The French Revolution
& Napoleon1789-1815
(Chapter 23)
Section 1: French Revolution Begins
Main Idea: Economic and social inequalities in the Old Regime helped cause the French Revolution
Why it matters? Throughout history, economic and social inequalities have at times led people to revolt against their government
Lady Gaga’s French Revolution Intro
What was France like in the 1770’s?
OLD REGIME= the social and political system of France
Under this system, the people of France were
divided into social classes, or ESTATES
Social Class: The Privileged Estates
First 2 estates privileged
Privileges: High offices Exempt from paying taxes Didn’t like Enlightenment ideas-
threatened their power
First Estate= Roman Catholic Church Owned 10% of land in France
Second Estate= Rich nobles 2% of the population Owned 20% of the land
The Third Estate97% of population
3 Groups in the 3rd Estate: 1. BOURGEOISIE= middle class, bankers, factory owners, merchants,
professionals, artisans…etc Paid high taxes Educated in Enlightenment ideas Could be rich as nobles
2. WORKERS Poorest & hungry Tradespeople, apprentices, laborers, domestic servants
3. PEASANTS 80% of France’s population Gave ½ their $ to nobles & Church
Wife Swap: French Estates
Enlightenment Ideas:New ideas of power
and authority
Third Estate was inspired by American Revolution
Questioned the structure of society and what government should be
Economic TroublesBy 1780s, France’s
economy was declining…
Burden of taxesCost of living was
risingBad weather crop
failure (shortage of grain) price of
bread doubled starvation
Bread Riots
Weak LeadersLouis 16th (XVI) Marie
Antoinette•Inherited debt from previous kings
•Borrowed $ in order to help Americans in revolutionaries in the war against Britain (France’s chief rival)•Lacked ability to make decisions
•Cared little about government affairs
•Interfered often in politics and would give bad advice•Member of the royal family of Austria (enemy of
France) and wasn’t popular•Spent larges amounts of $
(nicknamed, “Madame Deficit”)
Cribs: Louis XVI
Estates-GeneralWhen Louis tried to raise
taxes on the nobility, the Second Estate formed him to call a meeting of the
ESTATES-GENERAL to approve the tax
=an assembly of representatives from all 3 estates First meeting in 175 years Met at Versailles, May 5,
1789
The National Assembly
Medieval Estates-General everyone gets one vote from each estate
Problem: 3rd Estate felt that they were not represented
Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyes= clergymen who suggested the 3rd estate should assembly their own NATIONAL ASSEMBLY and pass laws for France
Tennis Court Oath
Arrived at the Estates-General and they were locked out- broke down a door to an INDOOR TENNIS COURT
Stayed till they drew up a new constitution
TENNIS COURT OATH= pledge of the National Assembly
Storming the BastilleRumors started that Louis was
going to use military force to dismiss the National Assembly AND that foreigners were coming to attack Paris
July 14 (Bastille Day)- mob searching for gunpowder and arms stormed the
BASTILLE (Paris prison)Hacked the prison commander
and several guards- putting their heads on pikes and taking them around town
SYMBOLIC- revolution of France
HH: Storming the Bastille News Report
Bastille
Bastille Day
Great FearGreat Fear= wave of panic
Armed with pitchforks & farming tools
Broke into nobles’ manors and houses and destroyed documents that bound the to pay feudal dues
Women rioted over rising prices of BREAD and marched on Versailles
Next, they went after the King and Queen- broke into palace, killing guards, demanded they leave Versailles and return to Paris- they did
HH: French Revolution Recap
Section 2: Revolution, Reform & Terror
Main Idea: The revolutionary government of France made reforms but also used terror and violence to retain power
Why it matters? Some governments that lack support of a majority of their people still use fear to control their citizens
The Assembly Reforms France
1789
Most likely motivated by fear, some nobles joined the National Assembly
What they did? Got rid of the First & Second Estates the Old Regime was dead
The Rights of ManNational Assembly adopted the
Rights of Man and of the Citizen= a statement of revolutionary ideas, that reflected the Declaration of Independence
“life, liberty, property, security, resistance to oppression…”
Slogan- “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”
Women tried to declare the “rights of women,” but they were rejected, saw as enemies of the Revolution and some were even executed.
