The French Revolution and
Napoleon (1789-1815)
Section One - On the Eve of Revolution
Setting the Scene

Civic Unrest

Factory owner cutting wages, although
bread prices are increasing

Enraged workers rioted and vandalized
the owners house

“LONG LIVE THE THIRD ESTATE”
The Old Regime

Ancien regime – old order, carried over
from the Middle Ages

First Estate = clergy,

Second Estate = nobility

Third Estate = the vast majority of the
population
The Clergy

1789 the French clergy still held a enormous
wealth and privilege

Church owned 10% of the land, collected
tithes, and paid no direct taxes to the state

Attacked by Enlightenment thinkers

Provided some social services (schools,
hospitals and orphanages)
The Nobles

In the Middle Ages, noble knights
defended the lands

No longer defenders, nobles have top
jobs in government, the army, the courts
and the Church.

Paid no taxes, though they owned large
plots of land
The Third Estate

1789 the Third Estate totaled about 27
million people (98% of the total pop)

Bourgeoisie = the middle class, in sighted
fear into the nobles / hired by the royal
bureaucracy to perform jobs nobles
previously did
Bourgeoisie
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Bankers
Merchants
Manufacturers
Lawyers
Doctors
Journalists
Professors
Skilled artisians
The Third Estate

9 out of 10 members are rural peasant
farmers
Poorest members are urban factory
workers
1. Apprentices
2. Journeymen
3. Printing workers
4. clothmakers

The Third Estate

A large number of urban poor were
unemployed

Turned to begging or crime

DISCONTENT!!! Cause by resentment
Discontent

Wealthy bourgeois families had good jobs,
but the best jobs were reserved for
nobles

Urban workers had miserable wages

Smallest increase in bread threatened
starvation
Discontent

Peasants pad taxes on EVERYTHING

Not allowed to hunt, only nobles were

Enlightenment ideas spread to city
centers and people began to question this
old order
Economic Troubles

Deficit spending – government’s spending
more money than it takes in
The Burden of Debt
Louis XIV left France deeply in debt
1. Seven Years’ War
2. American Revolution


To solve financial problems government
raised taxes, but nobles and clergy
refused to pay.
Poor Harvest

Sent food prices soaring

Intense hunger to peasants and urban
dwellers

People rioted and in the country people
attacked the homes of nobles
Failure to Reform

Louis XV was more interested in pleasure
seeking than fixing issues, debt increases

Louis XVI chose Jacques Necker as
financial adviser. Nobles and Clergy forced
him out when he advised the King to tax
them
Louis XVI Calls the Estates General

1788 France on the verge of bankruptcy

Louis XVI calls for the Estates General, a
move that had not been made in 175
years
The Cahiers = notebooks

Notebooks that listed grievances of each
of the estates

Cahiers showed the resentment between
classes using terms like “blood suckers”
to describe tax collectors
Tennis Court Oath

Each estate had a single vote within the
government

Third estate always outnumber 2 to 1,
they wanted a head count, to represent
voting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muezt
N2MoGM
Storming the Bastille

July 14 1789, Spotlight belongs to Paris

Royal troops rumored to occupy Paris

Crowd of over 800 citizens stormed the
Bastille demanding gun powder and
weapons.
Storming the Bastille

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uI6JFl
_sq4
The French Revolution and
Napoleon (1789-1815)
Section Two – Creating a New France
Bell Work
Turn your book to page 171
 Preview this section
1. Analyze all pictures (read in captions
that go along with the picture; i.e. Paris
in Arms, and Women March on
Versailles)
2. Analyze all red or green headings (don’t
read the sections just the headings)
3. Write down four changes that took
place in France between 1789 and 1791

FOCUS

Popular uprisings encouraged the
National Assembly to take swift action.
N.A. Swift Actions
1.
2.
3.
4.
Ended feudal privileges
Issued a declaration of rights of man and
citizen
Reorganized the Church
Established a limited monarchy
Supporters of the Enlightenment
Supporters of Feudalism
Applauded the reforms
 Supported the revolution


Denounced the reforms
 Wanted to suppress any
revolution that might
impact their territory
By 1792 revolutionary France was at war with much of Europe.
Reaction throughout Europe
Activity

1.
Write an eyewitness account f one of the following events
Peasants attacking the home of a nobleman
2.
The August 4th meeting of the National Assembly
3.
The women of Paris marching on Versailles
4.
The procession of the royal family from Versailles to Pairs
5.
The writing of the Constitution of 1791
6.
The unsuccessful flight of the royal family
7.
An émigré describing the events in France to the Austrian
emperor
Activity
Your accounts should include a vivid
description of the event and the emotions
of the people involved
 Do additional research to make your
account more authentic

Activity

1.
Write an eyewitness account f one of the following events
Peasants attacking the home of a nobleman
2.
The August 4th meeting of the National Assembly
3.
The women of Paris marching on Versailles
4.
The procession of the royal family from Versailles to Pairs
5.
The writing of the Constitution of 1791
6.
The unsuccessful flight of the royal family
7.
An émigré describing the events in France to the Austrian
emperor
Bell Work

Open your book to page 172 and read
the Global Connections section
Be ready to answer this question
How did the American Revolution influence
the French Revolution?

