famine occurred in France. Starving peasants attacked the homes of nobles. Revolutionary groups took over Paris and demanded an end to the monarchy. Finally, the nobles agreed to give up their special privileges.
The National Assembly began making reforms. They agreed to abolish feudalism. In 1791, the assembly finished writing a new constitution that used Enlightenment ideas. Under this constitution, people had natural rights and the government had to protect those rights. The constitution created a limited monarchy. The assembly also reformed French laws and supported trade. When it took control of the French Catholic Church and sold its lands to pay back the government debt, the pope, clergy, and many peasants rejected the revolution. Other groups, however, wanted more changes. Violent disagreements soon caused the downfall of the assembly.
News about the French Revolution spread across Europe. While many Europeans supported the revolution, rulers and nobles were afraid that revolutionary ideas would spread to their own countries. After the French king and his family made an unsuccessful attempt to flee, the king of Prussia promised that he would fight to save the French monarchy. In 1792, France declared war on Austria, Prussia, Britain, and several other European states. The fighting lasted over 20 years.