The Age of the French
Revolution, 1789-1815
The West
CHAPTER 18

The Beginning of the
Revolution
• Financial crisis led to a constitutional breakdown
• Formation of the National Assembly by the
Third Estate, and lower nobility and clergy
• Breakdown of public order, caused by high price of bread, fueled public paranoia
• National Assembly began to legislate the
Old Regime out of existence

The Creation of a New
Political Society
• Abolition of noble, clerical, provincial and urban privileges
• Declaration of the Rights of Man and
Citizen , August 26 1789
• Reorganization of the church into a government department
• Promulgation of a new constitution formally ended the absolute monarchy

Responses to the French
Revolution
• Opposition within France from certain priests, nobles and Catholic extremists
• Welcomed by political reformers in other
European states
• Vehemently opposed by conservative politicians and absolute monarchs across
Europe, and by the papacy

The Establishment of the
Republic, 1792
• Growth of the radical Jacobin party
• Attempt by Louis XVI and his family to flee France
• Military defeats by Austria and Prussia fueled paranoia and led to social disorder and the imprisonment of the royal family
• September 22, 1792 - abolition of the monarchy

The Jacobins and the
Revolution
• Jacobins became the major political force after the establishment of the republic
• Split within the Jacobins, between the radical Mountain and the Girondins
• Execution of Louis XVI and growing foreign opposition to the Revolution deepened the political divide
• Purge of Girondins from government

The Reign of Terror, 1793-
1794
• Formation of special courts and legal procedures to try enemies of the Revolution
• The Committee of Public Safety became a revolutionary dictatorship
• Ca. 37, 000 people were executed or killed without any trial
• Indiscriminate state terrorism has become closely identified with the Revolution

The Directory, 1795-1799
• The end of the Terror resulted in a new constitution
• Executive power was granted to a five-man directory
• Widespread social discontent caused by economic crisis and military defeats
• Coup d’état, 1799, established a military dictatorship under Napoleon Bonaparte

The Transformation of Cultural
Institutions
• Collapse of educational system, due to reorganization of the Church
• Abolition of scientific and artistic academies
• Formation of the National Library
• Establishment of a museum at the Louvre
• Destruction of royal tombs and monuments

Creation of a New Political
Culture
• All forms of cultural expression were subordinated to revolutionary goals
• Significant linguistic and symbolic changes
• Emphatically secular, even anti-Christian, in sentiment
• Belief that the popular sovereignty should permeate all aspects of daily life
• Concern for standardization and national uniformity

Napoleon and the Revolution
• Used the language and institutions of the
Revolution to conceal his dictatorial rule
• Supported and confirmed legal equality of all men, but not women
• Continued the centralization, rationalization and expansion of state power
• Continued the military mission of the
Revolution

Napoleon and the French
State
• Achieved a resolution with the Catholic
Church, via the Concordat of 1801
• Promulgated six new law codes; most importantly, the Civil Code of 1804
• Laid the foundations of a modern, meritocratic, hierarchical civil administration
• Established a new, non-hereditary nobility

Napoleon, the Empire and
Europe
• Created a massive European empire, via a huge and well-disciplined army
• Napoleon’s status as a military genius is controversial, despite his success
• Formation of the Empire fueled nationalist ideologies, especially in Italy and Germany, against French rule

The Downfall of Napoleon
• Dissent within France increased after the birth of a son and heir to the imperial throne
• Catastrophic failure of the invasion of
Russia
• Military defeat led to Napoleon’s abdication and exile, and restoration of the monarchy
• Congress of Vienna redrew European borders to preserve the balance of power

The Legacy of the French
Revolution
• Huge economic and demographic cost, in Europe, from the revolutionary wars
• Delayed industrialization of France and retarded economic growth
• Drove an enormous growth in the competence and power of the state
• Promoted the concept of popular sovereignty and the practice of active political participation by all citizens

The French Revolution and
Western Civilization
• Development of a new, secular political culture that challenged established authorities and traditions
• Export of revolutionary culture prompted legal, political and social changes across
Europe and the Americas