The French Revolution
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Chapter 18
The French Revolution Begins
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Frances Three Estates: Social system in which gave groups certain status
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First Estate: Clergy
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Second Estate: Nobles
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.5% of population
Owned 10% of all land
DID NOT PAY TAILLE=tax
1.5% of the population
Owned 25-30% of the land
DID NOT PAY TAILLE
Third Estate: everyone else (wealthiest merchant) to (lowliest peasant)
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98% of population
Owned 65% of land
Pays 100% of the Taille
Bourgeoisie: middle class merchants, bankers, lawyers, doctors, etc.
Financial Crisis
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Bad harvests in 1787 and 1788
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Slow down in manufacturing
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Food shortages
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Rising prices
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Unemployment
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Louis XVI: King of France who supported Americans in their revolution
and caused the budget to skyrocket
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Marie Antoinette: Queen of France known for extravagance
Estates-General to National
Assembly
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Estates General: meeting of all estates
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Majority of representation given to 1st/2nd estate
3rd estate wants to set up a constitutional government, and make
clergy/nobility to pay taxes
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Declared it would now be the National Assembly and they would draft a
constitution
Doors locked when they return
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Tennis Court Oath: 3rd estate swore that they would continue meeting
until they had a new constitution
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Bastille: 900 Parisians seize the historic prison/armory, Paris abandoned
to rebels
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Louis XVI: learns of the situation “Why, this is a revolt.” “No Sire” “It is
a revolution.”
Declaration of the
Rights of Man
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Declaration of the Rights of Man: Charter of basic
liberties , inspired by the English Bill of Rights 1689
and the American Declaration of Independence and Constitution
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“the natural and imprescriptible rights to man” to “life, property, security,
and resistance to oppression”
Reflected Enlightenment thought
Olympe de Gouges: writer who refused to
accept the exclusion of women
The King Concedes
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Louis XVI: refused to accept the National Assembly and stays in
Versailles
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October 5th 1789: Parisian women storm the palace force Louis to accept
the new decrees and return to Paris with them
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The monarchs become prisoners in Paris
New Constitution
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Constitution of 1791: set up a limited monarchy with a Legislative
Assembly which made laws.
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Conservative
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Active Citizens: men over 25 who paid a certain amount of taxes
Passive Citizens: equal rights but no votes
Wealthy can only hold office
Local government in charge of taxation
Radical Revolution
and Reaction
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Chapter 18-2
The Move to Radicalism
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- The Constitutional Monarchy of 1791 was not working
- Rumors that the revolution was being suppressed
- Food shortages
- Military setbacks
- Insecurity about the direction of the nation
- PANIC AND FEAR lead to massacres in Paris, September 1792
New leaders such as Jean-Paul Marat, who ran a radical journal,
defended the Massacres
The French Republic
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The National Convention is called together in September 1792 and is
made up of young, anti-royal men.
Abolish the monarchy and establish “The French Republic”.
Many of these representatives, or deputies, belonged to political factions
which had their own ideas on how the government should be run.
Girondins- Represented areas outside Paris, feared mob
Jacobins- Represented the radicals, or The Mountain. Wanted the King
dead.
The Jacobins convince the Convention to condemn Louis XVI to death in
January 1783.
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“Louis was fastened onto the deadly plank of the machine they call the
guillotine and his head was cut off so quickly that he could have hardly
suffered. This at least is a merit belonging to the murderous instrument.”
The Guillotine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ7xMUf-CZk
The Reign of Terror: 1793-94
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Domestic Uprisings: Many outside Paris refused to
listen to the National Convention
External Threats: European powers send armies to
fight France after the King is killed.
The National Convention gives the Committee of Public
Safety the power to deal with domestic threats.
Leader: Maximilien Robespierre
- Over 40,000 “enemies” killed
- 82% from the 3rd Estate!
