The French Revolution

“War is when the government tells you who the bad guy is. Revolution is

when you decide that for yourself.”

The Three Estates

• The source of unhappiness in France lied with its class system of which all French people belonged.

• The estates determined a person’s legal rights and status.

• The clergy formed the First Estate, the nobility formed the Second Estate, and everyone else formed the Third Estate.

The Bourgeoisie

• The bourgeoisie were middle class, educated and well to do.

• They lived in cities and were well read on ideas of the Enlightenment and believed in social justice.

• Although they were prosperous they had no power or influence because they belonged to the Third Estate.

Financial Crisis

• The lavish spending of the Bourbons and France’s support of the American Revolution had driven the country to the edge of bankruptcy.

• The First and Second Estate did not pay taxes although they were the wealthiest members of society.

• Louis XVI called the Estates Generalto meet in May of 1789 to get additional taxes.

The National Assembly• At the meeting of the Estates

General each Estate had one vote.

• The Third Estate called for an individual vote knowing they could from a majority.

• The King refused this request and the Third Estate would meet at a nearby tennis court and take what is known as the Tennis Court Oathand pledged not to leave until they drew up a constitution.

• The Third Estate renamed their meeting The National Assembly.

A Revolutionary Call

• The King feared the Third Estate meeting on their own and ordered the First and Second Estate to join them.

• Louis also ordered troops to concentrate in Paris and aroundVersailles.

• Rumors spread that the King was going to disband the National Assembly.

• As a result of the rumors an angry mob surrounded the Bastille, a French prison in Paris.

Fall of The Bastille• On July 14th, 1789 a huge

mob surrounded the Bastille in an attempt to steal weapons to defend the National Assembly.

• The prison commander trying to calm the crowd lowered the drawbridge but to no avail as they stormed the Bastille.

• Soldiers opened fire killing 98 people.

• The outbreak led to the formation of a Revolutionary Government in Paris.

Questions1. __________ King of France in 1789.

2. __________ The main source of French unhappiness.

3. __________ Most of the country belonged to this social group.

4. __________ The French middle class.

5. __________ France supported this war against England.

6. __________ Meeting of the Three Estates.

7. __________ Members of the Third Estate took this.

8. __________ The Third Estate renamed their meeting.

9. __________ French prison in Paris.

10.__________ This was formed in Paris in 1789.

End of the Old Order

• The continuing violence of the “Great Fear” made the nobles give in to reform.

• Feudal dues, tithes, were abolished and nobles agreed to pay taxes.

• All male citizens could now hold government, army, or church office.

• In August of 1789 “The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen” decreed that all were equal under the law and guaranteed freedom of speech, press, religion and protected against arbitrary punishment.

March on Versailles

• The King refused the new reforms by the National Assembly in August 1789.

• The people became worried he would take action against the Assembly and wanted him to move to Paris.

• In October 1789 thousands of women demanding bread marched to Versailles.

• The King gave into the crowds demands and moved to Paris with his family.

A New France• The Assembly to pay off debt

decided to confiscate church lands and sell them in return the government would pay for supporting the clergy and aiding the poor.

• In 1790 the Civil Constitution of the Clergy stating that each parish could elect its own priest.

• Pope Pius VI condemned the Revolution at this point and the government had the clergy swear an oath of allegiance. This created two Catholic Church’s in France.

A New France:The Constitution of 1791

• In 1791 the National Assembly passed a new Constitution keeping the monarchy but with limited power.

• A unicameral legislature was put in place with members chosen by voters.

• This Constitution was not accepted by the French people as some thought it went too far and others thought it did not go far enough.

A New France:Defending the Revolution

• Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette would decide to flee France disguised as commoners only to be caught.

• French emigres, nobles who fled France tried to convince foreign monarchs of the dangers of the Revolution.

• In 1792 French Revolutionary leaders declared war on Austriafearing it would try and reinstate Louis as King.

Questions1. __________ Name given to unsettling time

when the National Assembly was meeting. 2. ___________ This was declared in August of

1789.3. ___________ In October of 1789 French

women marched here demanding bread.4. ___________ The King moved to this city

with his family.5. ____________ This document in 1790

would split the church in France.6. ____________ This Pope would condemn

the Revolution.7. ____________ A one house legislature.8. ____________ The French Queen9. ____________ Nobles that left France to

convince others of the dangers of the Revolution.

