FRENCH REVOLUTION

Old Order – Ancien Regime King and Queen at the top! King: Louis XVI Queen: Marie Antoinette

Old Order – Ancien Regime

1ST: CLERGY (1%)

2ND: NOBILITY (<2%)

3RD: BOURGEOISIE(97%) SANS CULOTTES

PEASANTS

No taxes 10% Minister to

Common People

TITLE ROLES

Controlled much of the wealth

Few taxes Government and

military jobs Large estates

Rich, NO role in government

Workers Paid rent & fees,

1/10 of income to church

France in Debt Borrowed HUGE amounts of money to

spend on wars (including the American Revolution)

King & Queen spent lavishly (more than borrowed)

King tried to tax 2nd estate 2nd estate refused, King backed down Nature

Hailstorm & drought ruined harvests Winter 1788 worst in 80 years No food!

First Events of the Revolution In 1789, no estate was HAPPY 1st & 2nd ESTATE RESENTED LOSING

POWER TO MONARCHY Wealthy Bourgeoisie resented government

REGULATIONS THAT RESTRICTED BUSINESS GROWTH

3rd estate resented HUNGER & TAXES Meeting of the Estates-General: an

ASSEMBLY of the three estates that the NOBLES pressed Louis to call TO APPROVE NEW TAXES ON 3RD ESTATE

Representatives wrote “cahiers” to record grievances Got all riled up

Each estate gets ONE VOTE and usually the 1st and 2nd estate would vote together

Louis wanted to continue the Old Way but the 3rd estate was inspired by the ENLIGHTENMENT and refused

3rd estate declared themselves a LEGISLATURE with the right to MAKE LAWS : National Assembly

Louis ordered troops to Paris and Versailles fearing an overthrow. National Assembly saw this, they feared violence

July 14, 1789: a MOB of Parisians went to the BASTILLE, killed the commander, piked his head

“THE STORMING OF THE BASTILLE” became a symbol for the French Revolution

After the fall of the Bastille, people were afraid the king would retaliate: “GREAT FEAR”

For revenge, the peasants destroyed RECORDS LISTING FEUDAL DUES and burned nobles’ HOUSES

Creating New Rights National Assembly eliminated ALL FEUDAL

DUES “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the

Citizen” Liberty Equality All men are born equal and remain Fraternity equal under the law

Louis calls troops to Versailles Mob of 7,000 angry women storm Versailles Louis agrees to return to Paris

National Assembly sells off church lands to pay off debts

New Government Citizens (taxpaying men) get new rights Keep monarchy, but weaken it King and Queen try to flee, caught Austria & Prussia threaten war if monarchs harmed

50,000 troops moved to border Legislative Assembly declares war

Lose Blame king

King and Queen taken to prison Legislative Assembly National Convention Radicals in charge Abolish Monarchy REPUBLIC!

1792: Radicals in Control!The

Mountain(most

radical)Montagnards

JacobinsLower Middle Class

Plain Swing

Swing voters

Girondin

The Mountain

GirondinModerate

sProvinces

Constitutional

MonarchyResent:

Paris’ Mob Influence

Government Leaders: JEAN-PAUL MARAT: advocates

violence, Sans Culottes GEORGES JACQUES DANTON:

compromiser, opposed excesses MAXMILIEN ROBESPIERRE: dedicated,

led bloodiest time

Executing the King After the National Convention, the king was

placed on TRIAL The GIRONDINS had hoped to avoid a trial,

but they were the MINORITY The MONTAGNARDS were eager to try and

execute the king in order to prevent a return of the monarchy

Louis was quickly CONDEMNED and scheduled to DIE the next day

Louis XVI was killed with the GUILLOTINE

After the King’s execution… National Convention began to tighten its

CONTROL Set up the COMMITTEE OF PUBLIC

SAFETY to manage country's military defense

Made a DRAFT of all unmarried men 18-45

REVOLUTIONARY TRIBUNAL was made to root out and eliminate anyone who posed a threat to the Revolution

The Revolution also transformed French Society:

Roman Catholic Church abolished “Cult of Supreme Being” (Bibles replaced by Declaration of the Rights of Man)