Revolts in Paris and the Provinces
The Great Fear
 Paris in Arms


France is in political, economic and
agricultural calamity simultaneously

Bread prices soar, those who could afford
it paid 80% of their income on bread
The Great Fear

Rumors

Tales of attacks on villages and towns

Government troops were seizing peasant
crops
In reaction to the rumors; defiant peasants
attacked the homes of nobles, set fire to old
manor records, and stole grain from
storehouses.

Paris in Arms

The Revolutionary center

Factions compete to gain power
National Guard
The Paris Commune
Moderate
 Middle Class
 Marquis de Lafayette
 “hero of two worlds”
 Headed the National Guard


Radical
 Working Class
 Could mobilize the masses
quickly for protests or
violent actions
 Looked to further the
revolution
Paris in Arms
Moderate Reforms
An End to Special Privilege
 Declaration of the Rights of Man
 Women March on Versailles


National Assembly votes to end all
privileges to the nobility
An End to Special Privilege

Feudalism is abolished

Did nobles give up anything that they had
not lost already?

Key enlightenment goal / the equality of
all citizens before the law is achieved.
The Big Picture

The National Assembly instituted
political and social reforms in the
early stages of the revolution.
Declaration of the Rights of Man
and Citizen
With a partner turn your books to page
703.
 With the help of your mobile device define
these three terms
1. Auspices
2. Imprescriptible
3. Indispensable
 Read the DOROMAC and answer questions
1,2 and 3 at the bottom of the page

Women March on Versailles
Based on this painting, in what ways do you think
the march challenged traditional roles of women?
Women March on Versailles

Famine grips France

October 5, 1789, thousands of women marched
to King Louis the XVI’s palace in Versailles

Anger directed at the Queen Marie Antoinette

Mob took the King and Queen to Paris where he
could no longer ignore their suffering
The National Assembly Presses Onward

National Assembly followed the King to
Paris

Worked aggressively to create a
constitution, as well as solve the financial
crisis
Reorganizing the Church

The National Assembly puts the French Catholic
Church under state control

Civil Constitution of the clergy – placed bishops
and priests became elected, salaried officials

Ended Papal authority

Dissolved convents and monasteries

Not accepted by the church or peasants
Constitution of 1791

Established a limited monarchy in place of
the absolute monarchy

New Legislative Assembly had the power
to make laws, collect taxes, and decide on
issues of war, and peace

Lawmakers would be elected by tax
paying male citizens
Internal Divisions

Sans-culottes, working-class men and
women who pushed the revolution into
more radical action

Wanted a republic

Were supported by the radicals in the
Legislative Assembly
The French Revolution and
Napoleon (1789-1815)
Section Three – Radical Days
Setting the Scene

Read the Setting the Scene section on
page176
Monarchy Abolished

War was happening home and abroad

Prussian forces were cutting down raw
French recruits
Outbreaks of Violence

Battle Disasters lead revolutionaries to
believe that the King is on the side of the
invaders

August 10, 1792 crowd of angry Parisians
stormed the Tuileries and slaughtered the
kings’ guards
Outbreaks of Violence

September Massacres – citizens attacked
prisons that held nobles and priests

Blood Thirsty Mobs, or Patriots or
defenders of France

Ordinary citizens upset because of real or
imagined grievances
The French Republic

Radicals take control of the National
Assembly

Create a new legislative body called the
National Convention, controlled by the
Jacobins

Convention extends suffrage to all male
citizens not just property owners
The French Republic

Voted to abolish the monarchy and
creates the French Republic

Create a new legislative body called the
National Convention, deputies drew up a
new constitution for France

Convention extends suffrage to all male
citizens not just property owners
Bell Work
Robespierre stated “Louis must die, that
the country can live.”
 What do you think this means?
 Be prepared to answer this questions
aloud after heavily considering it

Death of the King and Queen

Louis XVI put on trial as a traitor to France

Convicted guilty and sentenced to death

January 1793, Louis was sent to the
guillotine and beheaded in Paris

Marie Antoinette was executed in October
Death of the King and Queen
ASSIGNMENT 10 mins
 Read on page 177, Execution of a King