A State-Controlled ChurchEarly reforms all focused on
the ChurchChurch lost their lands and its
political independence
Proceeds from the sale of Church lands helped pay of France’s debts
Results: Angered peasants who thought that the Pope should rule over the Church independent of the state (separation of Church and state)
Louis Tries to EscapeAs the Church was under
attack, Louis feared what would happen to him
Many supporters of Louis fled the country, and soon, Louis did too
Tried to escape to Austria (Marie’s home), but were apprehended at the gate and returned to Paris
Divisions DevelopLimited Monarchy was
created by the new constitution
Stripped the king of his authority, but he still held the executive power to enforce laws
Legislative Assembly= created laws and to approve or reject declarations of war
Factions Split FranceProblems split the new government:
Food shortagesGovernment debt
Radicals (Left
winged)
Moderates (Centrists)
Conservatives (Right winged)
Extreme change
Want some change
Few changes
Emigres San-Culottes
Nobles and others who had fled France who wanted to restore the Old Regime
“those without knee breeches” (aka regular trousers)
War & Execution (Page 658-660)France at War
•Who attacked France?•Why did they attack France?•What are the September Massacres?•What is the National Convention?
Jacobins Take Control
•Who are the Jacobins?•Who is Jean Paul Marat?•What power did Louis have under the Jacobins?•How did Louis die?
Guillotine=
The War ContinuesWhat was the extreme step the Jacobins took to increase
their army size?
Guillotine
Terror Grips France Jacobins had many enemies: peasants,
foreigners, church leaders
Maximilien Robespierre= Jacobin leader, governed as a dictator Set out to build a “ republic of virtue” by
wiping out every trace of France’s past
Reign of Terror= period of Robespierre’s rule
“enemies” were tried and guillotined Enemies went against Robespierre, radicals Justified that he was returning France to a
virtuous state
Famous victims: George Danton (member of National Convention), Marie Antoinette
40,000 killed during the reign of terror
Robespierre
Marie’s Execution
Marat & Marie Antoinette’s Death
End of TerrorFearing for their own
safety, many turned on Robespierre- he was guillotined
New Government:Power went to the
upper middle class2 house legislative and
an executive body of 5 men (Directory)
Homework:
Chaper 23:3 (Napoleon Forges an
Empire
Section 3: REVIEWNapoleon
Napoleon Music Video
Historical Misconception: Napoleon is short?
After his death, he was measured 5’2 according to French height, which would’ve made him 5’6 according to British standard
Napoleon BonaparteCoup d’Etat (“blow to the state”)
Plebiscite
Lycees
Concordat
Napoleonic Code
Crowned as Emperor
Napoleon’s Cout d’Etat (Blow to the State) Speech
Napoleon’s Empire
Napoleon’s Empire
American
Colonies
Europe
Battle of Trafalgar
French Empire
Louisiana Purchase
Section 4: Napoleon’s Empire Collapses
Main Idea: Napoleon’s conquests aroused nationalistic feelings across Europe and contributed to his downfall
Why it matters? In the 1990s, nationalistic feelings contributed to the breakup of nations such as Yugoslavia
Mini Bio: Napoleon
Napoleon’s 3 MistakesNapoleon’s personality and greed let to his
downfall
When he tried to expand the French Empire and crush Great Britain, it eventually led to his downfall
Mistake #1: The Continental System
Blockade= a forcible closing of ports
Continental System= Napoleon’s policy of preventing all trade and communication between Britain and other European nations- it was suppose to make continental Europe more self sufficient Result 1: Blockade was not tight
enough- British and others would smuggle things in
Result 2: British returned the blockade onto the French, who couldn’t compete with the British navy (British stopped American ships coming into France)
Mistake #2: The Peninsular War (1/2)
Why did it start? Napoleon attempted to force Portugal to accept the Continental System, by
sending an invasion force through Spain
Result: Napoleon removed the Spanish king
and put his brother in charge Spanish people felt more nationalism
and fought back Spanish worried that the French
would weaken the Catholic Church because of what they saw in the French Revolution
Mistake #2: The Peninsular War (2/2)
Peninsular War= named because Spain lies on the Iberian PeninsulaHow long? 6 years
Guerillas= Spanish peasant fighters, worked in small groups and ambushed French troops while hiding
British sent aid to the SpanishNapoleon lost 300,000 men
Lesson learned Nationalism can win wars
Mistake #3: The Invasion of Russia-1812 (1/2)
Why did it start? The Russian czar refused to stop selling grain to Britain AND both Russia and France had competing claims on Poland
