The July 14th, 1789 storming and destruction of the Bastille by the citizens of Paris marked the beginning of the “journées.” The “journées” were otherwise known as incidents in which groups of French citizens banded together to take the Revolution into their own hands, often through destructive and/or violent means. This pattern would persist, again and again, throughout the entire Revolution, culminating in and coinciding with the infamous Reign of Terror. After the fall of the Bastille, the National Constituent Assembly very quickly realized that it was no longer entirely in control of the Revolution; instead, the French people were determined to play a part and would continue to do so. The reaction to such events within the Assembly was decidedly mixed; many members were disturbed by these outbreaks of disruption, but many others (most notably Maximillian Robespierre), saw the “journées” as crucial opportunity for power and control of the building Revolutionary movement.

King Louis XVI was deeply alarmed by the creation of the National Assembly – he hadn’t at all foreseen this turn of events. Consequently, he decided to meet with the few remaining members of the Estates General, but, most portentously, he had the National Assembly’s meeting room locked and barred. When the members of the National Assembly turned up and saw the locked doors, however, they weren’t discouraged or demoralized, as the King had hoped. Instead, the National Assembly was all the more energized and more determined than ever to achieve their reformist aims. Defiantly, they held their meeting instead on a tennis court – hence, the name of the oath – and there passed a solemn resolution that they would continue to meet, no matter what the King did to oppose them, until they had drafted a new national constitution, with all of their changes included. They also renamed themselves the National Constituent Assembly. The King tried to quash this latest development but it was too late, especially as the remaining members of the Estates General defected in support of the Assembly. From now on, the King was going to have to try and cooperate with the Assembly if he hoped to have any say in his nation’s government.

King Louis XVI was deeply alarmed by the creation of the National Assembly – he hadn’t at all foreseen this turn of events. Consequently, he decided to meet with the few remaining members of the Estates General, but, most portentously, he had the National Assembly’s meeting room locked and barred. When the members of the National Assembly turned up and saw the locked doors, however, they weren’t discouraged or demoralized, as the King had hoped. Instead, the National Assembly was all the more energized and more determined than ever to achieve their reformist aims. Defiantly, they held their meeting instead on a tennis court – hence, the name of the oath – and there passed a solemn resolution that they would continue to meet, no matter what the King did to oppose them, until they had drafted a new national constitution, with all of their changes included. They also renamed themselves the National Constituent Assembly. The King tried to quash this latest development but it was too late, especially as the remaining members of the Estates General defected in support of the Assembly. From now on, the King was going to have to try and cooperate with the Assembly if he hoped to have any say in his nation’s government.

Bloody Sunday took place in Russia in 1905, during the first Russian Revolution. It involved the massacre of peaceful demonstrators in St. Petersburg by forces associated with the Russian Tsar Nicholas II. It contributed to the decline of the ruling Romanov dynasty.

The July 14th, 1789 storming and destruction of the Bastille by the citizens of Paris marked the beginning of the “journées.” The “journées” were otherwise known as incidents in which groups of French citizens banded together to take the Revolution into their own hands, often through destructive and/or violent means. This pattern would persist, again and again, throughout the entire Revolution, culminating in and coinciding with the infamous Reign of Terror. After the fall of the Bastille, the National Constituent Assembly very quickly realized that it was no longer entirely in control of the Revolution; instead, the French people were determined to play a part and would continue to do so. The reaction to such events within the Assembly was decidedly mixed; many members were disturbed by these outbreaks of disruption, but many others (most notably Maximillian Robespierre), saw the “journées” as crucial opportunity for power and control of the building Revolutionary movement.

Bloody Sunday took place in Russia in 1905, during the first Russian Revolution. It involved the massacre of peaceful demonstrators in St. Petersburg by forces associated with the Russian Tsar Nicholas II. It contributed to the decline of the ruling Romanov dynasty.

Iran experienced a revolution in 1979 that led to the expulsion of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the western-minded and West-backed leader. Economic and political crises mounted in the 1970s, and Iran's two identities—the western, secular identity and the traditional, Islamic-based identity—collided. Iran turned towards Islam and eventually established a theocracy with shades of democracy after the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

The Sepoy Rebellion occurred in British occupied India in 1857. The Sepoys were Indian soldiers who served in the armed forces of the British East India Company, who administered the Indian subcontinent directly prior to the Sepoy Rebellion. The rebellion began due to British abuses of the Hindu and Muslim troops serving in the armed forces and was quelled when the British government stepped in and began to oversee the administration of India directly (removing the East India Company from ultimate authority). The Sepoy Rebellion is usually called the First Indian War of Independence in India.

Iran experienced a revolution in 1979 that led to the expulsion of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the western-minded and West-backed leader. Economic and political crises mounted in the 1970s, and Iran's two identities—the western, secular identity and the traditional, Islamic-based identity—collided. Iran turned towards Islam and eventually established a theocracy with shades of democracy after the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

While Queen Elizabeth I’s efforts to establish religious toleration within her country were largely quite successful, it was of course impossible for her to ensure the agreement of every English citizen. Elizabeth I’s Act of Supremacy angered and distressed not just some English Catholics but also Catholics across Western Europe, including those in Spain and Scotland, who felt that the Queen was polluting the Catholic faith through her Anglican Church. Throughout her long reign, the Queen faced numerous assassination attempts made on her life by Catholic assassins (who were either Catholic themselves or hired by internal/external Catholic forces). Spanish Catholics even attempted to murder Elizabeth I and replace her with her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots. Elizabeth I also faced opposition from other, less prominent, and less numerous religious groups. The Puritans – aka Presbyterians – were loyal to the essential concept of Anglicanism but they objected to some of the Catholic rituals that the national faith had retained. Elizabeth I acted shrewdly so as not to alienate the Puritans; she allowed them to form their own separate worshiping societies so long as they agreed not to challenge her position of ultimate power. The Congregationalists posed a bit more difficulty. These individuals were former Puritans who had left that group due to their more radical ideas and they refused to acknowledge Elizabeth I’s control over the Anglican Church or over England itself. Faced with such a seemingly anarchist threat, Elizabeth I and Parliament passed the Conventicle Act in 1593, which informed all Congregationalists that they must return to the Anglican Church on the penalty of exile or execution.