Atlantic revs, french rev 2014

The years 1776 and 1789 were pivotal dates in world history:

MEMORIZE THEM!

IMPACTS of these

ATLANTIC ATLANTIC REVOLUTIONS REVOLUTIONS

extend far beyond their borders and time period.

Common Elements of the “Revolutionary Era”

1. New IdealsNew Ideals– Enlightenment: Freedom, Equality…

“Popular Sovereignty”

– “Social Contract” between governed & government

• John Locke • Thomas Hobbes• Jean Jacques Rousseau

2.2. Many New Types of Many New Types of GovernmentsGovernments

Common Elements:– Written constitutionsWritten constitutions– Statements of individual individual

rightsrights– Elected assembliesElected assemblies– Men of property & privilegeMen of property & privilege held political power.

•HOWEVER, only the Haitian Revolution empowered ALL men, regardless of race.

Mt. Vernon

Monticello

3. 3. New IdeologiesNew Ideologies• Political theories emerged to address the

dramatic changes of the age:

– ConservatismConservatism– LiberalismLiberalism

Later: – Fascism– Socialism– Communism

Differ in the degree of Differ in the degree of Acceptance of Acceptance of

Change & Authority. Change & Authority.

4. 4. Uneven Social ProgressUneven Social Progress

• Some profound & permanent changes– Feudal obligations & rights in France abolished

• Some later & piecemeal– Abolition of Slavery in Americas– Equal Rights for Women …?

• Some changes were not permanent

– Napoleon’s reign1917

5. 5. National Sovereignty National Sovereignty ““NationalismNationalism””

New form of IdentityIdentity

Replaced traditional ways of identifyingoneself:• Based on Based on common common

cultural & historical cultural & historical experienceexperience

I’m not a Catholic; I’m not a Protestant. By

God, I’m an American!!

NationalismNationalism

– Ethnic minorities Ethnic minorities demanded national independenceindependence from mother country

– Scattered groups Scattered groups (Germans & Italians) unifiedunified to create new states to house their national identities: Germany & Italy.

American Revolution

1776

1787 – Constitution

1789 – Bill of Rights

You Tell ME!!

French Revolution

1789

Causes of French RevolutionCauses of French Revolution

1.1. Financial Crisis: Financial Crisis: Huge national debt.Huge national debt.

• Overspending by NobilityOverspending by Nobility• Nobility scoffed at spending

restrictions: Versailles, Marie• Medieval system of land ownership still enforced

• War debtsWar debts• Involvement in almost all wars

abroad & in Europe, including: – War of Spanish Succession, – Seven Years’ War, – American RevolutionAmerican Revolution, …

Some Reasons for the Some Reasons for the French RevolutionFrench Revolution

• Inflexibility of the old regime Inflexibility of the old regime (nobility and the Church) - continued to insist on absolute power & superiority.

• Aspirations of a rising bourgeoisie - Aspirations of a rising bourgeoisie - earning money, but not earning influence.

• Indignant and starving Indignant and starving peasants and wage-earners. peasants and wage-earners.

• Members of all classes came under the sway of the ideas of the EnlightenmentEnlightenment.

Summer 0f 1789

– High Unemployment & Rising pricesHigh Unemployment & Rising prices

– Discriminatory Tax System: Discriminatory Tax System: • Burden carried by the peasants while church and nobility were

exempt. • New taxes were about to be added…

– DroughtsDroughts damaged French harvests,

ie.: WheatWheat• Hot, Dry, Hungry summer…

Women’s March on Women’s March on VersaillesVersailles

5 October 1789 Protesting rarity and high price of bread in Paris.

One of the earliest events of the French Revolution:One of the earliest events of the French Revolution:

A TALE OF TWO CITIESA TALE OF TWO CITIESAn Excerpt from Charles Dickens’

It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known… -Sydney Carton Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." - Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, Book 1, Chapter 1

To Raise Taxes:To Raise Taxes:

King called Estates General: Governing body had notKing called Estates General: Governing body had notmet in 175 yrsmet in 175 yrs

1- Clergy1- Clergy2- Nobility2- Nobility3- Masses3- Masses

Block votesBlock votes

Coalition of Coalition of 1 & 2 1 & 2

Tennis Court Meeting Tennis Court Meeting June 17, 1789

3rd Estate named itself the “National Assembly”

Woops! Too Late!!Woops! Too Late!!