Start of Invasion: Napoleon invaded with 420,000 troops Alexander retreated While the Russian retreated, they used the SCORCHED-EARTH POLICY, leaving nothing for the French
to eat
Israel 2009: Scorched-Earth Policy
Mistake #3: The Invasion of Russia-1812 (2/2)
After fighting in the Battle of Borodino, the Russian fell back, allowing the French to
attack Moscow Instead of surrendering the “holy
city” to the French, the Russian burnt it down
French couldn’t hang on with the cold and lack of supplies. When they retreated they only had 10,000 soldiers left
Napoleon’s Invasion of Russia
Napoleon’s DownfallMany other
countries saw Napoleon’s downfallBritainRussiaPrussiaSwedenAustria (even after
he married Marie Louise)
Napoleon Suffers DefeatNapoleon was able to raise
another army
Problem: his army was untrained and ill prepared for battle
All the allies against France, team up and easily defeated Napoleon
Russia & Prussia’s leaders led a victory parade through Paris
Napoleon wanted to fight on, but his generals did not
Napoleon was banished to Elba (a tiny island off the coast of Italy)
Count of Monte Cristo: Meet Napoleon
100 Days (1/2)
Many Frenchmen thought the new king (Louis XVIII) wanted to do some of the French Revolution’s progress
Napoleon escaped from Elba and received by joyous crowds who marched him to Paris
Within days, Napoleon was the emperor of France
Return from Elba
100 Days (2/2)
In response, European allies gathered an army and
prepared for a Battle at Waterloo (village of Belgium)
French vs. British (Duke of Wellington) & Prussia
Result: after a few days, the French had to retreat
100 Days= Napoleon last effort for power, disposing the king and becoming emperor
End of NapoleonBritish exiled Napoleon to St.
Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic
Lived in exile for 6 years, writing his memoirs
Died in 1821, of a stomach ailment, perhaps cancer
“He was as great as a man can be without virtue”(Said of Napoleon by French
writer Alexis de Tocqueville)
Eiffel Tower
Section 5: Congress of Vienna
Main Idea: After exiling Napoleon, European leaders at the Congress of Vienna tried to restore order and reestablish peace
Why it matters now? International bodies such as the United Nations plays an active role in trying to maintain world peace and stability today
Congress of Vienna= series of meetings in Vienna in 1814-1815,
during which the European leaders sought to establish long-lasting peace and security after the defeat of Napoleon
Prince Klemens von Metternich
= one of the most influential representatives in the Congress of Vienna, foreign minister of AustriaDidn’t trust the
democratic ideals of the French Revolution
He believed Napoleon’s behavior was because of this experiment of democracy
Metternich’s Plan for Europe
Metternich’s Plan
Balance of Power
Containment of France
Legitimacy
•Didn’t want to leave France powerless•Afraid if they splitFrance up than other Powers would do what France did
•Made countries aroundFrance strongerHow? Some united, some Were recognized asIndependent countries
= those who had lostPower under NapoleonShould be restored to power
Was it a success? YES
1. For the first time, the nations of an entire continent had cooperated to control political affairs
2. Did not lead to a future war3. Balance of Power/allies
formed4. Time of peace in Europe
Political Changes AFTER Vienna
Conservative Europe•Many were worried about the French Revolution spreading
•HOLY ALLIANCE= signed agreement between Kings of Prussia and Austria, pledging to relations with other Christian nations
•CONCERT OF EUROPE= series of alliances formed by Metternich, ensuring that nation’s would protect each other
•Despite their best efforts, the French Revolution had made it’s impact and given Europe it’s first dose of democracy
Revolutions in Latin AmericaExample of a consequence in
Latin America of the Congress:
1. Restored power to kings who had lost powerExample: King of Spain
kicked out, liberal Creoles (colonists born in Spanish America) seized control of many of the coloniesMany of these colonists
were angered and declared independence
Long-Term Legacy of the Congress of Vienna
1. Diminished the power of France, increased the power of Britain and Prussia
2. Nationalism spread (some exploding into revolutions, leading to new nations forming)
3. Many colonies broke off from Europeans
4. More people saw democracy as the best way to ensure equality and justice for all
What are the lessons learned through the French Revolution???
Example: When the people feel mistreated, they will rebelOne country can set an example for other
countries- good or bad If use terror as a weapon to control people- it can
work for a little bitDon’t get greedyConquering can only last so longMake the peasant happy peace
Freedom Peace Courage
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