Answer Questions 1 through 3 on a
separate sheet of paper

We will talk about this as a class
Convention Defends the Republic
France is at war with much of Europe
1. Britain
2. The Netherlands
3. Spain
4. Prussia



Royalists and priests led rebellion against
the government in the Vendee
Convention is dividing – Jacobins vs
Girondins
Committee of Public Safety

Created in order to deal with the threats
to France abroad and within its boarders

12 member committee with ultimate
power

Required every person in French society
to aid in war efforts (page 178)
Robespierre

Leader of the Committee of Public Safety

Friends called him “The Incorruptible”
Enemies called him “a Tyrant”


Believed in Rousseau’s idea of general will as
the source of all legitimate law

Promoted religious toleration and wanted to
abolish slavery
Robespierre

Leader of the Committee of Public Safety

Advocate of execution of those against
the revolution
Hated the Old Regime
 http://www.history.com/shows/modernmarvels/videos/guillotine

The Reign of Terror

Robespierre was the main architect

Lasted a year long (July 1793 – July 1794)

Hasty trials convicting those perceived to
be against the revolution to death

40,000 people were killed
Reaction and the Directory

Third Stage of the Revolution

Third Constitution created since 1789

The Directory is created, five man
directory, with a two house legislature
elected by male citizens of property

Lasted from 1795-1799 and was a failure
Women in the Revolution

Though women gained some right during
the revolution, they also lost others

Figures like Olympe de Gouges were sent
to the guillotine for supporting the
revolution on the behalf of women
Bell Work
“It is better to eat than be eaten.”
 Look for evidence of this philosophy
while pre-viewing the section
 Pages 182-185

Building Review Guide
11. Why was there discontent with the old regime
in France?
Answer
There was discontent with the old regime in France
because, nobles got the best government jobs;
urban workers earned poor wages; peasants’ taxes
were high; nobles did not pay their fair share.
The Third Estate became unaccepting of their role
in society
Building Review Guide
12. Why did a crowd storm the Bastille?
Answer
A crowd stormed the Bastille because
rumors that royal troops were going to
occupy Paris sent a crowd to the Bastille
for weaponry. The commander denied
access and fired upon the crowd, which
started a battle in which the peasants broke
into the prison
Building Review Guide
13. What was the slogan of the French
Revolution?
Answer
“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”
Building Review Guide
14. What was the Reign of Terror?
Answer
A ruthless campaign against people
suspected of being enemies of the
revolution
Building Review Guide
15. List the reforms that Napoleon made as
leader of France
Answer
 Modernized finance
 Controlled prices
 Promoted public schools and public
works
 Instituted new law code
Building Review Guide
16. How did Napoleon build an empire in
Europe? What were two reasons for his
downfall?
Answer
The way Napoleon built an empire in Europe
was he annexed areas to France, made
alliances with nations, put family members on
the thrones of nations, and used forceful
diplomacy. Two reasons for his downfall were
his defeat in Russia, and a unified Europe
opposed him.
The French Revolution and
Napoleon (1789-1815)
Section Four – The Age of Napoleon Begins
The Age of Napoleon Begins

After the execution of King Louis XVI,
France entered a state of confusion and
chaos without a single leader. Meanwhile,
Napoleon Bonaparte, a brilliant and
ambitious captain in the French army, was
rapidly rising in the military ranks. Soon
enough, Napoleon would come to rule
almost all of Europe. One of his earliest
victories in Lodi, Italy, convinced him that he
was only just beginning his successful rise to
power
WORDS OF NAPOLEON
“From that moment, I foresaw what I might
be. Already I felt the earth flee from
beneath me, as if I were being carried into
the sky.”
—Napoleon Bonaparte
Class Work
Work together in pairs to construct an
outline of this section.
 Base your outline on the on the Reading
Focus questions on page 182
 Pay attention to the bold face headings
throughout the section

The Age of Napoleon Begins
The Age of Napoleon lasts from 17991815
 The final stage of the French Revolution


His assent to power over Europe was
caused by military domination
Napoleon’s Rise to Power

Born on the island of Corsica in 1769

Family’s status was of minor nobles with
little wealth

Was confused by the conflicting ideas of the
French Revolution

Waited to choose a side till one proved to
be victorious
Early Successes

December 1793, drove British forces out
of France

Won victories vs the Austrians and
captured most of northern Italy

1798 lost to British Forces in Egypt, but
hid those stories from the French people
Early Successes

1799 went from victorious general, to a
political leader and then overthrew the
Directory

Created a 3 man governing board known
as the Consulate

Named himself 1st Consul, and as Consul
for life in 1802
Self-Made Emperor

Self proclaimed Emperor of France

Invited the Pope to his coronation

Ripped the crown from the Pope’s hands,
and placed the crown on his own head

Wanted to prove he owned his throne,
not given to him by the Pope
Self-Made Emperor

