The capture of the Bastille ignited one of the greatest social upheavals in Western history, the French Revolution. Violence spread to the countryside, where peasants demanded the feudal system be ...

but the French Revolution was lead by the bourgeoisie from the start. In May 1789, King Louis XVI called a meeting of the Estates-General, to try and find a solution to France’s financial problems.

This was much more than simply a mob. The French Revolution would be led by shopkeepers, journalists and lawyers. For the first time the citizens took control and formed their own government.