The French Revolution
+ Napoleon
Ch 23
1789-1815
Before the Revolution
• The Old • Political + social system of France prior to the
Regime
Revolution
• The people of France were divided into 3 large
social classes – Estates
• 1st Estate: Clergy of the Roman Catholic
Church
• 1% of population
• Owned 10% of land in France
• Provided education + services to the
poor
• Contributed about 2% of its income to
the gov.’t
• 2nd Estate: Rich Nobles
• 2% of population
• Owned 20% of land in France
• Paid almost no taxes
• 3rd Estate: Everyone Else
• 97% of population. Made up of 3 groups:
1. Bourgeoisie (middle class)
- bankers, factory owners, professionals
- often educated
- many believed ideas of Enlightenment
- Some as wealthy as the nobles
- Thought they deserved social status
+ political privileges
2. Workers (poorest group)
- Urban
- Laborers, domestic servants, etc
- Low wages + frequently unemployed
3. Peasants (Largest group - over 80% of pop)
- Paid ½ of income to taxes, Church, +
dues to nobles
• Causes of the
Revolution
(France was
considered the
most advanced
country in Europe
BUT…)
•
•
•
•
1. Series of bad harvests due to weather
2. High prices
3. High taxes
4.
Population
• #1-4 led to people starving
• 5. ?s raised by ideas of the Enlightenment
• Inspired by American Rev.
• 6. Weak king
• Louis XVI (the 16th) was indecisive +
made bad decisions
• 7. Gov.’t in debt
• Some inherited from previous kings,
but King Louis XVI & Queen Marie
Antoinette “Madame Deficit” still
spent extravagantly
• Supported American Rev. w/ $
• Louis XVI Calls • In the Estates-General, all 3 estates’
a Meeting of the delegates meet in separate halls w/
Estates-General each estate having 1 vote
(assembly from
• 1st +2nd Estate could always
all 3 estates)
outvote the 3rd Estate
• 3rd Estate wanted changes in the
gov.’t
• All 3 estates should meet
together w/ all delegates getting
one vote each (3rd estate had
more delegates than the other 2
combined)
• King refused
• 3rd Estate voted to form a National
Assembly to pass laws + reforms for
French people
• Goes against absolute monarchy
• 1st deliberate act of revolution
• Locked out of meeting room for the
Estates-General
• Break down door to indoor tennis court
+ pledge to stay until they have drawn
up a new constitution
• Tennis Court Oath
• Supported by some members of the
1st + 2nd Estates
• Storming of
the Bastille
• In response to the Tennis Court
Oath, Louis XVI stations mercenary
army around Palace of Versailles
• People believe army might be used
against them + gather weapons to
protect themselves
• In search of gunpowder, a mob
seized control of the Bastille (French
prison)
• Brutally murdered the prison
commander + some guards, then
parade their heads on pikes around
Paris – Beginning of revolution
• The Great Fear • Rumors go around that the nobles
were hiring outlaws to terrorize the
peasants
• Causes panic (the Great Fear) among
the peasants
• They break into nobles’ homes +
burn them down
• Riots start over the price of bread
End Section 1
23.2
• Reforms of
the National
Assembly
• 1789, Some 1st and 2nd Estate members declare
their support for the revolution (out of fear)
• Old regime is gone
• Adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man
and of the Citizen
• Influenced by Declaration of Indep.
• “Men are born and remain free and equal
in rights.” Including rights of liberty,
property, security, + resistance to
oppression.
