French Revolution & Napoleonic Era
Introduction: Few periods in history transformed the world so clearly than the French
Revolution and the ensuing Napoleonic Era.
Following the Enlightenment period, the people of France began to question their
government and their lack of freedoms. Moreover, a very difficult economy, soaring food
prices and widespread hunger led to a growing amount of unrest among the French people.
Louis XVI of France and his wife, Marie Antoinette of Austria continued to ignore this
growing unhappiness among their people until it was too late. The French people, exploded
in anger and protest in 1789, forcing the king into signing a new Constitution, limiting his own
powers. Feeling as if this could spread elsewhere, Austria, Prussia and ultimately many
other monarchies of Europe attacked France in hopes of restoring order and (more
importantly) the King. If revolution succeeded in France, what would happen to the other
Kings of Europe?? In the midst of a multi-front war, the new French Republic abolished the
monarchy and beheaded both the King and Queen while establishing a more radical, violent
and oppressive government. This chaos and the terror that ensued would threaten the
French Revolution more than any other outside influence until a man by the name of
Napoleon Bonaparte came to power and declared the Revolution over and successful…despite
that an absolute Monarchy had been replaced by an all powerful Emperor.
As the newly crowned Emperor of France, Napoleon set about stabilizing his government and
citizens. Through his Napoleonic Code, he was able to bring about some of the political and
social changes sought by the revolutionaries while ensuring his authority remained intact.
However, Napoleon’s biggest impact lay in his international influence. Invading nearly every
country on the continent, Napoleon inflicted massive defeats against the allied armies of
Europe. Ultimately, Napoleon’s invasion of Russia put him on a course to defeat, ending over
a decade of conquest.
The impact of the French Revolution and Napoleon’s rule cannot be overstated. The
Revolution spread ideas of government, freedom and rebellion to all parts of the world, and
Napoleon’s domination of Europe made all other countries recognize the need of a more
stable balance of power and would reorder the map of Europe to accomplish this, leading to
the emergence or disappearance of several countries and leading to an increased level of
tension among many countries and people.
Key Terms/Key Figures
You should be able to define, explain, and apply the following terms as necessary:
Louis XVI
Marie
Antoinette
Maximilien
Robespierre
Deficit
Spending
The Bastille
Jean Paul Marat
Guillotine
Committee on
Public Safety
Reign of Terror
The Three
Estates
Estates General
National
Assembly
Tennis Court
Oath
Constitutional
Monarchy
French Republic
Napoleon
Bonaparte
Annexation
Scorched Earth
Invasion of
Russia
Battle of
Waterloo
Abdicates
Napoleonic
Code
Nationalism
Key Facts
Pre-Revolution
 French economy in very bad shape; expensive wars, including American Revolution,
had hurt the economy
 France continues to spend more money than it brings in in taxes
 Majority of taxes are paid for by the poorest of the nation (the Third Estate)
 A widespread failure of crops causes a massive food shortage and food prices spike
Revolution
 Estates General called to order by Louis XVI to solve problems
 Third Estate (majority of people) can’t pass anything beyond the 1st and 2nd estates
and established the National Assembly in protest
 King orders troops to Paris to stop food riots, many see this as act of
war/resistance to change
 Storming of Bastille effectively launches a revolution
 Many women storm Versailles and demand King & Queen return to Paris; they will
never return to Versailles
 King signs Constitution, sets up Constitutional Monarchy
Radical Revolution
 Foreign nations see the threat to their own stability and pledge support for Louis &
Marie
 National Assembly declares war on Austria & Prussia
 Abolish monarchy and execute Louis & Marie
 Committee of Public Safety established to protect Revolution from counter
revolution; Robespierre is in charge
 Reign of Terror begins, claiming thousands of lives of people deemed a threat to
French Revolution
 Many in government feel the Terror is a bigger threat; radical government such as
Robespierre is executed
 The Directory is established but fails; Consulate established with Napoleon included
 Napoleon declares himself First Consul for Life and takes all power of government
Napoleonic Era
 Napoleon implements Napoleonic Code that provides for some universal freedoms
and rights; treats women as second class citizens
 Napoleon fights wars against the majority of Europe, achieving great victories
 Cannot conquer England; Spain continues to resist through guerilla warfare
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Invasion of Russia results in massive defeat; allies rise up to take advantage of
French weakness
Napoleon is defeated at battle of Leipzig and banished to Elba
Escaped and leads 100 days of fighting; defeated at Waterloo
European map remade to prevent another unbalance in power
Key Themes
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Be able to explain the causes of the French Revolution
How did the government evolve from Absolute Monarch to Constitutional Monarchy
to Republic back to an absolute ruler?
How did the Three Estate system operate and why did it ultimately fail?
How did the French Revolution evolve into a European conflict?