The French

Revolution & Napoleon

1789-1815(Chapter 23)

Section 1: French Revolution

Begins

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 Estate

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 Troubles

By 1780s, France’s

economy was declining…

Burden of taxes

Cost of living was

rising

Bad weather crop

failure (shortage of grain)

price of breaddoubled 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-General

When 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 Bastille

Rumors 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 Man

National 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 Church

Louis Tries to Escape

Divisions Develop Limited 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 France

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 Terror

Fearing for their own safety,

many turned on

Robespierre- he was

guillotined

New

Government: Power went to the upper

middle class

2 house legislative and an

executive body of 5 men

(Directory)

Homework:

Chapter 23:3

(Napoleon Forges

an Empire

Section 3: REVIEW Napoleon

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 Bonaparte Coup 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 Mistakes

Mistake #1: The Continental

System

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 Peninsula

How long? 6 years

Guerillas= Spanish peasant fighters, worked in small groups and ambushed French troops while hiding

British sent aid to the Spanish

Napoleon 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)

Napoleon’s Invasion of Russia

Napoleon’s Downfall

Napoleon Suffers Defeat Napoleon 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 Napoleon

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

Prince Klemens von

Metternich

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 split

France up than other

Powers would do what

France did

•Made countries around

France stronger

How? Some united, some

Were recognized as

Independent countries

= those who had lost

Power under Napoleon

Should be restored to

power

Was it a

success? YES1. For the first time, the nations of an

entire continent had cooperated to

control political affairs

2. Did not lead to a future war

3. Balance of Power/allies formed

4. 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 America

Long-Term Legacy of the

Congress of Vienna1. 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???

Freedom Peace Courage