The establishment of the first Republic in France was spurred by the French Revolution beginning in 1789. This revolution arose from widespread discontent with monarchical rule and economic hardship, fueled by Enlightenment ideas of liberty and equality. The fall of the Bastille and the subsequent declaration of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen led to the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of a republic in 1792. The revolution exemplified the struggle for popular sovereignty and set the stage for future democratic movements across Europe.