Metric System Calendar 10, 3 week months

Reign of Terror: series of accusations, trials & executions

Caused by revolutionary leaders fearing a COUNTER REVOLUTION

Once peasants got rid of feudal dues, they went back to their CONSERVATIVE ways

But when they heard about the DRAFT a western village, VENDEE resisted so strongly it led to a CIVIL WAR

The counterrevolutionary force was called the CATHOLIC & ROYAL ARMY

The government took control back, and destroyed everything and everyone it could

Accusations and Trials Revolutionary Tribunal to get rid of

dissenters Robespierre said they needed to use

TERROR to defend the republic from its enemies

The tribunal began with the GIRONDISTS because they once wanted a CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY

Soon anyone that CRITICIZED the revolution or supported the old ORDER were in danger or trial and death

Napoleon A brilliant leader 1793: Forced British

troops out of the port of Toulon

1795: Napoleon fought a mob of royalists trying to regain power

Shot artillery into crowd, forcing them to flee

As a reward put in charge of French Interior

Napoleon 1796: Napoleon was

placed in command of troops invading Italy

His victories here kept France’s borders secure but also won territory for France

1798: Napoleon took large fleet to Mediterranean Sea to disrupt trade between England & India

British Admiral Horatio Nelson

Trapped French Ships Most of French fleet

destroyed Napoleon spun it to make it

look like hero Meanwhile, the Directory

had grown weak Some wanted a monarchy

since they feared growing European powers

Napoleon 1799: a group of

armed supporters surrounded the Directory and forced the members to turn over power to Napoleon:

COUP D'ÉTAT: FORCED TRANSFER OF POWER

Napoleon Group of three consuls

called CONSULATE Replaced the directory

and voted Napoleon in charge of Consul

Napoleon was Dictator People were tired of

constant warfare and chaos

People willing to give up some freedom

Napoleon moved quickly to strengthen his power Issued a Plebiscite:

Asked voters: Do you want to be AN EMPIRE? Voters said YES!

Pope Pius came to crown Napoleon Napoleon took the crown and CROWNED

HIMSELF Wanted to expand his empire to the Americas

Civil war in Haiti erupted and Napoleon sent an expedition which FAILED

Napoleon sold LOUISIANA to the US

Napoleonic Wars Extension of French Revolution Wars France became dominant power in Europe France grew rapidly Lasted more than a decade (to 1815)

War with England Britain formed a series of coalitions against

France Napoleon knew that he must defeat England 1805: Admiral Nelson and his fleet defeated

the French off the coast of Spain

Continental System Napoleon sought to disrupt trade

between England and the world France planned a blockade Prohibited French or allied ships to trade

with England Drew Britain and France into other

conflicts

Peninsular War Portugal was neutral, wouldn’t comply with

continental system Napoleon sent in troops to Portugal, then Spain Napoleon quickly won and put his brother Joseph

on the throne of Spain England sent troops to support Spanish revolt

against France Napoleon brought troops in from Central Europe,

won several battles Guerilla fighters eventually forced France out of

Spain

Napoleon’s Downfall Napoleon stationed troops near the

border of Russia Czar Alexander I feared the Continental

System and began to gather troops To teach the Czar a lesson, Napoleon

moved east into Russia

Summer By June, Napoleon & 600,000 men

marched across the border Many new recruits were from conquered

territories, no loyalty Supplies spoiled in the summer heat The army suffered from disease,

desertion and hunger, which thinned the ranks

Advance As Napoleon and the troops moved

inward, Russians withdrew Peasants set fire to their fields August: France finally gets a battle:

French won with high casualties Russian Army lost 90,000, retreated

Moscow French reached Moscow by September,

but the city was deserted The city was also on fire Napoleon had no choice but to turn back

Winter Harsh winter was the worst enemy Napoleon rushed back to Europe by

sleigh Only 94,000/600,000 returned

Defeat The disaster gave Napoleon’s enemies

new hope Napoleon raised another army but they

were inexperienced October 1813, the allies met Napoleon at

Leipzig, Germany, clear defeat for Napoleon

March 1814, the allies entered Paris As terms of his surrender, Napoleon had

to give up his throne, but kept his title