Saving France

• In September of 1792 Prussiantroops were on the doorstep of Paris.

• Georges-Jacques Danton, a revolutionary leader proclaimed, “All are burning with a desire to fight! We need boldness…and France will be saved.”

• Thousands of volunteers came forward to defend the Revolution and the French army won an astonishing victory at Valmy.

Birth of a Republic

• The National Conventionmet in 1792 as the Revolution was being defended at Valmy.

• The Convention which met from 1792-1795 wrote the country’s first democratic constitution.

• The constitution placed the power in a single national legislature with universal manhood suffrage.

Death of a King

• In November of 1792 a large iron box containing correspondence between Louis XVI and foreign monarchs.

• In December Louis XVI was sentenced to die as an enemy of the people.

• He was beheaded on theguillotine in front of a joyous crowd.

The Guillotine• The basis for the machine's success

was the belief that it was a humane form of execution

• In France, before the guillotine, members of the nobility were beheaded with a sword or axe, while commoners were usually hanged.

• In the case of decapitation, it also sometimes took repeated blows to sever the head completely.

• The condemned or the family of the condemned would sometimes pay the executioner to ensure that the blade was sharp in order to provide for a quick and relatively painless death.

The Future of the Revolution

• As the nation celebrated the birth of their new Republic a new debate erupted in the National Convention over the future of the Revolution.

• Two sides emerged in the Convention, Jacobins and

• Girondists

The Jacobins

• The Jacobins were extreme radicals and considered themselves as the defenders of the people’s will.

• The Jacobins were led by Maximillien Robespierre, Georges-Jacques Danton, and Jean-Paul Marat.

• The Jacobins would make the revolution more radical and open to extreme and violent change.

Spreading the Revolution

• In 1793 the monarchs of Great Britain, the Netherlands, Spain and Sardinia joined Austria and Prussia against France.

• The leaders of France decided to expand France’s borders to its “Natural Frontiers”.

• The people of France were ready to bring liberty, equality, and fraternity to the rest of Europe.

Spreading the Revolution

• After a few early victories French forces suffered several defeats at the hands of the enemies professional soldiers.

• The Committee of Public Safetywas established in 1793 to direct the war effort.

• It adopted conscription and called all men between the ages of 18 and 45 to fight.

Reign of Terror• The Reign of Terror was

an effort by the Jacobins to crush all opposition within France.

• It would last from July 1793 to July 1794.

• 17,000 people were executed including Marie Antoinette.

• Danton tried to end the killings in 1794 only to be death by Robespierre.

• Robespierre would eventually be arrested by his own followers and executed.

The Directory

• The National Convention wrote yet another new Constitution in 1795 ending Universal Manhood Suffrage.

• An executive council of five men called Directors was established to rule with a two house legislature.

• The Directory could do little to resolve the growing discontent caused by rising prices and the increasing gap between rich and poor.

Questions

1. ___________ France declared war on this country in 1792.

2. ___________ France would suffer a major defeat at the hands of the Prussians outside of Paris.

3. ___________ He would rally France to fight.4. ___________ Major victory for France just

kilometers outside of France.5. ___________ Giving the vote to every male

regardless of rank or possession of property.6. ___________ Considered to be a humane

form of execution.7. ___________ Two sides in the National

Convention.8. ___________ The three ideals of the

Revolution.

Questions

9. ___________ This was established to direct the war effort.

10. ___________ Forced military service.

11. ___________ Period during the Revolution where 17,000 people were executed.

12. ___________ Executive of five men to oversee government.

Napoleon Bonaparte

• Napoleon Bonapartewas a young French officer of Corsicanbirth who gained a quick promotion during the Revolution.

• He would marry Josephine de Beauharnais, a leader of Paris society.

Napoleon Bonaparte

• Napoleon was given control of the French forces fighting the Austrians in Italy.

• Napoleon would force the Austrians to sign the treaty of Campo Formio giving France control of northern Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the Rhineland.

