revolutionary france & victor hugo 1 revolutionary france & victor hugo a brief history the...
TRANSCRIPT
3/17/2017
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Revolutionary France
& Victor Hugo
A brief history
The 18th Century
Began with a system of Absolute Monarchy throughout Europe
Royalty and the aristocracy lived in excessive luxury & unrivaled power
In France, Louis XIV believes in the Theatre of Royalty, but he did attend to his obligations to the people.
18th Century – the classes
Aristocracy
Unprecedented wealth/power
Severely taxed subjects/$ to monarchy
Peasants
Bottom of the barrel; little employment
Little pay; no privileges
“Age of Enlightenment” (approx. 1700 – 1804)
“Age of Enlightenment”
Advocated Reason as a means to establishing an
authoritative system of aesthetics, ethics,
government, and logic, to allow philosophers to obtain
objective truth about the universe
emphasized empiricism, reason, science, and
rationality.
The intellectual leaders believed they would lead the
world into progress from a long period of doubtful
tradition, irrationality, superstition, and tyranny, which
they imputed to the Dark Ages. The movement
helped create the intellectual framework for the
American and French Revolutions
Louis XVI
Came to power during rough times
Did not particularly want to be king
Father (Louise XV) had bankrupted the
government
Wide spread famines throughout France
led to food shortages
Louis XVI
Biggest mistake . . .
REFUSED TO MAKE ANY
CONSESSION TO THE
PEOPLE/THE MASSES
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Vive la Revolucion!!!
July 14, 1789 – Storming of the Bastille
Peasants revolted; overthrew the
government
Peasants had no “plan” – chaos resulted
Chaos
1792 – Monarchy sympathizers massacred
Louis XVI & Marie Antoinette arrested
Tried as criminals to the state
Jan 1793 – Louis XVI guillotined
Oct 1793 – Marie Antoinette guillotined
Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte – 1796
Came from common ranks of military
Created French Empire (Atlantic – Russia)
Brought Nationalism back to France
Code Napoleon (Napoleonic Law)
Attempted to stabilize and equalize society
Opened public education of the masses
Bonaparte the Tyrant – 1804
Shows signs of being power hungry
Crowns himself Emperor of French Empire
(Atlantic Ocean – Russia)
Many foreign wars depleted treasury
Became the “monarch” the Revolution
fought against
Napoleon the Tyrant: 1814 – 15
1814 – Foreign forces (Russia, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Britain) overthrow him
Exiled to Elba for life under French watch, but escapes and “reclaims” France
1815 – Waterloo – After 100 days his last battle
Foreign forces defeated Napoleon’s troops, 1000s of French died
Exiled to St. Helena by British under British watch. He dies there 1821.
Bourbon Restoration: 1815 – 1830
Louis XVIII ascends to thrown; followed by Charles X
Forced to write a constitution that limited monarchy’s power (but the process was a mess)
Rise of the Bourgeoisie (middle class which never really existed before)
Mass movement to cities; population rises
Wide spread famines bring France near collapse, again.
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Louis-Phillipe –
The Bourgeois King
1830 July Revolution – Charles X
abdicates to “relative”
Louis-Phillipe had worked in government
and was seen as the “people’s king”
King of the French; not King of France
Industrial Revolution FINALLY hits France
(50 yrs after Britain)
Louis-Phillipe: 1830 – 1848
Wanted to please middle class = $$$$
People expected classless society but
really only $$$ mattered
Tried to “re-write” laws given monarchy
more power, again
Many small “revolutionary” movements
take place throughout France. (Later
sections of Les Miserables depicts these)
Paris Revolts!!! 1844-48 Industrialization takes jobs; inflation
goes out of control; wide spread food shortages
Paris revolts – Demanded political rights for all people/citizens
1848-70 Napoleon III (nephew) declares himself Emperor; rebuilds Paris but foreign wars are his downfall. 1870 defeated by Germans; exiled to Britain.
Finally, a true democratic government is installed in France.
Victor Hugo: 1802 – 1885
A born Romantic
Prolific writer (letters, essays, poems, novels, etc…)
3 of 5 of his children died tragically
2 when very young
1 when she was in her 20s confined to a mental institution
Married 1 time – very romantic relationship
1831 Hunchback of Notre Dame made him famous and rich
Victor Hugo: politics Very romantic, liberal and politically involved –
not popular with conservative politics of his time
Wrote to everyone and for everyone
(periodicals) with commentary on society
1850 – Exiled by Napoleon III (20 yrs)
Begins Les Miserables 1858 – published 1862
1870 returned to France and served in
legislature
Proponent for help for the masses and rights of
the common man