On July 14 a crowd in Paris stormed an
old prison called the Bastille. The
crowd released the prisoners that the
government had held there. This event
is now considered the start of the
French Revolution.
A New Government
Other regions in France followed the
lead of Paris and formed revolutionary
There were many protests during
the French Revolution. In 1789 a
crowd marched to the royal palace
in Versailles, France. They
brought the royal family back to
Paris (the French capital) to face
the people’s demands.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA French Revolution 69
governments. Peasants in many places
burned the castles of the wealthy landowners.
After that some nobles willingly
gave up their privileges.
In August 1789 the National Assembly
approved the Declaration of the Rights
of Man and of the Citizen. This important
document stated that all people are
born free and have equal rights. The
National Assembly also made many
changes that would affect all the French
people. It said that peasants no longer
had to farm nobles’ land for no pay. The
Assembly also took property away from
the Roman Catholic church. Finally, it
gave most male citizens the right to vote.
At first the National Assembly let the
king remain on the throne. But in September
1792 France changed its form of
government from a kingdom to a republic.
In 1793 the revolutionaries put
Louis and Marie-Antoinette to death.
Reign of Terror
The French republic had a new assembly
called the National Convention. Soon
an extreme group called the Jacobins
took control of it. They feared that not
enough people supported the revolution.
They began a period called the Reign of
Terror.
The Jacobins arrested more than
300,000 people for being against the
revolution. They put at least 17,000
people to death. Many had their heads
cut off by a new machine called the guillotine.
Finally, in July 1794 other members
of the Convention arrested the
leaders of the Reign of Terror. They sent
these leaders to the guillotine.
Rise of Napoleon
In 1795 a less extreme government
called the Directory took power. However,
the Directory did not provide
strong leadership. In 1799 Napoleon
Bonaparte, a successful young general,
did away with the Directory. He made
himself the leader of a new government
called the Consulate.
Napoleon grew so powerful that in 1804
he declared himself Napoleon I,
emperor of France. Emperors and kings
then ruled France for most of the next
70 years. France finally became a republic
for good in 1871.
#More to explore
Bastille Day • France • Louis XVI
• Marie-Antoinette • Napoleon
Maximilien de Robespierre was
a leader during the Reign of Terror.
He was blamed for many of
the killings that took place. In
1794 Robespierre was arrested
and executed.
70 French Revolution BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Frog
Frogs are small animals that can jump
very well. Frogs are similar to toads.
However, a frog has smooth skin and
long legs. A toad has rough skin and
shorter legs.
Frogs are found throughout the world
except in very cold places. They are most
common in rain forests. Frogs are
amphibians, meaning that they can live
in water or on land. Most frogs spend
most of their lives in water. Some live in
underground holes or in trees.
A frog has smooth, moist skin and big,
bulging eyes. Its hind legs are more than
twice as long as its front ones. Most
frogs have webbed back feet to help
them leap and swim. Tree frogs have
sticky disks on the tips of their fingers
and toes. These disks help them climb
slippery surfaces.
Many frogs are tiny. They can be less
than an inch (2.5 centimeters) long. The
largest frogs are about a foot (30 centimeters)
long. Most frogs are green,
brown, gray, or yellow. Some are
brightly colored.
A frog catches prey by flicking out its
long, sticky tongue. Most frogs eat
insects and worms. Some also eat other
frogs, rodents, and reptiles.
Frogs have glands in their skin that
make poison. But this poison does not
protect them from snakes, birds, and
other enemies. Instead, frogs most often
protect themselves by blending in with
their surroundings.
Frogs usually lay their eggs in water.
Within a few weeks the eggs hatch into
tadpoles. Tadpoles are fishlike creatures
that breathe through gills instead of
lungs. To become an adult frog, a tadpole
loses its tail and develops lungs and
limbs.
#More to explore
Amphibian • Toad
The red-eyed tree frog is a
brightly colored frog that lives in
rain forests of Central and South
America.
The bullfrog is the largest North American
frog. It can be 8 inches (20 centimeters) long.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Frog 71
Fruit
A fruit is the part of a flowering plant
that contains the seeds. The skin of a
fruit may be thin, tough, or hard. Its
insides are often sweet and juicy. But
some fruits, including nuts, are dry.
Fruits develop from a plant’s flowers.
Some foods that people call vegetables
are actually fruits. For example, cucumbers,
squashes, and tomatoes are all
fruits. They contain seeds, while true
vegetables do not. True vegetables are
the stems, leaves, or roots of plants.
There are two main types of fruit:
