The French
Revolution:
From Old Regime to Empire
(1750-1820)
Do Now
Take out your readings and prepare to
review: “France under the Old Regime”
What is social class?
**New chapter for your notes: THE FRENCH REVOLUTION**
Social class



A grouping of people within a
social hierarchy
Up until late 1700s, this was
hereditary in Europe and
known as estates, rank, or
orders.
After the French and
American Revolutions, this
became based on wealth and
income, and described as
class.
Europe in 1789
Where is
France?
What do we
already
know
about
France
from this
class?
Life in Old Regime France
The Peasants



In some ways, feudalism still exists…
Famines during 1600s & 1700s, thousands of peasants
perish
To be economically independent, you need to own about
30 acres of land (only people w/ status)
The Peasants
PROBLEM #1:




Nobles left the country
for Versailles
No longer connected
with the people
At the same time,
nobles trying to
centralize the French
nation-state
The new rules and
taxes they impose
seem more arbitrary
The Peasants
PROBLEM #2:
 Grain prices go up and
down
 Low prices cause panic for
peasants who can’t make
money on their crops
 Peasants typically revolt
when this happens, but the
French Revolution will be
different…
The Bourgeoisie


Many historians believe
that there was a growing
urban middle-class
(merchants, investors, etc.)
Trying to get hold of nobility
privileges, but cannot &
grow frustrated
The
Bourgeoisie



Begin to resent the
nobles and old society
based on blood-lines and
privileges
Influenced by
Enlightenment thinkers
Believe society should
reward those who
produce
Taille, Impots et Corvee
“cut taxes and labor”




Identify the
three figures
Describe the
environment
What is
written on the
stone?
Why are the
three figures
dressed
differently?
Alliance with
Austria


1770: the dauphin
(heir to throne) Louis
XVI is married to
Austrian princess
Marie Antoinette both teenagers
To secure peace on
the continent and ally
against Britain
Reign of Louis
XVI (1774)



Appoints new minister,
Turgot
Turgot is more secular
and believes society
should be based on
reason
Like Maupeou before
him, he also tries to
free the grain markets
from government
control
Louis XVI



“It may be unwise… but it
seems to me that it is the
general will and I wish to be
loved”
Louis XVI trying to accept
ideas of enlightenment, but
they conflict with the idea of
his monarchy (ceremonies,
rituals, etc.)
Freeing grain markets bad
idea - sellers charge high
prices when there are
shortages -> bread riots
Marie Antoinette




Uncomfortable with
Versailles court culture
Prefers private parties
over publicly entertaining
Many nobles become
offended / pro-queen and
anti-queen cliques
develop
Like Louis, young and not
wise about politics
Public Sphere



Public knows more about
the king’s private / public
life than ever before
But at the same time, less
contact between royal
family and the people /
withdrawn at palace in
Versailles
Just a couple of shy,
dysfunctional teenagers!
Luxury & Appearances


France in financial crisis, but royal family and nobles
continue living in luxury
Monarchy doing little to help problems with crowding and
health in cities
Marie Antoinette (film)

Watch selected clips from this film and
observe/listen. Be prepared to discuss.
Homework
Complete the chart worksheet that goes with
the reading you finished: “French Society
During the Reign of Louis XVI”
Do Now

What problems existed in 18th century
France that we discussed so far or read
about in class?
“Crises and Change - 1774-1789”



Actively read the text
Complete the reading questions
Complete cause / effect chart: “France’s
Financial Crises during the Reign of Louis
XVI”
Rebellion in America (1776)
Louis provides aid to rebels in English colonies
 The war is popular in France at first
 Jacques Necker’s “a war without taxes”
 French government bankrupt after the war
Talk about rights and liberties in America / possible in Europe?


Estates General (May 1789)


King asks the representatives of all 3 estates to meet for the first time
since 1614!
Third Estate complains about unfair taxes / they are outnumbered at
the meeting (equal number of reps from each estate)
“What is the Third Estate?”


Abbe Sieyes (thinker) publishes this
pamphlet before the meeting
Demanded equal representation for Third
Estate
What is the Third Estate?
Everything.
What has it been in the political
order? Nothing.
What does it ask? To become
something.
The Tennis Court Oath
(by Jacques Louis David)
What do you see?
Why do you think this painting was made?
Why do you think revolutionaries saw this as the beginning of a revolution?
* This event took place in June 1789
Storming of the Bastille




Rumors circulate that the king is raising troops
People in Paris scramble for weapons to defend the National Assembly
just in case
July 14: working class people gather and invade the Bastille
Bastille - a symbol of absolutism / arbitrary power (only 7 prisoners
there, but for minor offenses)
Do Now
Actively read “The National Constituent
Assembly and the Future of France”
Be prepared to discuss
Reading Check
Turn readings over and answer the following questions…
1.
Where did the power of government now lie in
France?
2. Name one change enacted by the National
Assembly.
3. In which direction do conservatives in the
assembly sit?
The Great Fear


After the fall of the
Bastille, peasants trying
to figure out their place
in the new order
Begin attacking nobles
in the countryside,
destroying their property
and threatening their
lives
Bye bye feudalism

August 4: National Assembly abolishes feudalism (ends
all feudal privileges for the clergy and nobles)
 No longer a society of separate estates / one whole
nation of individuals
Political Spectrum
Declaration of the Rights of Man



National Assembly
adopts this in late
August
Symbolically engraved
(like the 10
commandments)
Actively read / make
notes of big ideas
(keep the
Enlightenment in
mind!)
Declaration of the Rights of Man
In your own words, explain the message in the introduction paragraph.
Declaration of the Rights of Man
What do you think it means about “social distinctions”?
Declaration of the Rights of Man
What do you think is meant by this article?
Who do you think this was directed at?
Declaration of the Rights of Man
“All citizens…”
Re-write this in your own words.
Who do you think this phrase was directed at?
Declaration of the Rights of Man
Why do you think the “but…” statement is included?
Choices to be made…

Mr. Terry will assign you an “option”.
Write it down!

Review “Options in Brief”
Do Now


Meet with your groups!
Option Groups:




Follow instructions in “Presenting Your Option”
Assign each member a role (may double up)
Identify the perspective your group represents
Citizens:



Choose a role
Prepare presentation and questions
Questions will be turned in at end of tomorrow’s
simulation
Homework


Complete preparations for simulation!
Wear a costume tomorrow for extra credit
Welcome to
the National Assembly!

Three option groups: assemble with your group mates
 Citizens: meet with Mr. Terry outside the room
Deliberations


Each option group will have 3-5 minutes to
present - speak clearly and convincingly!
 Citizen marchers: give your brief
presentations
Cross-examination: Citizens ask questions
/ option groups respond
Debriefing


Complete the Evaluation Form
Consider the differences among the
options:


How did the concerns of the citizen marchers
differ from the concerns presented in the
options?
In what ways were the marchers different from
the members of the assembly?
Debriefing
After the march, the king and queen returned to Paris.
Several days later the assembly chose to
reconvene in Paris as well.
What reasons can you give for this?
Why is it interesting and important that the members
of the assembly were surprised by the march?


Do Now
Actively read p. 36-39 of “A Revolution, A
Republic, and the Terror”
Complete #1-#3 on reading worksheet
Use reading and upcoming notes to begin
completing “French Governments 17891799” chart
Phase 1 of the Revolution…



1789-91
The National Assembly in charge of France temporarily
Considered the “bourgeois” phase by some historians
Women’s March on Versailles (Oct 1789)




Mob of 7,000 women marches from Paris to Versailles, rioting over
price and shortage of bread
Raid and loot the Palace of Versailles
Force King Louis XVI to move to Paris and answer to the people
Signals the end of absolutism / Third Estate now has the power
Reform: Freedom of the Press


LOTS of new journals,
newspapers, magazines
Jean-Paul Marat - starts
popular newspaper, L’Ami
de Peuple (The People’s
Friend)
Reform: Free Markets


Government no longer
controls production,
supply, demand
Popular only among
some groups
Reform: Marriage & Divorce



Birth, marriage, and death
are secularized
Records kept by the state,
not the church
Divorce is allowed more /
people concerned about
abusive fathers &
husbands
Reform: Organize France



Road tolls and trade
standardized
Makes France into one,
unified, national market
France divided into 83
Departments (something
between what we know as
counties and states)
Reform: symbols



The Paris militia who stormed the Bastille wore
a cockade (ribbons on a hat) of blue and red
Lafayette adds white (“ancient French color”) to
the militia cockade / becomes the uniform for
the National Guard
National Assembly adopts flag in 1790
Reform: Civil Constitution of the Clergy


National Assembly takes over all church property and sell to the
highest bidders
wealthy peasants who support the revolution buy the land / other
peasants sad to see religion leave their lives
Reform: Civil Constitution of the Clergy



Priests become public
employees
Elected by townspeople
and swear oath to
revolution / no longer
appointed by bishops
This issue divides
France / anyone
supporting a priest who
did not swear the oath
seen as a traitor to the
revolution
Continue Reading…


Actively read p. 39-42
Complete #4-#5 on worksheet
Do Now
1.
2.
Take out homework. (p. 39-42 + #4-5 on
worksheet) Review with a neighbor.
Then, consider these questions…
1.
2.
3.
What is a political party?
Why do they form?
Can they be good for government? Bad for
government? Why or why not?
Royal Flight to Varennes



King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette worried about the
direction of the revolution
Spring 1791: Attempt to leave country in disguise for
Austria (to work with allies and put down the revolution?)
Captured in France near the border in a town called
Varennes
Royal Flight to Varennes
• Brought back to Paris as a prisoner (Is he a traitor of the
revolution? Why would the king leave France? People
cannot understand this…)
• As king, he is temporarily suspended by the Assembly
and kept under watch
Constitution of 1791




National Assembly puts all
the reforms together in one
Constitution
Separation of powers (King
gets a few veto powers)
Citizens may vote if they own
a lot of property
No National Assembly
members may be in the new
government (self denying)
Phase Two: Legislative Assembly




1791-1792
France established as a
constitutional monarchy
King Louis XVI pledges to
support new constitution,
becomes a figurehead with
few powers
“King of the French” /
NOT “King of France”
What is a political party (club)?
What does the word “polarize” mean?
Political clubs forming…

Feuillant Club
(monarchists)



Believe the revolution
has gone far enough
Want to support property
owners
Want a constitutional
monarchy
Marquis de Lafayette
Political clubs forming…

Girondins (liberals)



Wanted a republic
(without the king if
possible)
Believed in peaceful
reform within France
Wanted to use the
military to spread the
revolution throughout
Europe
Jacques-Pierre Brissot
Political clubs forming…

Jacobin Club
(radicals)



Want to abolish private
property
Want to abolish
monarchy / want a
republic
Want the revolution to
keep moving forward,
however possible
Maximilien Robespierre
“When the bell sounds, it will not
be a signal of alarm, but the
signal to charge against the
enemies of our country...to
defeat them, gentlemen, we
need boldness, and again
boldness, and forever boldness;
and France will then be saved.” Georges Danton
What about this quote suggests
where Danton might be on a
political spectrum?
War with Austria



Austria & Prussia declare a
warning against any who intend
to harm the king of France
Robespierre opposes war / afraid
it will weaken the revolution
April 1792: France declares war
on Austria
The Sans-Culottes
A pamphlet from the time
defines them as…
 Useful
 Patriotic
 Willing to sacrifice
 Not politicians / they are
men of action
 Believe they can form
militias and patrol the
streets
 Support the Jacobins
September Massacres (1792)


Aug: militia groups storm the King’s palace in Paris and
murder the Swiss Guards (his bodyguards) / take the king
prisoner
After this, the sans culottes remove more than 1,000
political prisoners from Paris jails and execute them
Why?
People in Paris were
afraid counterrevolutionaries were
plotting with Austrian
and Prussian armies,
and that Paris would
be destroyed.
The French Revolution
Actively watch part of this video from a History Channel
documentary on the French Revolution
Homework
Actively read p. 42-44 of packet: “A Revolution, a Republic,
and the Terror”
Do Now
1.
2.
Take out your homework (p. 42-43)
and review with a neighbor.
Then, discuss
1.
2.
What is a “republic”?
How is it different from a monarchy?
A republic…




Form of government
Power held by the people and their
representatives (elected)
Business of the state is public
Usually without a monarch
Abolition of the Monarchy




Sep 1792: Jacobins and
Girondins claim the
revolution has not gone
far enough / seize power
Abolish monarchy
Universal male suffrage
Start writing a new
constitution
Phase Three: National Convention




1792-1795
France declared a
Republic
Revolutionary troops
defeat Austrians at
Battle of Valmy the
same day
1792 declared “Year
One”
The New Republic



Combination of Jacobins and Girondins in
charge (“The Mountain”)
Politics taking place outside / lots of singing
and chanting
Read about and sing La Marseillaise
Why sing?




What does singing usually do for people?
What about singing in a group?
What do you think singing could do for the
revolution?
Why do countries have national anthems?
Trial of Louis XVI



Seemed like Louis was conspiring with the enemies of
France (Austria, Prussia)
Jan 1793: sentenced to death by the Convention (close
vote) for “conspiracy against the public liberty” (traitor)
Louis claims he is still on the side of the people
Execution of Louis XVI



Four days after trial, Louis executed by guillotine
Louis tries to proclaim his innocence
People throughout Europe react in horror
Actively watch…

This History Channel documentary on the
French Revolution
Homework


Actively read p. 44-48 in packet
Complete #6-8 on worksheet
Do Now
1.
2.
Take out your homework (p. 44-48, #6-8)
Then, consider the following:
What is terror?
What is terrorism?
Terror / Terrorism


TERROR = “great fear”
TERRORISM = using violence specifically
to achieve political goals
Problems for the Convention…
#1: Trial and Execution of the King
Not everybody agrees this was a good idea
Problems for the Convention…
#2: Counter-Revolution
(in Vendée)
Spring 1793 / royalists and
peasants rebel
Peasants upset about attacks on
churches and the independence
of their villages
Problems for the Convention
#3 Need More Men
to Join Army
Actions of the Convention
June 1793
 Girondins kicked out
of the Convention
 Marat murdered by a
Girondin sympathizer
Actions of the Convention
Jacobins establish The
Committee of Public
Safety
 To keep France “safe”
from enemies of the
revolution
 Tighten government
control
 To put down the peasant
revolts (many killed)
Actions of the Convention
Aug 1793
 Draft 300,000 men into the
army
 To do this, the state needs
more power
 Committee on Public Safety
gets official executive power





Danton and moderate Jacobins leave the Convention
Robespierre gains more power with the Committee
Declares the need to use terror to get rid of enemies
By September, rights are suspended until the
“revolution” comes to an end
France becomes a Jacobin dictatorship with
Robespierre in charge
Reign of Terror
Reign of Terror
First, the Girondins (summer ‘93)
 Then, Marie Antoinette (Oct ‘93)
Eventually, even Jacobins who are “suspect”


Victims
Document Reading
Actively read these documents on the
Reign of Terror
Complete the questions on this worksheet


Do Now
• Think of any questions you have regarding Friday’s
Google research assignment and write them down.
•Take out the Reign of Terror documents and questions
• Pair & share your responses with a neighbor
Radical Changes in Society

Revolutionary calendar



start time with “Year I”
different months (ex: Prairial, Thermidor, Fructidor,
Brumaire)
Festival of Supreme Being

replace religious traditions (holidays) with secular
ones
Fall of Robespierre
Watch this film clip on the end of
Robespierre’s rule and the Reign of Terror
Do Now
Take out your homework in the reading packet on
the “Thermidorian Reaction” and “Conclusion” +
worksheets
Work with a neighbor on completing the French
Governments chart
Discuss
Use your political spectrum to help you
answer the following question…
What is a “reaction”?
Discuss


Why was 9 Thermidor a major turning point in
the Revolution?
In what ways did the Thermidoreans change the
type of government in France?
Phase Four: The Directory




1795-1799
Surviving Girondists take over / bourgeoisie in charge
5 executives, known as “Directors,” run the country (ex:
Paul Barras)
Make peace with Austria and Prussia
The Directory
• What domestic issues did the Directory face?
• What international issues did they face?
Record information in your “French Governments” chart
Discuss

What is the difference between a coup and
an election?

