THE FRENCH
REVOLUTION
-Chapter Seven-
The French Revolution


During The Enlightenment, Locke’s
philosophy stated that “the people” have
the RIGHT to overthrow an unjust
government.
Do YOU agree??? Why or Why not?
What would lead you to take part in a
violent revolution against your government
or another controlling power (your church,
parents, principal and staff, etc.) ???
 What were some of the CAUSES of the
Revolution in France that we discussed on
Wednesday??
Debt, unfair taxes, class
inequality between the
st
nd
1 class estates and 2
class estates, corrupt
government, shortage of
food.

The Old Regime!

The French people were divided into three estates
(classes)

1st Estate-Clergy






Makes up 1% of the population
Roman Catholic Church
Hated Enlightenment ideas

Pay Taxes: only 2% of income

Owned 10% of land
2nd Estate-Nobles
Makes up 2% of the population
Majority disagreed with enlightenment ideas

Paid no taxes

Owned 20% of land


3rd Estate-Peasants
[split into 2 main groups]
 Makes up 97% of the
population!
 Pay taxes: 50% of income!
 Urban workers, middle
class,etc.
 3rd
estate peasants (2 groups)
Borgeoisie [Middle Class]
Often had Enlightenment ideas
Had more social power
Bankers, factory owners, merchants,
professionals, skilled workers
Lowest class
Workers of France: trades
people, apprentices, laborers,
domestic servants
Paid low wages
Peasants
Made little to no money
Made up 80% of the entire
3rd estate
The Revolution started! May 5, 1789 at Versailles
King Louis XVI
 was a weak leader
 Didn’t listen to advisors
 Called a meeting of the
Estates General
 Representatives from all
three estates came together
 To approve a new tax to
pay off the DEBT of France
 Fight over voting system

King Louis XVI
-Indebted from
war (French and
Indian) against
Britain for the
New World land
-Bankers
refused to give
him any more
$$$
The Queen Marie Antoinette
-Member of the
royal family of
Austria
-unpopular
-“Madame Deficit”
bc she spent lots
of $$$ on jewels,
clothes, etc.
How the Revolution started

Third Estate wanted change in the gov’t!
 has little power in the Estates General –
always outvoted
 Third Estates delegates are locked out of
the meeting of the ESTATES GENERAL
 Decide to meet across the street
 Discuss change/ uprising!




Tennis Court Oath
pledge signed by 576 of
the 577 members from
the Third Estate who
were locked out of the
meeting
They made a
“makeshift” conference
room at the tennis court
set up a constitution!!
 Members of the
Third Estate formed
the National
Assembly

Fall of the Bastille (July 14th, 1789)
 Freeing of political prisoners in Paris
 Jail seen by many as a symbol of
tyranny (of the royal’s control over
everyone)


The Great Fear
 Peasants begin to attack members of the 1st
and 2nd Estates
 Burned down houses of the tax enforcers!
October 1789 WOMEN revolt!
 over the rising cost of bread
 Broke into royal palace!
 Forced King Louis XVI to leave Versailles and
return to Paris
Course of the Revolution

National Assembly

Establishes the Declaration of
the Rights of Man and Citizen
[CONSTITUTION]

Liberty, equality, and
fraternity

All people born and treated
EQUALLY

Seize control of church lands

Sold church lands in order
to pay off national debt

Declared church officials
(priests) to be ELECTED as
STATE officials


King Louis XVI Tries to Escape!
 from France to Austrian Netherlands
Fearing for his life, the king tries to
escape
 Fails to leave France
 He and the royal family are jailed
(June 1791)



The Legislative Assembly (Sept.1791)
driven by two opposing groups
 first group: members of the bourgeoisie who felt
that the revolution had already achieved its goal
 second group: Jacobins! the king could no
longer be trusted and thought more revolutionary
measures were necessary
Legislative Assembly replaced the National
Assembly!!
 King had power
 Legislative Assembly came under the control of
the Jacobins!
 abolished the monarchy!! (king)
 Replaced the Legislative Assembly with
The National Convention

The National Convention (1792)
 Reign of Terror (July 17931794)
 Led by the Committee of
Public Safety
 JACOBIN DICTATOR:
Maximilien Robespierre




In charge of suppressing
ANY opposition
ANYONE that went against
him DIED brutally
Killing everywhere
Even killed people who were
supportive of revolution but
just weren't “radical
enough”
TRIED FOR TREASON
Found guilty.
The King, Queen, and other “enemies”
were executed
Over 40,000 people in total
July 1794
END OF THE REIGN OF TERROR
The Guillotine!
The Rise of Napoleon!





