Topic 14: The French Revolution
Objectives
Knowledge 1.
2.
3.
To know important concepts of the Enlightenment
To understand how the French Revolution transformed the
Enlightenment concepts into actions
To know two different interpretations of the Napoleonic Wars
Skill
1.
2.
3.
4.
To associate with historical knowledge already acquired
To read and understand textual sources
To support arguments by citing information from sources
To synthesize, analyse and evaluate sources
Attitude
1.
2.
To develop empathy
To develop positive moral and civic values
Teaching Flow
1
Items
Format
Teaching Objectives
Content
Question to
ponder
Questioning
To give students a brief
introduction on how the topic
will be treated
What is the
significance of the
French Revolution to
later generations?
What were the
resentments of the
French people before the
outbreak of the French
Revolution?
2
Task 1 and to
know more
(1)
Data-based
questions,
reading
materials and
class discussion
3
Task 2
Textual sources
4
To know
more (2)
Class discussion
5
Task 3
6
Conclusion
Pictures and
Data-based
questions
Summary chart
7
Extended
activity
Essay writing
To understand the relationship
between resentments of the
Third Estate and the outbreak of
the French Revolution
To learn to interpret messages
behind cartoons
To understand how concepts of
Enlightenment were transformed
into actions in the French
Revolution
To let students access how the
French Revolution broke out
and Napoleon’s career as
background information
To understand the two different
interpretations of the Napoleonic
Wars
Respond to the topic
 Consolation of knowledge
and skills
What does the
Declaration of Human
Rights reflect?
Course of the French
Revolution and the rise
of Napoleon
Napoleonic Wars: Just?
Evil?
Reflections on
significance of French
Revolution to later
generations
Applying knowledge
acquired from this topic
1
Question to ponder
What is the significance of the French Revolution to
later generations?
Task 1: What were the resentments of the French people before the
outbreak of the French Revolution?
Source A is about the three estates of the French society in the 18th century
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Study Source A, and then answer the questions below.
1. Identify the Estates represented by (i), (ii) and (iii) in the cartoon.
Suggested answer: (i) represents the First Estate; (ii) represents the Second Estate; and
(iii) represents the Third Estate.
2. People of which Estate would be most resentful? Explain your answer with reference to
the cartoon and using your own knowledge.
Suggested answer: People of the Third Estate / (iii) would be most resentful. As seen
from the cartoon, he was very skinny, with his four limbs tied up and
his eyes blindfolded, indicating that he was totally deprived of
freedom and human rights. He had people from the First and Second
Estates staying on his back, which reflects that his political rights
were restricted and his taxation burden was very heavy, and so the
class which he represented was extremely resentful.
3. If you were someone from the Third Estate, would you be willing to have such situation
to go on? What would you do?
Suggested answer: Free answer. It is predicted that most students would answer that
they were unwilling, and their response will very likely be
resistance or even overthrowing the First and the Second Estates.
Topic 14: The French Revolution
To know more (1)
Outbreak of the 1789 French Revolution
The year 1789 was a momentous year in French as well as European history. A series of
events took place in Paris which marked the end of an old order and the beginning of a
new one. It was not clear when the events began to appear that they were to have the
consequences they did, but in another ten years time, they became symbolic of a new age.
Paris was the capital of France. It was for centuries a cultural and administrative centre.
From there, the French king ruled France. The fall of Paris to a new government was
highly symbolic of this change.
The events began to unfold as the French King, Louis XVI, found that he needed to raise
tax. In order to do so, he called a meeting of the equivalent of the parliament, consisting of
the three estates of nobles, clergy and the Third Estate. The meeting took place in Paris as
the city was seized by a sense of fear. It was widely rumoured that bandits were about, and
the common people were seizing arms for defence. The nobles and the clergy were
unpopular with the common people of Paris, and so the Third Estate was able to establish
itself as the representatives of the people. With the king’s approval, they formed the
National Assembly. The countryside was descending into disorder. One of the Assembly’s
first acts was to declare the rights of man and to abolish feudalism.
Task 2: What does the Declaration of Human Rights reflect?
The following ideas comes from the Declaration of Human Rights declared by the National
Assembly in 1789.
1.
Men are born and remain free and equal in rights.
2.
The aim of all political association is to preserve the natural rights of man. These
rights are liberty, property, security, resistance to oppression and should not be
taken away.
1.
Do the ideas remind you of the concepts of any period of time in Europe? What period is
it? Why?
Suggested answer: These texts reminds me of the concepts of the Enlightenment period,
because the Declaration often mentioned “Men are born and remain
free and equal in rights” and “These rights are liberty, property,
security, and resistance to oppression”. These ideas coincide with
what the Enlightenment advocated.
