THE FRENCH
REVOLUTION
CHAPTER 20
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
 THE 3 CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION
 NEW IDEAS: ENLIGHTENED THINKERS, THE
EXAMPLE OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
 SOCIETY: THE GAPS IN POWER AND
PRIVILEDGES BETWEEN THE 3 ESTATES(CLASSES)
 ECONOMIC CRISIS: UNFAIR TAX BASE, LAVISH
SPENDING BY THE KING, COST OF WARS, TRIED
TO TAX 2ND ESTATE, FOOD
SHORTAGE(DROUGHT, HAIL STORM)
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
 THE 3 ESTATES(CLASSES), SOCIAL ORDER OF
THE PEOPLE
 FIRST ESTATE: KING, CARDINALS,
 ISSUES: exempt from taxes, owned 10% of the land,
had a vote in the legislature(always sided with the
nobles)
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
 SECOND ESTATE: NOBILITY, HELD
PROMINENT POSTIONS IN SOCIETY, UPPER
CLERGY
 ISSUES: paid few taxes, held land, charged the
peasants high rent
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
 THIRD ESTATE: BOURGEOISIE –UPPER MIDDLE
CLASS, SKILLED LABOR, AND PEASANTS (sans
culotts-without knee britches), LOWER CLERGY
 ISSUES: paid most of the taxes, did most of the
work in society, no privileges, majority of the
population with no real political power, food
shortage
EVENTS LEADING TO
REVOLUTION
 MEETING OF THE ESTATES GENERAL-LAST
MEETING 175 YEARS EARLIER, LOUIS WANTED TO
USE OLD RULES FOR THE MEETING-EACH ESTATE
HAD ONE VOTE
 THIRD ESTATE ARGUED ALL MEMBERS HAVE
INDIVIDUAL VOTES, JUNE 17, 1789 THIRD ESTATE
DECLARED THEMSELVES A LEGISLATURE, LOUIS
SHUT DOWN THE ESTATES GENERAL
 THIRD ESTATE –ANNOUNCED THE TENNIS COURT
OATH; DECLARING THEY WOULD WRITE A
CONSTITUTION FOR FRANCE, LOUIS CONCEDED
THE INDIVIDUAL VOTE IN THE ESTATE GENERAL
EVENTS LEADING TO
REVOLUTION
 JULY 14, 1789, BASTILLE DAY, LOUIS CALLED IN
TROOPS TO PROTECT HIS POWER, PEOPLE MISREAD
THIS AS AN ATTEMPT TO END THE ASSEMBLY,
STORMED THE BASTILLE FREED PRISONERS AND
TOOK WEAPONS; THE COMMANDER WAS KILLED,
BEHEAD AND THE HEAD WAS PARADED THROUGH
THE STREETS OF PARIS
 IN THE COUNTRYSIDE PEASANTS REVOLTED
AGAINST THEIR LANDLORDS, DESTROYING
PROPERTY AND THEIR CONTRACTS
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
 3 STAGES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
 NATIONAL ASSEMBLY 1789-1791
 NATIONAL CONVENTION 1791-1794
 THE DIRECTORY 1794-1801
Stage One 1789 –1791 (National
Assembly-3rd Estate)
 Moderate changes to French govt/society.
 Declaration of the Rights of Man
 King will share power with Nat. Assembly, Limits on
power of Church
 Nobles lose special privileges.
 Other kings in Europe offer to help Louis XVI regain
full power. Austria, and Prussia sent troops
 Nat. Assembly prepares for war.
 1791 – Radicals outnumber moderates in govt.
Stage Two 1792-1794(National ConventionMarat, Danton, Robespierre)
 Radicals (Jacobins) run the govt.
 Monarchy abolished/Republic created.
 Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette executed for
treason.
 Committee for Public Safety created to eliminate
enemies of the new govt. (Maximilien Robespierre).
 Reign of Terror (July 1793 – July 1794) 40,000
citizens die/Many are executed by the committee.
 July 27, 1794 – Robespierre arrested and executed.
DANTON
MARAT
ROBESPIERRE
Stage Two 1792-1794(National
Convention-Marat, Danton, Robespierre)
 Republic by Virtue- the enjoyment of peace and
equality, laws written on the hearts of man, fulfill
the wishes of nature, accomplish the destiny of of
humanity, keep the promises of philosophy, absolve
Providence from the long reign of crime and
tyranny.
 De-Christianization- clergy were reduced to
commoners, church lands were confiscated,
religious statues and icons were destroyed, crosses
and bells, high clergy or any person protecting them
could be sentenced to death
Stage Three 1795-1801 (The
Directory)
 Moderates regain control.
 5-man Directory created to share power with
National Assembly
 Led by the Bourgeoisie
 Appointed Napoleon to led the French armies
 Corruption, war, economic problems, and returning
nobles seeking power lead to too many problems
for govt.
