End of the French End of the French Revolution and Napoleon’s Revolution and Napoleon’s

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The chaos

• The French Revolution was tainted by a period known as the ‘Reign of Terror’, in which the French revolutionaries, under the command of Robespierre, engaged in a paranoid hunt for those who would attempt to dismantle the new nation .

• During this period, many died by the guillotine.

• Ironically, Robespierre himself would end up in the guillotine. In 1794, the National Convention (The new revolutionary government) arrested and executed Robespierre.

• In 1795, the National Convention drafted a new constitution, which removed ‘Universal Manhood Suffrage’ (the right for all males, rich or poor, to vote). Now only male landowners could vote.

• Effectively, the French revolution degenerated into the very thing the revolutionaries fought against.

• The New constitution created a new executive branch of government, called ‘The Directory’.

• This Directory was made of 5 directors, each of which ended being in a constant power struggle against the others.

• Under the directory, the economic situation of France became even worse.

Napoleon Bonaparte

• Born in 1769, in the island of Corsica.

• He attended military school.

• This 5’2 young soldier was full of ambition and skill, and would eventually dominate the European world.

• Napoleon is considered one of the greatest generals in history.

• One of his greatest skills was the ability to quickly move troops in the battlefield and to mass forces at critical points.

• Napoleon defeated the Austrians four times, forced them to sign away all of northern Italy in their surrender and forced the Sardinians into a peace treaty with France.

• He was insanely popular among the people. The Directory feared that he would try to take over, so they sent him to Egypt to fight.

• He failed in Egypt, but lied, and kept his popularity up.

• When the British, Austrians and Russians allied against France, the people felt that only Napoleon could save them.

• The people of France themselves organized a plot to remove the directory and give the power to Napoleon.

• When Napoleon put in effect his Coup d'état, there was no one to oppose him.

• Napoleon became dictator of France.• France kept the government,

supposedly free, but the government was his puppet.

• The people of France were, for the most part, happy to have someone bring order to France.

• Then… Napoleon played his master stroke. With a plebiscite, the people of France named him ‘Emperor Napoleon I of France’.

• All the French had fought for, gone.