Plebiscite = a ballot box that takes a
yes/no vote of the French People

The people ALWAYS supported him
France Under Napoleon

Created a strong central government

New motto = order, security and
efficiency

Old new motto = liberty, equality and
fraternity
Reforms

Controlled prices, encouraged new industry
and built roads and canals

Created a system of public schools

Improved relations with Catholics, but kept
the Church under state control

Made people from every group happy, gave
everyone a place to fit in w/in the new
regime
Napoleonic Code

Embodied Enlightenment principles –
equality of all citizens by law; religious
toleration; advancement based on merit

Women lost some of what they gained
during the revolution; men were in
complete control of their wives and
children
Building an Empire

1804-1814 furthered his reputation on
the battlefield

Did not care if he suffered major
casualties as long as he won the battle

1810 his Grand Empire was at its largest
The Grand Empire
Redrew the map of Europe in his own
image
 Annexed the following areas
1. Netherlands
2. Belgium
3. Parts of Italy
4. Parts of Germany
 Place friends and family on thrones
throughout Europe

France versus Britain

Napoleon could not beat Britain

Britain relied on their naval strength to
hold off the French and Napoleon

Instituted the Continental System, closing
European ports Britain, in an attempt to
destroy them economically
France versus Britain

Continental System ultimately failed to
destroy Britain

Lead to increased hatred toward France
by the rest of Europe
Class Work

After constructing your outline answer
questions 1-5 in the Section Assessment
on page 185
The French Revolution and
Napoleon (1789-1815)
Section Five – The End of an Era
Bell Work
Compare the map of France on page 184
to the map of France on page 190
 List five changes that resulted from
Napoleon’s fall from power

The End of an Era

Other nations in Europe benefited from the
reforms of the French Revolution

Nationalism was a major reason for Napoleon’s
downfall

Geography played an important role in napoleon’s
defeat in Russia

The French people supported Napoleon

The Congress of Vienna achieved its goals.
The End of an Era
Read through this section
 Find evidence that supports or disputes
each of the generalizations posted

The End of an Era

Other nations in Europe benefited from the
reforms of the French Revolution

Nationalism was a major reason for Napoleon’s
downfall

Geography played an important role in
Napoleon’s defeat in Russia

The French people supported Napoleon

The Congress of Vienna achieved its goals.
Challenges to Napoleon's Empire
French armies spread the ideas of the
French Revolution
 backed liberal reforms in the lands they
conquered
1. abolished titles of nobility
2. ended church privileges
3. opened careers to men of talent
4. ended serfdom

Impact of Nationalism
Nationalism spurred French armies to
successes versus opponents
 From Madrid to the Netherlands,
nationalism unleashed revolts against
France

Resistance in Spain
French were seen as foreign invaders
Overthrew the King of Spain, and replaced
by Napoleon's brother Joseph
 Joseph attempted to put an end to the
Spanish Catholic Church
 Spaniards remained loyal to the King and
Church.
 French armies responded to resistance
violently and Spaniards responded with
guerrilla warfare tactics and support from
Britain


War with Austria
Napoleon won multiple victories in
Austria that entitled him to large land
grants with many subjects
 Napoleon divorces his wife Josephine and
married the Austrian princess Marie
Louise, giving him ties to the Austrian
blood line
 Now there is an Imperial alliance between
France and Austria

Defeat in Moscow






Russians upset with the Continental System
and break away from it
Napoleon responds by sending his Grand
Army of 400,000 troops
Russians apply scorched Earth policy and
avoid conflict
Winter comes and Napoleon wants to
retreat - 1000 mile walk back home
harsh winter turns hellish, only 10,000
soldiers survive
Napoleons reputation is destroyed
Downfall of Napoleon
New alliance forms against France
 Russia + Britain + Austria + Prussia = the
Quadruple Alliance - defeat of Napoleon
in the Battle of Nations at Leipzig

Exile and Return
Napoleon banished to the island of Elba
never to return
 King Louis XVIII recognized as the new
King of France
 French people want Napoleon back, afraid
things will go back to the "old ways"
 Napoleon escapes Elba, and returns, the
people are happy, Louis XVIII flees,
Napoleon reasserts himself as emperor

Battle of Waterloo, Belgium
French army versus Allied army round
two... FIGHT!!!!
 June 18, 1815- Another allied victory
 Napoleon forced to abdicate his throne
again, and exiled to the island of St.
Helena never to return

Congress of Vienna
Chief goal was to create a lasting peace
by establishing a balance of power and
protecting the system of monarchy
 Redrew the map of Europe so that France
was land locked by strong countries
 restored the King Louis the XVIII to King
of France
