Unit 3: The French Revolution & The

Rise of Napoleon

10/15/12 Do-Now:

Define the term REVOLUTION.

What constitutes a revolution?What causes a revolution?

Why does a revolution happen?

10/16/12 – Do-Now

Why do revolutions happen?What causes them?Are the causes universal or unique?

Explain your opinion.

Background to the French Revolution

• Before the French Revolution, France had an absolute monarchy• Absolutism: when unlimited

power is given to the King• France had three social

classes called the Three Estates• 1st Estate: clergy (priests)• 2nd Estate: nobles• 3rd Estate:

peasants/commoners• Bourgeoisie: educated

middle class

3rd Estate – Divided into 3

The Bourgeoisie – Middle class included bankers, merchants and manufacturers

The bulk of the 3rd estate were made up of rural landowners and peasants.

Finally, the poorest members were the urban (City) workers Like printers, cloth makers, porters, construction workers and Street sellers.

Three Estates

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%

LandOwnership

Taxation Population

ClergyNobilityCommoners

Land Ownership

3rd Estate: Economic Injustices

• Paid all taxes• Bad harvests caused food prices to

rise.• Peasants and city dwellers did not

have enough to eat.• Best land owned by 1st and 2nd

estate• Costly wars: Seven Years War• Royal extravagance

Social Inequality

• Lack of rights• Did not have hunting rights• Did not have Religious freedom

• Lack of respect• Government jobs: 2nd estate• Education

Do-Now

• Drought/Famine• High Taxes• Revolutions and Rebellions• Restriction of Freedoms• Representation

• Which of the above do you think is most important to the Third Estate when the Estates-General meets? Why?

Causes of the French Revolution

1. The French people were tired of absolutism and disliked that they had no say in the government

2. Enlightenment ideas caused people to question the absolute monarchy

3. The 3rd Estate was tired of being discriminated against

• Only the third estate had to pay taxes, even though the first two estates had most of the money

Causes of the French Revolution

4. Bad harvests in 1789• Price of food went up and 3rd estate couldn’t

afford it• King and government living extravagantly

when 3rd estate suffering• The poor began to riot in the streets

5. The French were inspired by the American Revolution against the unjust British government

Causes of the French Revolution

Stage 1: The National Assembly 1789-1792

• As conditions in France worsened in 1789, Louis XVI called a meeting of the Estates General• Estates General: France’s lawmaking body,

made up of members from each of the estates• The 3rd Estate demanded a constitution

that would make the 1st and 2nd estates also responsible for paying taxes

• The 3rd estate begins to call itself the National Assembly

Stage 1: The National Assembly

• The Tennis Court Oath• The 1st and 2nd estates were angry with

the 3rd estate and so they locked the 3rd estate out of their meeting room

• The 3rd estate then went to a nearby tennis court and vowed that they would continue to meet until a new Constitution was written for France

Stage 1: The National Assembly

• The Storming of the Bastille• 900 Parisians gathered at the Bastille a

national jail in France• They rioted, released the prisoners, and

destroyed the prison brick by brick• This symbolized the destruction of the king’s

power over his people• This marks the beginning of the revolution

Do-Now – Answer Now (To Be Collected)

• Why is the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen such a pivotal piece of writing? Explain in 2-3 sentences.

• Which groups do you think agreed with its statements?

• Which groups do you think disagreed with its statements?

• Which groups do you think demanded more?

Stage 1: The National Assembly

• Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen• Proclaimed that all

men were free and equal under the law

• Made everyone responsible for paying taxes (not just the 3rd estate)

• Promised freedom of speech and freedom of the press

• Modeled after the American Declaration of Independence

Stage 1: The National Assembly

• March on Versailles• King Louis XVI

refused to accept the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

• Thousands of Parisian women marched to Versailles and forced the king to sign it

• The king is now a virtual prisoner in Paris

Stage 1: The National Assembly

• In 1791, the National Assembly set up a limited monarchy• Louis XVI had to rule together with the National

Assembly• France tried to spread their revolutionary ideas

about government to the rest of Europe• European monarchs feared losing their power and went

to war with France

• Financial crisis• National

Assembly confiscates and sells off church lands

• Church also secularized, reorganized

• Clergy oath of loyalty

Civil Constitution of the Clergy

Cartoon depicting the confiscation of Church lands

Summary of the Reforms of the National Assembly

• Abolish feudal dues, set up a fair tax system, education system, abolish privileges of 1st and 2nd estates ( job opportunities and hunting rights)