• “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”
• Didn’t apply to women
• Focused on the Church early on
• Took over Church lands
• Church officials + priests were to be
elected
• Upset many peasants
• Limited
Monarchy
Forms
• Louis XVI + family flee France – captured
• Opponents gain strength
• A constitution was approved that created a limited
monarchy – Louis XVI lost power
• Created the Legislative Assembly
• Had power to create laws + approve
or reject declarations of war
• King still had executive powers to
carry out laws
• Legislative Assembly split into 3 groups over how
to deal with problems such as food shortages,
gov.’t debt, etc
– Radicals (left) wanted sweeping changes
– Moderates (middle) wanted some changes
– Conservatives (right) wanted fewer changes
• Émigrés
• Nobles + others who fled France
• Hoped to influence France’s gov.’t
from outside France
• Wanted to undo the Revolution +
restore the Old Regime
• Sans-Culottes
• “those w/o knee britches”
• Wanted the Revolution to bring even
greater changes
• France
at War
• Austria + Prussia want France to restore absolute
monarchy
• France declares war in 1792
• Royal family imprisoned
• Rumors spread that supporters of the king in prison
will break out + take over the city
• “September Massacres” Citizens raid prisons
+ murder over 1,000 prisoners
• National Assembly set aside old Constitution,
deposed king, dissolved the Assembly, + called for
new elections
• New governing body is the National Convention
• Abolished monarchy + declared France a
republic
• All MEN are given the right to vote
• Jacobins
• Radicals
• One of the most prominent was Jean-Paul
Marat
• Edited the ‘Friend of the People”
newspaper
• Called for the death of all who
support the king
• Death of
Louis XVI • Found guilty of treason
• Beheaded by the guillotine
• Other countries side in the war
against France
• Maximilien
Robespierre
• Slowly gained power in the Jacobins
• Want to establish a “republic of virtue”
• Changed calendar
• Closed all churches
• Became leader of Committee of Public
Safety
• Task was to protect the Revolution
from enemies
• virtual dictator
• Known as “Reign of Terror”
• “enemies” were tried + guillotined
immediately after
• Executed the queen
• Thousands executed – mostly
peasants + members of middle class
• End of the
Terror
• Some members of the National
Convention fear for their own safety +
turn on Robespierre
• Robespierre is executed by the
guillotine in July 1794, ending
Reign of Terror
• A 3rd gov.’t is begun
– Placed power in the hands of upper
middle class
– 2 house legislature + an executive of
5 moderate men (the Directory)
End of Section 2
23.3
Napoleon Bonaparte
• Beginnings • One of the world’s greatest military geniuses
• As a young officer he protected the National
Convention from royalist rebels
• 1796, the Directory appointed him to lead the
French Army against Austria + Kingdom of
Sardinia (Italy) – successful
• By 1799, the Directory had lost support. Troops
under Napoleon’s command surround the National
Legislature + drive out some members.
Remaining members vote to dissolve Directory +
set up a group of 3 consuls including Napoleon.
• He takes the title of 1st Consul + assumes powers
of a dictator
• A sudden seizure of power like Napoleon’s is a
coup d'état – “Blow to the state”
• Napoleon’s
Rule
• In 1800, a plebiscite – vote of the people – was
held that approved giving Napoleon many powers
• He supported laws that strengthened national
gov.’t + achieved some goals of the Revolution
• Set up efficient method for tax collection
• Established national banking system
• Dismissed corrupt officials + set up Lycees –
public schools to train public officials
• Signed a concordat (formal agreement, usually
between a gov.’t + the pope) w/ the pope to
recognize influence of the Church but keep the
Church out of national affairs
• Set up the Napoleonic Code – System of laws
• Uniform set of laws
• Limited some individual rights
• Restored slavery in French Caribbean
• Crowned himself emperor – took the crown from
the Pope
• Creating • Sells Louisiana territory to US
an Empire • Annexed parts of the Netherlands + Italy,
set up puppet gov.’ts in other countries
• Fights w/ Britian, Russia, Austria, Prussia,
+ others
• Beats all but the British
• Battle of Trafalgar -only major battle he lost
• Naval battle
• More important than all his victories
on land
• Ensured British naval supremacy for
next 100 yrs
• Must give up plans to invade Britain
End Section 3
23.4
• Family
• Divorced 1st wife Josephine (no heir)
• Married Marie-Louise who gave birth to Napoleon II
• Mistakes: • His desire for power would be his downfall
• 1. 1806, set up blockade (a forcible closing of ports)
to prevent all trade + communication b/w Great
Britain + the rest of Europe
– This policy was called the Continental System
b/c it was supposed to make continental Europe
more self-sufficient. It was also intended to
destroy Britain’s commercial + industrial
economy – not very successful
– Britain retaliated w/ their own blockade
• more successful
• Stopped neutral ships by forcing them to stop
at British ports + pay a tax (angered
Americans + led to War of 1812)
• 2. 1808, tried to make Portugal accept the
continental System
– Sent an invasion force through Spain, which
caused Spanish protests
– Napoleon responded by removing the Spanish
king + putting his brother on the throne
– B/c of that + fear Napoleon would weaken the
Catholic Church in Spain, Spanish peasant
fighters began The Peninsula War (so called
b/c Spain is on the Iberian Peninsula)
• Peasants called guerillas – members of a
loosely organized fighting force that makes
surprise attacks on enemy troops occupying
their country
• British aided the guerillas
• France loses 300,000 men + Spanish king
restored
• 3. 1812, invaded Russia (a former ally) b/c
they weren’t following the Continental
System + b/c both have designs on Poland
• Napoleon leads an army of 420,000. The
czar pulls his army back – draws French
into Russia
• Russians practice scorched-earth policy –
burned their own fields + killed off
livestock so the French had nothing to eat
• Napoleon takes Moscow, but city was left
in flames by the Russians
– Decided to retreat, caught in the
Russian winter – then the Russians
attack
– By the time his army makes it to France
only 10,000 soldiers are left.
