BELLWORK
• I hope you’re all refreshed after your
three day weekend!
Anyone want to volunteer for Current
Event?
• PLEASE TAKE OUT YOUR
NOTEBOOKS AND A WRITING
UTENSIL.
French Revolution
“Revolutions cannot be
made with rosewater.”
- Nicolas De Chamfort
“The tree of liberty must be
refreshed from time to time
with the blood of patriots
and tyrants.”
-Thomas Jefferson
French Revolution
• How would you define an unjust
government?
• What, if anything, would lead you
to take part in a violent revolution?
Main Idea
• Economic and social inequalities
in the Old Regime helped cause
the French Revolution
Why It Matters Now
• Throughout history, economic and
social inequalities have at times led
peoples to revolt against their
government
• Can you think of any modern
examples of this?
Causes
• 1774 – Louis XVI becomes king
and inherits all of his grandfather’s
problems
• Serious debt due to foreign wars
and reckless spending
• What foreign war?
• Thinking back to the
video, what were some
of the characteristics
of Louis XVI?
Causes
• Marie Antoinette aka Madame Deficit was also a big
spender
• Gambled the equivalent of $1 million/year
• Lavish parties, fashions, hairdos
• Had a life sized peasant village constructed – life as a
queen was stressful, so every now and then she went to
her retreat and acted like a peasant
• Village was called Hameau de la Reine – The Queen’s
Hamlet
Causes
• Palace at Versailles
• Truly one of the most extravagant structures in the
world
Aerial View
Gardens Looking to Palace
Marie’s Bedroom
Hall of Mirrors
Causes
• French people were unhappy with
the class system (Estates) in France
• Looking at this
cartoon, what is
being depicted?
Causes
• First Estate: 1% Clergy
• Second Estate: 2% Nobility
• Third Estate: 97% Peasants,
Artisans and Bourgeoisie (middle
class)
• Paid all of the taxes
BELLWORK
• Please take out your French Revolution
Timeline notes from yesterday and
review the causes of the French
Revolution.
• Absent? Grab a copy from the front
table and fill in the first section of the
notes using a neighbor’s notes.
• Looking at the Estate System in
pre-revolutionary France, why
does this pose such a threat?
Reaction
• King Louis XVI knew it was his role to
try to quell the concerns of the people
• He summoned the Estates General
(meeting with all three estates)
• Eventually the Third Estate was locked
out of the Estates General because they
had too many disputes
Reaction
• The Third Estate renamed
themselves the National Assembly
and had their own meeting
• Met at a tennis court and took the
Tennis Court Oath:
• “We won’t stop meeting until
France has a new constitution”
Beginning of the Revolution
• The National Assembly had fears
that the king would try to squash
their rebellion…
• So, what do you need to resist a
king and his army?
Beginning of the Revolution
• Revolutionaries stormed the
Bastille (prison and storehouse for
weapons)
• This marks the beginning of the
French Revolution
New Constitution
• The National Assembly wrote The
Declaration of the Rights of Man
and of the Citizen (French
Constitution)
New Constitution
• Influenced by American
Declaration of Independence
• “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”
• Equality, freedom of speech,
protect against unlawful arrest
• Limited royal powers, but kept the
monarchy
New Constitution
• The king refused to accept the new
constitution, but the people forced
him to
• Stormed the palace in Versailles
and forced the king to move to
Paris and to accept the new
constitution
New Constitution
• The king tried to escape to Austria,
was caught, accused and tried with
going against the liberty of the
nation
• Found guilty and was executed
Revolution Continues
• The monarchy was no more, but
the revolution was far from over
Revolution Continues
• Disputes within the government
• Two very different political parties
emerged
Revolution Continues
• Jacobins: led by Robespierre;
defenders of the revolution
• Girondists: believed the revolution
had gone far enough; wanted to
protect wealthy and middle class
Revolution Continues
• Created the Committee of Public
Safety (12 men)
• Initially, the COPS was created to
protect France from foreign attack,
but it soon turned into a chaotic
civil war: Royalists VS
Revolutionaries
Reign of Terror
• Heads really start to roll…
• Jacobins take over and set out to
crush all opposition, led by
Robespierre and COPS
Reign of Terror
• Suspected traitors guillotined
• 40,000 executed in this period
Reign of Terror
• Leaders within the COPS feared
Robespierre and were afraid they
were on his “list”
• They executed him before he could
get to them
Revolution Dwindles
• New constitution written
• Executive council of five men (The
Directory)
• 2 house legislature
• Appeared weak and people didn’t
like it
Enter Napoleon
• After any revolution, a country
struggles getting back on its feet
• Because France was so vulnerable,
they willingly allowed a powerful
leader to step in: Napoleon
Napoleon Notes
• Napoleon Takes Over
• Came to power during a period of political
chaos/people were looking for a strong leader
• Great military general (but failed in his invasion of
Russia due to the harsh winter)
• Became dictator
• Wrote Napoleonic Code
• French law based on Enlightenment ideas (public
schools, equality of all citizens, religious tolerance)
• Napoleon Builds an Empire
• Leader of Europe (Congress of Vienna balanced power)
• Established a sense of nationalism
One of the greatest legacies was the
Declaration of the Rights of Man and
of the Citizen
• Written by the National Assembly
• Your job, read through the document
• First, highlight/underline all of the rights
outlined in the document.
• Second, choose which one of those rights
you think is the most important and explain
why.
• Finally, what other events, eras, or
documents does this remind you of ?
On your green document write
this:
• Citizens can challenge an
unjust government
• Influenced by Athens’
democracy
Napoleon Green Doc
• Reading through the timeline of
events, write a one sentence
summary of the type of leader that
Napoleon was that encompasses
most of the events.
On your green document write
this:
• Napoleon raised an army upon his
return to France.
• Napoleon was not willing to
accept defeat.
• Empire building equals political
and religious friction.
Finally, we will read a couple
accounts on decapitation…
• After you read the article, what do
you believe? Be willing to share
your evidence.