• King forced other estates to join King forced other estates to join the National Assembly to write a the National Assembly to write a new Constitutionnew Constitution

• Restless peasants stormed the Restless peasants stormed the Bastille armory… Bastille armory…

Fighting broke out in the streets of

Paris

Anarchy Swept through Countryside and Cities

Peasant mobs attacked nobility & feudal institutions

““Declaration of the Rights of Man and Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizenthe Citizen””

National AssemblyNational Assembly - Aug. 1789

• Curtailed influence of the Aristocracy & Church– Abolished Feudal Rights– Freedom of Worship

• Created a new, elected Legislative Assembly elected Legislative Assembly that reflected the power of the people.

• Established a Constitutional MonarchyConstitutional Monarchy• Guaranteed individual rights Guaranteed individual rights based on:

– Enlightenment ideals– English Bill of Rights– Declaration of Independence

– Liberté, égalité, fraternitéLiberté, égalité, fraternité

1st ConstitutionRatified by National Assembly,

1791

Constitutional MonarchyConstitutional Monarchy

“Those who wanted to abolish the Monarchy felt cheated; those who wanted to retain the monarchy felt betrayed.”

Revolutionary Zeal:Revolutionary Zeal:Royal Family Arrested; Royal Family Arrested;

Taken to ParisTaken to Paris

Revolutionary Zeal: 1792Revolutionary Zeal: 1792Military exporting Revolution throughout Europe!

Austria & Prussia Invaded France!!

Tried to re-instate

Monarchy

Why? Why?

Cuz Marie Antoinette was a

Cuz Marie Antoinette was a

Hapsburg, and…?

Hapsburg, and…?

22ndnd Constitution- 1791 Constitution- 1791

• ““The Convention”The Convention” = new ruling body

• Abolished Monarchy

• Proclaimed a

““Republic”Republic”

Radical Jacobins Hijacked the RevolutionHijacked the Revolution

1793 – King & Queen beheaded for treason1793 – King & Queen beheaded for treason

Maximilien de Robespierre

““ The The

IncorruptableIncorruptable””

•Great Orator •2 yrs – Head of Head of Committee of Public Committee of Public SafetySafety•Preached Virtue and Preached Virtue and Terror Terror as necessary & inseparable for Revolution

“If virtue be the spring of a popular government in times of peace, the spring of that government during a revolution is virtue combined with terror: virtue, without which terror is destructive; terror, without which virtue is impotent.

Terror is only justice prompt, severe and inflexible; it is then an emanation of virtue; it is less a distinct principle than a natural consequence of the general principle of democracy, applied to the most pressing wants of the country. ... The government in a revolution is the despotism of liberty against tyranny.”

- Maximilien Robespierre

July 1794 – Convicted of Tyranny, sentenced to Guillotine

““Reign of TerrorReign of Terror””• 2nd Constitution tossed!

Instead… ruled without one.

Committee of the Public Committee of the Public SafetySafety – “Enforced” the Revolution: Enforced” the Revolution:

Policy of TerrorPolicy of Terror

• Beheaded 30,000 with “anti-revolutionary tendencies” no more counterrevolutionaries in France

– Built strong national Built strong national military military to defend against possible re-invasion.

Guillotine

Revolutionary ChangesChurch De-Throned…

– “Cult of Reason” as secular alternative to Christianity

The Clothes made the Man… – Display of revolutionary zeal by wearing

working class clothes

Even Time was not safe from Change!– Keep 30-day months but new 10-day units

instead of 7-day weeks; No day of Religious Observance

– New historical period starting with Year One with declaration of First Republic on 9/22/1792.