NAPOLEON
1799-1815
 NOVEMBER 1799, HE LED A SUCCESSFUL COUP DE’ TAT
AGAINST THE DIRECTORY GOVERNMENT
 ESTABLISHED A 3 MAN CONSUL, WHICH HE WAS
APPOINTED FIRST CONSUL
 HIS GOVERNMENT PLEDGE TO CONTINUE THE IDEALS
OF THE REVOLUTION
 NAPOLEON USED HIS POPULARITY, HE PUT TO A
NATIONAL VOTE-PLEBISCITE(YES/NO) DID FRANCE
WANT TO DELARE ITSELF AN EMPIRE WITH HIM AS
EMPEROR; RESULT WAS YES, IN THE CEREMONY
NAPOLEON TOOK THE CROWN FROM THE POPE AND
PLACED IT ON HIS HEAD
NAPOLEON
1799-1815
 NAPOLEON RULED WITH ABSOLUTE POWER,
BUT HE DID USE ELECTIONS, PROMOTIONS
BASED ON ABILITY, AND THE NAPOLEONIC
CODE(LAWS), CONTINENTIAL SYSTEM
 NAPOLEONIC CODE-MADE LAWS
UNIFORMED, ELIMINATED INJUSTICES, IT HAD
UNIVERSAL MALE SUFFRAGE ; IT PROMOTED
STATE OVER INDIVIDUALS, WOMEN WERE
RESTRICTED, CENSORSHIP OF NEGATIVE
PRESS
NAPOLEON
1799-1815
 ONCE THE FRENCH APPROVE AN EMPIRE
NAPOLEON SAT OUT ON A MILITARY
CAMPAIGN TO CONQUER THE COUNTRIES OF
THE EUROPEAN CONTINTENT
 NAPOLEON’S EMPIRE STRETCHES FROM
PORTUGAL INTO RUSSIA; NAPOLEON
APPOINTED RELATIVES TO VARIOUS
THRONES OF EUROPE AS CONQUERED THOSE
COUNTRIES(SPAIN, HOLLAND, NAPLES,
WESTPHALIA)
NAPOLEON
1799-1815
 RUSSIA WAS THE LAST COUNTRY NAPOLEON
ENTERED; THE RUSSIANS DESTROYED MOST
OF THE NEEDED RESOURCES FOR
NAPOLEON’S ARMY, AFTER 6 MONTHS HE
HAD TO WITHDRAWAL HIS TROOPS
 THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN LEFT NAPOLEON
WEAK, HIS GRAND ARMY OF 600K TROOPS
HAD DISCENTIGRATED TO 94K, TROOPS DIED
FROM THE BITTER COLD, HUNGER, OR
ATTACKS ALONG THE RETREAT
NAPOLEON
1799-1815
 RUSSIA, PRUSSIA, AUSTRIA, AND GREAT BRITIAN
ALLIED THEMSELVES, BATTLED NAPOLEON’S WEAK
AND INEXPERIENCED ARMY AT LEIPZIG IN OCTOBER
1813; NAPOLEON WAS DEFEATED
 NAPOLEON WAS EXILED TO ELBA, WITHIN THE YEAR
HE HAD ESCAPED, RETURNED TO FRANCE AND
PLACED ON THE THRONE(100 DAYS REIGN)
 HE BUILT A NEW ARMY, ON JUNE 18, 1815 HE
ENCOUNTERED BRITISH TROOPS AT WATERLOO,
BELGIUM; LED BY THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON, AIDED
BY PRUSSIAN FORCES NAPOLEON WAS DEFEATED
 HE WAS EXILED TO ST. HELENA WERE HE DIED IN 1821
NAPOLEON
1799-1815
 INFLUENCES IN THE AMERICAS
 NAPOLEON SOLD US THE LOUISANNA PURCHASE,
NEARLY DOUBLING THE SIZE OF THE U.S.
 THE WAR SPREAD TO THE U.S.
 THE WAR OF 1812, WE SIDED WITH THE FRENCH
AGAINST THE BRITISH
 NATIONAL ANTHIEM-FRANCIS SCOTT KEY, ANDREW
JACKSON WON THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS
FRENCH REVOLUTION
 IN LATIN AMERICA, COUNTRIES TOOK
ADVANTAGE OF ABSENT MONARCHS AND
BEGAN THEIR OWN REVOLUTIONS
 TOUSSAINT L’OUVERTURE-HAITIAN SLAVE
REVOLT
 MEXICO-FATHER MIGUEL HILDALGO
 SOUTH AMERICA-SIMON BOLIVAR(wanted a
united South America), JOSE DE SAN MARTIN
NAPOLEON
1799-1815
 CONGRESS OF VIENNA ENDED THE CONFLICT
 THE POWERS OF THE CONFERENCE WERE
CASTLEREAGH OF ENGLAND, FREDRICK
WILLIAM III OF PRUSSIA, TALLEYRAND OF
FRANCE, METTERNICH OF AUSTRIA
 METTERNICH DOMINATED THE PROCEDURES
OF THE CONGRESS
 TERMS: FRANCE WOULD BECOME WEAK, OLD
MONARCHES RESTORED, FRANCE WOULD
PAY DEBTS OF ITS ENEMIES
METTERNICH
TALLEYRAND
CASTLEREAGH
FREDRICK WILLIAM III
NAPOLEON
1799-1815
 EUROPE’S CHANGING POLITICS
 REACTIONARIES: THOSE WHO WANTED THINGS TO
RETURN TO THE PAST PROCESSES(ALSO CALLED
CONSERVATIVES)
 LIBERALS: THOSE WHO WANTED THE IDEALS OF THE
REVOLUTION, THE ENLIGHTENED CONCEPTS TO
CONTINUE
 TENSION BETWEEN THESE GROUPS WILL CAUSE OTHER
EUROPEAN CONFLICTS GOING INTO THE 1830’ AND 1840’S
 WITH CHANGES IN THE EUROPEAN BOUNDRIES
NATIONALISM WILL BE COME A SOURCE OF TENSION