- Paranoia grips nation
Robespierre’s “Republic of
Virtue”
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Robespierre wanted to totally remake French society into a “Republic of
Virtue”
De-Christianized: Churches were re-established as “Temples of Reason”
Calendar remade- Year One now 1792, or first year of the Republic
Each month = 3 weeks of ten days
Public rejected most reforms
NC was able to form a large army of over 1 million, which defeated
European powers.
The Directory
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Robespierre executed at the Guillotine in 1794
National Convention tries to set up a more conservative government
No CPS
New Constitution of 1795
Only land-owners (electors) can vote
Two House Legislature
5-Man Directory appointed to lead executive branch
New government was dysfunctional and in 1799 was overthrown by….
The Rise of Napoleon
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Napoleon Bonaparte: leader who brought the French Revolution to an
end, and established his rule as an absolute emperor of France
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Early Life
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Born in 1769 on the island of Corsica
From minor nobility of Italy, not rich
Scholarship for famous military school
Lieutenant in French army
Not liked because of his Italian accent
Military Success
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1792 becomes Capitan
1794 becomes Brigadier General
1796 becomes Commander of French Armies in Italy
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Defeated Italian/Austrian Forces, France controls northern Italy
Consul and Emperor
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1799 Napoleon part of a coup d’etat
Overthrew the Directory set up the Consulate
Napoleon’s Domestic Policies
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Open to page 598
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Read about the domestic policies of Napoleon.
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Complete the organizer
Napoleon’s Empire
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1799 France at war with Britain, Russia, Austria
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1803 Britain, Austria, Sweden, Russia and Prussia declare war
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Signs peace treaty in 1802
“The French Revolution is not finished, so long as the scourge of war lasts, I
want peace”
1805-1807 Napoleon’s Grand Army defeats armies
1807-1812 Grand Empire
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Three parts
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French Empire
Dependent States
Allied States
Spreading the Principles of the
Revolution
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Napoleon wanted to spread principles of the French Revolution
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Legal equality, religious toleration, and economic freedom
Destroy nobility/old order
Offices open to those with ability
Equality before the law
British Resistance
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Great Britain is a major political power
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Sea power
Napoleon could not take over
Napoleon tries to destroy Great Britain by land.
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Continental System: stop British gods from reaching European continent
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destroy Britain's economy, stop them from waging war.
Failure
Nationalism
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Nationalism: sense of unique identity of a group of people based upon
common language, religion, and national symbols
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France becomes a “nation”
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Issues with conquering other “nations”
1st people conquered hated an outside ruler
2nd power and strength in national feeling
How do you think the conquered nation’s reacted to Napoleon’s attempts to make
them part of the French nation?
The Fall of Napoleon
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Disaster in Russia
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Russians refused to be in the Continental System
Napoleon decided to invade
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June 1812
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Knew if he didn’t punish them, other nations would follow
French Grand Army 600,000 invades
Russian Army refused to battle
 Retreated and burned villages and fields
 Set Moscow ablaze
No food forced Napoleon to start “THE GREAT RETREAT”
 Only 40,000 of 600,000 survived
March 1814
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European states rose up
Paris captured
Napoleon sent to exile on island of Elba
Monarchy reestablished, Louis XVIII
The Final Defeat
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People did not support monarch
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Napoleon not ready to give up
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Slips back into France
Soldiers sent to capture him
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“soldiers of the 5th regiment, I am your Emperor… If there is a man among you
who would kill his Emperor, here I am”
“Vive l’Empereur!”
Napoleon returns to Paris in 1815
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Russia, Great Britain, Austria, and Prussia work to get rid of Napoleon
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“Enemy and Disturber of the Tranquility of the World”
Napoleon rallied troops
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Waterloo, Belgium June 18, 1815
Napoleon v. Duke of Wellington
Napoleon defeated and sent to St. Helena
Napoleon PBS Documentary
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy1B8rwMyqM
Napoleon DBQ
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Read all documents
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Answer the questions which relate to each document.
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Come up and grab DBQ assignment when completed