Women’s rights!!??– Yes: Inherit property, divorce husbands– No: voting or participation in political affairs

Olympe de Gouges

• Playwright, feminist, abolitionist, pamphleteer

• Demanded French women be given the same rights as French men.

• Declaration of the Rights of Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Woman and the Female Citizen Citizen (1791) - challenged the practice of male authority and the notion of male–female inequality.

• She was condemned during the reign of terror for attacking the regime of the Revolutionary government.

The DirectoryConservative Conservative Reaction Reaction against the against the excessesexcesses of the Convention of the Convention

•1793 - ModerationModeration set in and the middle class “Directory” was established, 1795 – 1799.•Executed Robespierre•Separation of PowersSeparation of Powers::

– Representative Bicameral Representative Bicameral LegislatureLegislature

– Five-man ExecutiveFive-man Executive•Built up military.Built up military.•2nd to last stage of French Revolution

3rd Constitution created:

Qualified property ownersElected 750 legislators:Council of Five Hundred &Council of Ancients with staggered 3-yr terms. Guaranteeds: Freedom of speech, religion, press, labor, But forbade armed groups or any kind of assembly without a government representative present.

Napoleon BonaparteNapoleon Bonaparte• Immensely popular & brilliant military leader:

General at 24• Supported the Revolution, Directory• Invaded Egypt…

• Overthrew Directory: became one of three consuls named self

Consul for Life“The truth is that one ought to serve his people worthily, and not strive solely to please them. The best way to gain a people is to do thatwhich is best for them. Nothing is more dangerous than to flatter a people. If it does not get what it wants immediate-ly, it is irritated and thinks that promises have not been kept; and if then it is resisted, it hates so much the more as it feels itself deceived.”

Stability After Years of ChaosStability After Years of Chaos

• Popular vote legitimized his take-over

Domestic Programs:

• Aid to Agriculture,

• Built Infrastructure,

• Public Education,

• Normalized relations with Church

Napoleonic Napoleonic CodesCodes

• Extremely PaternalisticPaternalistic laws – based partly on Roman law:– Rights of women & children

severely limited– Freedom of Press & Speech

limited

• Recognition of Rule of LawRule of Law & guarantee of some basic rightsof some basic rights to men

• Parts in force today – model for other countries…

Napoleonic EmpireNapoleonic Empire

International Policy:

French aggression! Conquest!

• Austria, Prussia, Spain, Portugal, Italian kingdoms, Netherlands…• Reorganized German state into a Confederacy…

• Fought British by sea $$

Le mot ‘impossible’ n'est pas français.

1804 1804 Napoleon Napoleon Crowned Crowned Himself Himself EmperorEmperor

Jacques-Louis David: The Coronation of theEmperor Napoleon I Bonaparte

Decline…

• Money!Money! – Empires are expensive!

• Nationalistic Nationalistic uprisings uprisings undermined his power

• Italy, Spain, Portugal, Mexico…

Attacked RussiaBaited into going all the way to Moscow… with Winter setting in…

Russians set Moscow aflame Russians set Moscow aflame (scorched earth)(scorched earth)

Problems in RussiaProblems in Russia• Scorched Earth Scorched Earth nowhere to billet troops nowhere to billet troops• Short of SuppliesShort of Supplies• Army decimated… Napoleon returned to Army decimated… Napoleon returned to

France in Disgrace, a beaten man in a France in Disgrace, a beaten man in a bankrupt nationbankrupt nation..

• Napoleon forced into Exile at Elba, 1814.

Escaped, returned, Raised army … but was defeated by British in 1815….

Napoleon met his…

Waterloo is in present-day Belgium, then part of BRITISH CROWN!

1815

And France??And France??Can you say,Can you say,

““Louis XVIII?”Louis XVIII?”

The musical version: http://www.history.com/topics/napoleon/videos#the-french-revolution

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