FROM THE 5TH OF MAY, 1789, TO THE NIGHT OF THE 4TH OF AUGUST Opening of the states-general--Opinion of the court, of the ministry, and of the various bodies of the kingdom respecting the states--Verification of powers--Question of vote by order or by poll--The order of the commons forms itself into a national assembly--The court causes the Hall of the states to be closed--Oath of the Tennis-court--The majority of the order of the clergy unites itself with the commons--Royal sitting of the 23rd of June--Its inutility--Project of the court--Events of the 12th, 13th, and 14th of July--Dismissal of Necker--Insurrection of Paris--Formation of the national guard--Siege and taking of the Bastille--Consequences of the 14th of July--Decrees of the night of the 4th of August--Character of the revolution which had just been brought about. CHAPTER II FROM THE NIGHT OF THE 4TH OF AUGUST TO THE 5TH AND 6TH OF OCTOBER, 1789 State of the constituent assembly--Party of the high clergy and nobility-- Maury and Cazales--Party of the ministry and of the two chambers: Mounier, Lally-Tollendal--Popular party: triumvirate of Barnave, Duport, and Lameth--Its position--Influence of Sieyès--Mirabeau chief of the assembly at that period--Opinion to be formed of the Orleans party--Constitutional labours--Declaration of rights--Permanency and unity of the legislative body--Royal sanction--External agitation caused by it--Project of the court--Banquet of the gardes-du-corps--Insurrection of the 5th and 6th October--The king comes to reside at Paris. CHAPTER III FROM THE 6TH OF OCTOBER, 1789, TO THE DEATH OF MIRABEAU, APRIL, 1791 Results of the events of October--Alteration of the provinces into departments--Organization of the administrative and municipal authorities according to the system of popular sovereignty and election--Finances; all the means employed are insufficient--Property of the clergy declared national--The sale of the property of the clergy leads to assignats--Civil constitution of the clergy--Religious opposition of the bishops-- Anniversary of the 14th of July--Abolition of titles--Confederation of the Champ de Mars--New organization of the army--Opposition of the officers-- Schism respecting the civil constitution of the clergy--Clubs--Death of Mirabeau--During the whole of this period the separation of parties becomes more decided. CHAPTER IV FROM APRIL, 1791, TO THE 30TH SEPTEMBER, THE END OF THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY Political state of Europe before the French revolution--System of alliance observed by different states--General coalition against the revolution-- Motives of each power--Conference of Mantua, and circular of Pavia--Flight to Varennes--Arrest of the king--His suspension--The republican party separate, for the first time, from the party of the constitutional monarchy--The latter re-establishes the king--Declaration of Pilnitz--The king accepts the constitution--End of the constituent assembly--Opinion of it.