3
To know more (2)
Course of the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon
In principle, the National Assembly was not necessarily opposed to a monarchy. In the period
1789-1791, it reorganised local administration, took over the land that had belonged to the Church,
and drafted a constitution. It was at odds with the aristocracy, and it never won the full-hearted
support of the King, who was held captive in Paris. In 1791, the King tried to escape but was
stopped by the crowds. By 1792, a counter-revolutionary movement, with support from other
European monarchs, brought an army to fight against the revolution. The urgency of war raised
both patriotic and anti-aristocratic feelings. The newly elected National Convention abolished the
monarchy and established a republic.
As war continued, the National Convention itself became divided. A small faction demanded
extreme measures, including the arrest and execution of large numbers of opponents. They
supported government control of prices, taxing the rich, providing free and compulsory education,
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and they also succeeded in raising a large army which became very successful in Europe. By 1794,
the committee which had been in charge was overthrown by a coup d’etat, and by 1795 the
National Convention was disbanded and the extremist measures were abandoned. A new
constitution provided for a Directorate of five members, which continued until 1799 when it was
abolished by Napoleon Bonaparte, who was appointed “First Consul.”
Napoleon had been a very successful soldier. He conquered Italy and Egypt before he became First
Consul. He became emperor in 1804, and continued to wage war against other European powers.
He was successful in continental Europe but he was offset by two defeats. In 1805, he lost the sea
battle at Trafalgar to Britain. In 1812, he was defeated in his Russian campaign. He finally lost to
the coalition of European states in 1814. He was exiled, but he returned from exile to fight at
Waterloo in 1815, and was once again defeated.
Topic 14: The French Revolution
Task 3: The Napoleonic Wars: Were they Just or Evil?
Source B
The picture below, painted in 1801, depicts
Napoleon entering Italy.
Source C
The picture below, painted in 1814, depicts French
soldiers executing Spaniards who defended Madrid
in 1808.
Source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:
Napoleon4.jpg
Source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:
Francisco_de_Goya_y_Lucientes_023.jpg
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1. According to Source B, what is the painter’s view on Napoleon entering Italy? Cite relevant
clues to explain your answer.
Suggested answer: The painter holds a positive / appreciative / commending view. This can
be seen by the fact that the painter depicts Napoleon as a hero, full of
spirit and riding into victory.
2. Explain how the painter viewed the Napoleon Wars with reference to Source C and using
your own knowledge.
Suggested answer: Firstly, this is a picture about an execution. It depicts the non-resistant
locals facing the fully-armed French soldiers. It is ironic that a
revolutionary army, in support of freedom and liberty, should be
executing this unarmed and helpless native. Therefore one can see that
the painter was anti-war.
3. Do you think that the Napoleonic Wars deviated from the spirits of the Declaration of
Human Rights? Why?
Suggested answer: Yes, because the aim of the French Revolution was to put into action
the Enlightenment concepts such as the pursuit of inborn human rights
like freedom and equality and the objection of tyrannical rule, while the
Napoleon Wars instead infringed on the freedom of peoples of other
countries and forcing tyrannical rule on them. Obviously, such actions
greatly deviated from the spirits of the Declaration of Human Rights.
Conclusion
The French Revolution overthrew the king’s rule and implemented many ideas which were
supported by thinkers of the Enlightenment. They included rule by parliament, abolition of
feudalism and weakening the power of the Church, and the pronouncement of individual
political rights, including the rights to remain free and equal. Nevertheless, as the
revolution proceeded, war and persecution followed. Out of this disorder, Napoleon
Bonaparte became emperor of France. The wars carried on, departing from the original
purposes of the revolution.
Extended activity
Students may reflect on the French Revolution and its impact by writing a short essay.
Suggested topics to write on:
1. Do you think that the French Revolution brought benefits to mankind?
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2. What are your views on the French Revolution and its impact?
3. How significant is the French Revolution in contributing to the development
of mankind?
Topic 14: The French Revolution
Summary Chart
Influences of the Enlightenment
Encouragement of the American War of Independence
Resentments of the Third Estate
Causes
The Tennis Court Oath
Declaration of Human Rights
Course
French Revolutionary Wars (Anti-France Wars)
French
Revolution
(1789)
Reign of Terror
The Directory Age
7
The First Empire of France
The Napoleonic Age
The Napoleonic Wars
Immediate Cause
Results
Calling of the Estates-General
Establishment of the First French
Republic
Abolition of Monarchy