Which do you feel best represents the
Revolution? Why?
The Consulate
Take out your readings on p. 49-50
 How did Napoleon Bonaparte come to
power?
 Use the following notes to help you
complete the “French Governments” chart

Phase Five?: The Consulate




1799-1804
Very weak legislature
(3 houses, each one
can only take 1 action)
Very powerful
executive (3 consuls)
Napoleon = 1st consul
(lots of power)
The Consulate



Napoleon sees himself as an
“enlightened” ruler
Creates a centralized
government, based on reason
(he believes)
Government jobs based on
merit
Reforms Under Napoleon




Catholicism becomes “religion of the majority of the
French”
Still tolerance for Protestants, Muslims, and Jews
Government still has control over clergy
Keeps things peaceful in the countryside
“Heck yes! I like
Catholics!” Napoleon Dynamite
*NOTE: this is a different
Napoleon
Reforms Under Napoleon
Napoleonic Code
(1804)



End of noble privileges
for good
Property rights for most
people
Brings back the ideas
from 1789 (beginning of
the revolution)
Reforms Under Napoleon



Creates the Bank of France
Creates the Franc as national currency
Makes France’s economy much stronger and more
stable
Change in power

A new group of elites emerges
 Based on merit, not blood
 The bourgeoisie!
Is Napoleon a Dictator?




No power in the
legislature
Censorship of the
press
Public sphere is shut
down
Police intimidation /
house arrests
Napoleon in Power
Watch video clips from Napoleon miniseries
(2002)
Do Now
What is an “empire”?
Empire is…
A geographically large group of states or
peoples united and ruled by one person (or
small group of people)
Follow along…
• Mentally absorb some background on Napoleon as
emperor
• Write down any relevant information on your “French
Governments” chart
Napoleon’s Empire



1804: Napoleon crowned
emperor - earns title from
Senate, crowned by the Pope
Wants to bring the revolution
to the rest of Europe
Like King Louis used to say,
the French have “an
obligation to civilize”




Through a series of
wars, Napoleon is
able to take over
much of Europe
Big win at Battle of
Austerlitz (1805)
against coalition of
powers
Installs family
members in places
like Italy, Spain,
Switzerland to be in
charge
New marriage
alliance with Austria
Napoleon’s Empire
Napoleon’s Empire
Napoleon’s Empire



Failure to deal with England / lose battle at Trafalgar
Failed effort to take over Russia (1812)
French blockade of English trade causes much hardship
for Europeans in general
Napoleon’s Empire



French forces gradually kicked out of a lot of places
1814: Napoleon forced to give up power
Napoleon exiled to Elba (off the coast of Italy)
Napoleon Returns!



1815: Napoleon amasses troops and returns to France
to rally the people and take over (“Hundred Days”)
Loses battle to British and Prussians at Waterloo
People of Paris turn against him
Napoleon’s Exile



1815: Napoleon imprisoned and exiled again
This time, shipped to an island at the bottom of Africa
(farther away!)
1821: dies of stomach cancer
What about France?
Bourbon Restoration
(1814-30)



Louis XVIII, then Charles X on
the throne
Constitutional monarchy
Mix of power between elite
nobles and bourgeoisie
Document-Based Activity
Read the introduction document “Contrasting
Views” as a class
 Work in document groups to actively read
individual documents. Be sure to determine the
main idea of the document and why the author
believes what they believe
 Work in jigsaw groups to share your findings with
a classmate with another document
 Work independently to respond to the questions
at the bottom of the worksheet