• Abolish all titles of nobility• Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen gives

the men natural rights denied by the monarchy.• Civil Constitution of the Clergy weakens the

power of the Church• Ancient Regime is going to be abolished/ no more

estates• Set up a limited Monarchy

Stage 2: The National Convention 1792-1795

• Most radical stage of the French Revolution

• Jacobins: radicals who wanted to get rid of the monarchy completely

• “Liberty, Fraternity, Equality” was their slogan

• Led by Maximilian Robespierre• He was the leader of

the Committee of Public Safety

• Lawyer• Radical Jacobin• Most controversial figure

of the French Revolution• Sets up the Committee of

Public Safety• In charge of trials and

executions• In charge of the levee

en masse / war effort• Wipe out all

opponents of the Revolution

Robespierre

• Created to cease an internal rebellion in 1793

• Given dictatorial power

• Ruled France for nearly a year

• Designed to stop any opposition to the revolution

• Kill about 40,000 French citizens

The Committee of Public Safety

A citizen petitions the Committee of Public Safety

The Guillotine

• Dr. Joseph Guillotin

• Intended as a more humane method of execution

• Thousands guillotined during the French Revolution

Stage 2: The National Convention 1792-1795

• Louis XVI was executed and France was declared a republic

• Reign of Terror: thousands of people were executed for being traitors to the revolution (anyone who was against the radical ideas of the National Convention)

• People were beheaded on the guillotine

• Robespierre overthrown on 9 Thermidor

• Committee of Public Safety dismantled

• Jacobin clubs disbanded

• New constitution adopted in August 1795

• Executive branch known as the Directory

The Thermidorean Reaction

9 Thermidor meeting of the National Convention

Stage 3: The Directory 1795-1799

• Weak government set up after the fall of the Reign of Terror

• Promoted middle class interests

• Financial crisis• Food shortages• Riots in Paris• Napoleon Bonaparte

overthrows the Directory in a coup d’etat• Coup d’etat: revolt by

military leaders to overthrow a government

Stage 4: Napoleon

• Napoleon was a popular military general

• After overthrowing the Directory he sets up a new government

• The new government is supposed to be a republic but in reality Napoleon has absolute power

• In 1802 Napoleon names himself emperor

Stage 4: Napoleon• Napoleonic Code

• Napoleon’s Law Code• All men are equal under

the law• Allowed for religious

toleration• Napoleon’s Empire

• Between 1804 and 1814 Napoleon conquered most of Europe except for England and Russia

• He set up his friends and relatives as the new monarchies of these defeated places

Stage 4: Napoleon

• Napoleon tries to take over England• Uses an economic

blockade against England

• Continental System: All of the places that Napoleon conquered in Europe were not allowed to trade with England

• He hoped this would financially ruin England and he could then take over

• Napoleon fails, England is too strong to be defeated

The French Economy

Goals of the Revolution •Equal taxation•Lower inflation

Napoleon’s Action •Set up fairer tax code•Set up national bank•Stabilized economy•Gave state loans to businesses

Results •Equal taxation•Stable economy

Government and SocietyGoals of the Revolution •Less gov’t corruption

•Equal opportunity in gov’t•Equal access to education

Napoleon’s Actions •Appoints officials by merit•Created Napoleonic code•Created lycees

Results • honest officials•Public education•Equal opportunity in gov’t

Religion

Goals of the Revolution •Less powerful catholic Church•Religious toleration

Napoleon’s Actions •Recognized Catholicism as the faith of the French•Signed concordat with Pope•Retained seized Church lands

Results •Religious Toleration•Gov’t control of Church lands•Gov’t recognition of Church Influence

Stage 5: Napoleon’s Downfall

• The countries Napoleon conquered resented the foreign French control• Feelings of nationalism

inspired these people to rebel

• Napoleon attempted to invade Russia in 1812 but was unsuccessful• The winter was long and

harsh and many people froze/starved to death

• Scorched Earth Policy: The Russians burned down their crops and villages as they retreated so that the French could not use them

• 400,000 Frenchmen died in this attempt to invade Russia

Stage 5: Napoleon’s Downfall

• In 1814 Russia, Britain, Austria, and Prussia defeat Napoleon and force him to step down

• In 1815 Napoleon escaped and came back to France for a short time

• Battle of Waterloo: British and Prussians defeat Napoleon for good and he is forced to live the rest of his life in exile

Stage 5: Napoleon’s Downfall

• Congress of Vienna• In 1815 European diplomats

met to determine a peace settlement

• Prince Klemens von Metternich of Austria led the meeting

• Metternich wanted to restore Europe to the way it was before the French Revolution (balance of power)

• He wanted to bring back all of the old monarchies

• The Congress of Vienna was a reaction against the French Revolutionary ideas (liberty, fraternity, equality)

• Makes fair settlements and produces a lasting peace.

• Redraw the borders of France to the pre revolution borders.

Effects of the French Revolution

• Liberty, Fraternity, Equality• People want liberty from absolute monarchs• People want to work together for a common cause• People want to work to stop social inequality and

injustice• Nationalism

• National pride in a country replaced earlier loyalty to a specific monarch/person