FCPS World II SOL Standards: WHII 6e, 8a and 8b
The French Revolution, Napoleon, and
Congress of Vienna (1770-1850 C.E.)
You Mean the Revolution Was More than a
Bunch of Heads Being Chopped Off?
Causes and Events of the
French Revolution
By the late 1700s, France was on the edge of revolution. The French
people were inspired by both the American Revolution and the
Enlightenment ideas. The country was struggling due to debt, famine, and
inequality. The lower class, known as the third estate, was being taxed
unfairly and felt they deserved equal say in the government. On July 14,
1789, a group of angry peasants looking for weapons began the French
Revolution by Storming the Bastille, an old prison. The third estate went
on to take over the government and made major changes to France.
Their goal was to get rid of the old system of monarchy and nobles and
establish democracy. Revolutionaries, under the leadership of Maximilien
Robespierre, arrested and executed King Louis XVI and Queen Marie
Antoinette. This began a time known as the Reign of Terror during which
those who opposed the Revolution were executed with the guillotine.
Over 15,000 people died during the Reign of Terror. While the Revolution
did not achieve all of its goals of liberty and equality for all, it did succeed
in encouraging secularism, nationalism and democracy.
Napoleon’s Rise and Fall
The Third Estate carrying the king, nobles and Catholic Church on its back
Source: http://www.mrallsophistory.com/revision/the-origins-of-the-french-revolution.html
The French people grew tired of the revolution’s violence. In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte, a successful French general, promised
to end the chaos and restore the glory of France. The French people willingly accepted him as their leader. Napoleon began
fixing the economy, government, education and much more. His longest lasting impact was establishing a legal system known
as the Napoleonic Code. This system applied to all French people and stressed equality. Napoleon declared himself emperor of
France and attempted to conquer neighboring European countries in a series of wars known as the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon
conquered a large part of Europe, but was eventually defeated. One of the major effects of
Napoleon’s desire to control Europe was increasing nationalism in conquered lands.
Congress of Vienna
Napoleon crosses the St. Bernard, by JacquesLouis David (Berlin), 1800
Source: Source: Wikimedia Commons; http://
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Napol%C3%A9on_
Bonaparte#mediaviewer/File:Jacques-Louis_David_007.jpg
After Napoleon’s defeat, the European leaders wanted
to establish peace and stability in Europe, but there was
disagreement about how to do that. Some leaders and
politicians, known as conservatives, wanted to keep
traditional ideas such as monarchy and divine right.
Others, known as liberals, liked change such as
democracy and equality. The European leaders held a The national boundaries within Europe as set
by the Congress of Vienna, 1815
series of meetings called the Congress of Vienna in
Source: Wikimedia Commons; http://upload.wikimedia.org/
1814-1815. At the meetings, conservatives got their way. wikipedia/commons/0/05/Map_congress_of_vienna.jpg
One decision was to restore the monarchies of Europe. Another decision was to balance
power in Europe by making sure no one country became too powerful. They did this by
changing the map of Europe and redrawing boundaries.
FCPS HS Social Studies © 2014
French Revolution, Napoleon and Congress of Vienna (cont.) WHII 6e, 8a and 8b
Revolutions and Reforms in the 1800s
After the Congress of Vienna, liberals were disappointed that the new ideas were ignored. They wanted changes such
as more open government. In 1848, a series of revolutions occurred in continental Europe particularly in Italy and
Germany. These revolutions were unsuccessful, but they did increase nationalism in Europe. Unlike continental Europe,
Great Britain did not have revolutions in the 1800s. (Remember: Britain had its Glorious Revolution in the 17th century.)
Instead, the British passed laws allowing more people to vote and outlawing slavery in the British Empire.
Key Vocabulary
Storm/Storming of the Bastille: to take
or capture/ Event in which a group of poor
people attacked the Bastille prison in Paris
and began the French Revolution
Congress of Vienna: a series of meetings
in 1814–1815, during which the European
leaders tried to establish long-lasting peace
and security after the defeat of Napoleon
Nationalism: a feeling of unity of a group
of people, often based on a common
language, culture, ethnicity, history, religion,
or belief system
Reign of Terror: the period, from mid-1793 to
mid-1794, when Robespierre ruled France as a
dictator and thousands were executed
Guillotine: a machine for beheading people,
used during the French Revolution
Napoleonic Wars: series of wars in which
Napoleon attempted to unify Europe under
French control
Napoleonic Code: a uniform system of laws
established for France by Napoleon
Third Estate: lower class in pre-revolutionary
France
Conservative: in the 19th century European—
usually a wealthy landowner or noble—who
wanted to preserve the traditional monarchies
of Europe
Continental: located on the main portion of
a continent; for example, continental Europe
includes France, Spain, Italy and Germany,
but not Britain which is an island
Liberal: In the 19th century, someone—
usually a middle-class business leader or
merchant—who wanted to give more political
power to elected parliaments
Quick Review
1. What year did a series of unsuccessful liberal revolutions
take place in continental Europe?
A. 1748
B. 1848
C. 1790
D. 1890
3. Which box best represents a conservative’s viewpoint during
the 19th century?
A. Box 1
B. Box 2
C. Box 3
D. Box 4
2. What best completes the chart?
A. The French Revolution
B. Council of Trent
C. Napoleonic Wars
D. Congress of Vienna
4. Identify and explain two to three causes of the
French Revolution.
Connection to Today
Resources
The French people accepted Napoleon as a dictator in order to end
the revolution. When countries are going through economic and
political problems, people are often willing to give up their individual
freedoms and rights for security. Why would people be more willing to
limit their freedoms during these times? Can you think of any modern
examples of people giving up freedoms in order to ensure security?
Learn 360
● French Revolution: http://goo.gl/UD4dLb
● Library Resource: ABC-CLIO – Revolutions of 1848
http://worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/311019?terms=roma
nticism
FCPS HS Social Studies © 2014