One of the world’s GREATEST military leaders
5 feet 3 inches tall
The Directory (1795-1799)
 Extremely weak government
1799-The “coup d'etat”
 A three-man Consulate replaced the Directory
 Napoleon was named first consul of the
Directory
 Napoleon takes power like a dictator!
 Still pretended to be a constitutionally
controlled gov’t
1802-Named consul for life!!
Napoleon

1804-Napoleon named emperor
 As Emperor –
 Centralized the government
 Created the Bank of France
 Reinstated of Roman
Catholicism as the state
religion
 Established the Napoleonic
Code
 Uniform set of laws
 Limited liberty
 ex: little to no freedom of
speech or religion
1804: Took crown from the pope!
Signifies: “More power than the church!”
Napoleon
The Reign of Napoleon Bonaparte

Emperor Napoleon’s Successes
 Defeated of Austrians at Marengo (1800)
 Established French power on the
continent
 Napoleon's defeat of various European
countries (1805-10)
 He installed his relatives and loyalists
as leaders in other
countries !
 He forced Austria,
Prussia, and Russia
to sign peace treaties

Emperor Napoleon’s Mistakes



The invasion of England
 Major defeat of Napoleon
 1806 Great Britain closes ports (no trade)
 Britain still an enemy!
The Peninsular War (1808)
 Fought against the Spain (for five years)
 British helped Spain
 Drained French military resources.
The invasion of Russia (1812)
 Russians used “scorched earth policy” (kill
food)
 Thousands of French troops died due to winter
conditions
 Russians burned Moscow (capital) rather than
give it to Napoleon

The End of Napoleon
 By 1813 – All of the major European powers
were allied against France
 1814 – In March Paris fell to Russia and
Prussia
 Napoleon went into exile into the
Mediterranean islands.
 1815 – He escaped and marched on the
French capital and took control of France for
100 days
 Last bid to power
 The Battle of Waterloo
 Ended his brief second reign
 The British imprisoned him
 Island of St Helena, where he died on
5/5/1821
The Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna 1814-1815

What was it?

International conference that was called to
remake Europe after the downfall of
Napoleon
Klemens von
Metternich of Austria
Duke Wellesley of
Great Britain
Emperor Alexander I of Russia
Karl August von Hardenberg
Of Prussia
The Congress of Vienna

Prince Klemens von Metternich of Austria developed
a plan:
 Containment of France
 France lost power
 Other nations (especially those around France)
gained tremendous power
 Balance of Power
 France still strong, but no country could easily
overpower another
 “No threat”
 Legitimacy
 Returning leaders who Napoleon ousted to
power
 Believed it would stabilize international relations

What was the goal of it?
Reestablish a balance of power in Europe
 Establish peace between nations
Was it successful?
 Highly successful - peace lasted almost 40
years
 Established a German Empire
 Victory for Conservatives
 “Europe's first experiment in democracy”


Formation of Alliances


Rulers were worried about other nations
Formed alliances
 The Holy Alliance
 Based on Christian principals to combat
the forces of the revolution
 Russia, Austria, and Prussia
 The Concert of Europe
 Russia, Austria, Prussia, and Great
Britain
 Set up to protect the status quo
 Agreed to help each other if revolutions
broke out
The Governments of France during
the Revolution SUMMARY








Old Regime (?-1789)
National Assembly (1789-1791)
Legislative Assembly (1791-1792)
Convention (1792-1795)
Directory (1795-1799)
Consulate (1799-1800)
Emperor Napoleon (1800-1815)
Monarchy (1815-)