CHAPTER 18: THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

Learning Objectives:• Name two French writers with

new ideas in 1700s• Explain how the Age of

Reason & the American Revolution led to French Revolution

• Know the Three Estates• Explain how storming of the

Bastille led to bloody rebellion

• List Napoleon’s accomplishments

Language Objectives:• Compose news broadcasts to retell story of French Revolution• Match vocab words with definitions by reading & listening• Form, state, & discuss opinion on Napoleon taking over Europe

THE AGE OF REASON IN FRANCE Early 1700s, France was still in the

Middle Ages Kings rule by Divine Right Often unfair & nothing people can do King Louis XIV (14th) said “I am the State”

meaning “I am France”

Nobles live in luxury Palaces paid by taxes from lower & middle

classes Peasants often starving

AGE OF REASON IN FRANCE By 1780s, new ideas

People listen to Rousseau & Voltaire “Look at England – free” “Look at America – successfully fought for

freedom” “We deserve rights too!!”

French helped America fight Lafayette had his own command in

American Revolution People think (reason, think logically) - “We

should be free from tyranny also”

THE ESTATES-GENERAL By 1788

French government out of money due to fancy living & wars

Peasants & middle class are very unhappy In 1789, King Louis XVI (16th) calls a

meeting with Estates-General (like Parliament) It hadn’t met for 175 years Met at King’s palace – Versailles King wants more money from new taxes

THE ESTATES-GENERAL

Wealthy ClergyNobles-some

wealthy, some broke

Middle Class merchants, city workers, peasants

• Each estate has only 1 vote• 1st & 2nd can outvote the 3rd

• It’s unfair – 3rd Estate asks King for more votes, but he says “No”

2% of people

98% of people

•1st Estate•Pay no taxes, collect tithes ($$)

•2nd Estate•Pay no taxes, collect dues

•3rd Estate•Pay taxes & dues

• They met at King’s palace – Versailles• 3rd Estate walked out in anger

TENNIS COURT MEETING 3rd estate met in indoor

tennis court Called themselves National

Assembly of France Took an oath to stay in

session until constitution could be written

Meanwhile, King was getting troops organized

People decided to strike first

The Tennis Court Oath

STORMING OF THE BASTILLE Bastille was a

prison King could throw

anyone in there, and did

It was a symbol of tyranny

People tortured many years before

Rumors continued People hated &

feared the Bastille

STORMING OF THE BASTILLE People in Paris

decided to attack the Bastille – a riot breaks out

They took guns & cannons from arsenal

July 14, 1789 – official start of French Revolution

Murdered governor of prison

Carried his head on a stick

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION After the storming of the Bastille, others began

protesting A group of Paris women wanting grain to feed

their families, marched to the King’s palace & forced him & his family to come back to Paris

Peasants began rebelling against nobles Many people didn’t feel safe; nobles fled France

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION National Assembly wrote new

constitution Made laws to end feudal system Nobles lost rights, privileges King lost most of his power Old tax system was ended In 1789, they wrote the

“Declaration of the Rights of Man” Based upon the English Bill of

Rights & US Declaration of Independence

“LIBERTY, EQUALITY, AND FRATERNITY”

Rulers of Austria & Prussia sent troops to crush the Revolution – feared it would spread to their lands

Revolution leaders thought King Louis XVI had called for the troops They felt he betrayed France Forced him off his throne Held elections for new group to make laws –

called National Convention France becomes a republic – 1792 Motto was “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”

THE REIGN OF TERROR Leaders of the Revolution

become afraid of enemies Start accusing people of

betraying the Revolution & begin executing them with the guillotine Behead King Louis XVI &

Marie Antoinette Behead hundreds of

suspected enemies People lived in terror Lot of bloodshed

King Louis XVI Marie Antoinette

THE REIGN OF TERROR Robespierre was one of

the most violent leaders People finally turned on

him & he was beheaded on guillotine

Country was in great turmoil & chaos

Lots of fighting & deaths No order or government France needed a leader Painting of the

guillotining of Robespierre

NAPOLEON BONAPARTE National Convention was getting weaker 30,000 national guardsmen attacked

Wanted to bring back monarchy National Assembly asked Napoleon to

fight the uprising; he ended it quickly Napoleon

Was an officer in the National Assembly’s army, which fought Austria & Prussia

A new organization called “The Directory” replaced the National Convention, became corrupt

NAPOLEON BONAPARTEWent from being a great military and political leader, to

emperor of France, to an exile on an island.

NAPOLEON BONAPARTE Napoleon became stronger by winning many

battles & did away with The Directory In 1799, he made himself dictator of France Created a new constitution called the

Napoleonic Code Single set of laws for all of France & territories Basis of French law still today

He was a good politician Stopped the fighting within France Invited nobles to return

NAPOLEONIC CODE

FRANCE UNDER NAPOLE0N In 1804, Napoleon had himself

crowned emperor His ambition & desire for more power

spread war across Europe Good things he did for France

Fair tax system Rich no longer treated special Reorganized schools, made them stronger Had loyalty of people Conquered most of Europe – except Great

Britain

NAPOLEON CROWNED EMPEROR OF FRANCE

NAPOLEON’S MISTAKE Declared war on Russia – 1812 After a major victory, Russians led his

troops deep into Russia They destroyed anything of value so Napoleon’s

troops couldn’t use anything When they got to Moscow, it was burned,

destroyed & most people had left They occupied a city of ruins – then winter hit &

they were starving

NAPOLEON’S MISTAKE – INVADING RUSSIA

Russians attacked them repeatedly as they retreated for FranceMore than 500,000 died from starvation, freezing or battle

THE END FOR NAPOLEON Other countries banded together to

beat Napoleon Prussia, Sweden, Austria, Great Britain,

Russia The French Senate turned against

Napoleon, & crowned Louis XVIII King of France

Napoleon was exiled to live in Elba, Italy He escaped & returned to rule for only

100 days

KING LOUIS XVIII

THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO The allied countries against Napoleon

raised troops to fight against him In 1815, Napoleon marched into Belgium

with about 75,000 troops Allied countries had 67,000 When Prussian troops arrived, they

outnumbered Napoleon’s - French had to retreat

British sent him to Saint Helena – a tiny island off the west coast of Africa. He died in 1821

BATTLE OF WATERLOO

250,000 Frenchmen face 850,000 forces on 4 fronts

FRANCE AFTER NAPOLEON Kings ruled again, but three

revolutions over 55 years Second Republic Second Empire Third Republic

France built a colonial empire around the world for trade

It lasted until World War II, when Germany took over France

After WWII, there was a Fourth, then Fifth Republic

People continued to seek “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”

Including women & minority groups