• Downfall • Britain, Russia, Prussia, Sweden, + Austria join
together against him
• He raises another army, but most are ill-prepared.
He surrenders in 1814 + gives up throne.
• Exiled to island of Elba
• Louis XVI’s brother assumes the French throne –
quickly becomes unpopular in France
• Napoleon escapes from Elba in 1815 + tries to regain
power (This period is known as the Hundred Days).
French welcome him joyfully
• Raises an army + the other European powers
do the same.
• He is defeated at the Battle of Waterloo + exiled to
the island of St. Helena + dies there 6 yrs later.
End Section 4
23.5
The Congress of Vienna
• Napoleon • European gov.’ts wanted to establish a
is Defeated long-lasting peace + stability in Europe
– Led to the Congress of Vienna
– Series of meetings in Vienna
meant to accomplish those goals
• Scheduled to last 4 weeks, but
took 8 months
• Congress of Vienna consisted of decisions
made in secret among representatives from
the “Great Powers” of Europe – AustroHungary, Russia, Prussia, Britain, +
France
• Most influential member – Foreign
Minister of Austria, Klemens von
Metternich
• Metternich’s • He distrusted the democratic ideals of the
3 Goals
French Rev. + wanted to maintain
stability of Europe. He had 3 goals:
1. Prevent French aggression by
Europe 1810
surrounding France w/ strong countries:
• Switzerland becomes an
independent country
• Austrian Netherlands + Dutch
Republic united – Kingdom of the
Netherlands
• 39 German states united – Germany
Europe 1819
(dominated by Austro-Hungary)
• Kingdom of Sardinia was combined
w/ Genoa (parts of modern day
Italy)
2. Restore a Balance of Power (a political
situation in which no one nation is powerful
enough to pose a threat to others)
– Wanted to weaken France but not leave it
powerless (might encourage French to
seek revenge), so France remained a
major, but diminished power
3. Restore Europe’s royal families to the
thrones they had before Napoleon’s rule
– Great Powers affirmed Principle of
Legitimacy (hereditary right of a monarch
to rule)
– Ruling families of France, Spain, + several
Italian states reinstated
– Congress of Vienna believed that would
stabilize political relations among nations
• Successes 1. 1st time the nations of an entire continent
of the
cooperated to control political affairs
Congress
– The settlements were fair, no cause for
of Vienna
future wars
2. Agreed to come to one another’s aid if any
threats to peace (40 yrs of peace)
• Politics
• Britain + France have constitutional
After the
monarchies
Congress • Gov.’ts in Eastern + Central Europe were
of Vienna
more conservative
– Austro-Hungary, Russia, + Prussia were
absolute monarchies
• Rulers of Europe were nervous about the
consequences of the French Rev. (afraid it
might encourage future revolutions)
– Austria, Russia, + Prussia (the absolute
monarchies) sign agreement – the Holy
Alliance w/ each pledging to base their
relations w/ other nations on Christian
principles to combat forces of revolution
– Series of alliances devised by Metternich
called the Concert of Europe – nations
would help each other if revolutions started
– Eventually nationalistic feelings in
countries under foreign control would
result in revolutions
End Section 5