• In this campaign, often considered his greatest, Napoleon's army captured 160,000 prisoners, 2,000 cannons, and 170 standards.

• He would reorganize the Italian lands into the Cisalpine Republic.

Napoleon Bonaparte

• In March 1798, Bonaparte proposed a military expedition to seize Egypt, then a province of the Ottoman Empire, seeking to protect French trade interests and undermine Britain's access to India.

Battle of the Pyramids where Napoleon’s force of 25,000Defeated a force of 100,000

Napoleon Bonaparte

• The French Navy suffered a major defeat during the Egyptian campaign.

• The English Navy, under the command of Horatio Nelson soundly defeated the French fleet at Aboukir Bay.

• The French lost 1,700 men, 600 wounded and 3,000 prisoners. While the English had only 218 dead.

Napoleon Bonaparte

• Napoleon would return to France in 1799 and take part in a coup d’ etat.

• He would write a new constitution naming himself First Consul of France and then later First Consul for Life.

Questions

1. __________ Napoleon was born here.

2. __________ Napoleon’s first wife.

3. __________ Treaty giving France control of northern Italy and other territory.

4. __________ French controlled Italy would be organized into this.

5. __________ Campaign undertaken by Napoleon in 1798.

6. __________ Naval battle where the French were soundly defeated in Egypt.

7. __________ A quick seizure of power.

8. __________ Napoleon named himself this in 1802.

Restoring Order to Chaos• Napoleon restructured

government by:– Replacing elected local officials with

men he appointed himself.– Education was brought under control

of the national government which created lycees or secondary schools.

– Created the Bank of France and all citizens paid taxes.

– Created the Napoleonic Code which consolidated the French legal system. This new code did hinder some freedoms gained in the Revolution.

– Napoleon signed the Concordat of 1801 with the Catholic Church.

The French Empire

• In 1804 Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the Frenchand his wife Josephine Empress.

• Despite being at peace with England since the Treaty of Amiens in 1802, Napoleon set out to invade the tiny Island.

The French Empire

• The invasion of England was cancelled due to Russia and Austria once again declaring war on France.

• Napoleon defeated the Austrians and Russians at Ulm, with his newly formed Grand Armee

Austrians surrender 30,000 men at Ulm.

Trafalgar

• The day after his victory at Ulm, Napoleon suffered a major defeat at sea.

• The British Admiral Horatio Nelsondefeated the French Navy at Trafalgar.

• This officially ended Napoleon’s hopes of invading England.

Austerlitz

• Napoleon would defeat Austria and Russia at Austerlitz or the battle of Three Emperors.

• The loss of this battle forced Austria to sue for Peace and reinstate the conditions of Campo Formio, and the Russians retreated to home soil.

The Continental System• Napoleon tried to blockade British

goods from the continent of Europe.

• He forbade the import of British goods into France and all ports under French control.

• Russia and Prussia were also forced into boycotting British goods.

• The British responded by forcing any ship on its way to the continent to stop in England and any ship that refused was seized.

• France then stated it would seize any ship that stopped at a British port.

• This was troublesome for neutral countries such as the American States.

Questions1. __________ New secondary schools created by Napoleon.2. __________ Treaty signed with the Catholic Church and

Napoleon.3. __________ Law code created by Napoleon.4. __________ Napoleon created this financial institution to

lower inflation.5. __________ Treaty signed between England and France

in 1802.6. __________ Napoleon was crowned this in 1804.7. __________ Battle in which Napoleon forced the

surrender of 30,000 Austrians.8. __________ Naval battle in which the French were

defeated off the coast of Spain.9. __________ Commander of the British fleet.

Questions

10. __________ Battle where Napoleon defeated the powers of Austria and Russia.

11. __________ A blockade of British goods from the European continent.

12. __________ Name given to Napoleon’s large army that was assembled to invade England.

Napoleon’s Empire• By 1812 Napoleon controlled

most of Europe.

• However feelings of strong national pride, or nationalism, rose in areas of Europe.

• The first area to overthrow Napoleon was Spain with the help of the British General, Arthur Wellesley.

• The Spanish people would undertake a policy of guerilla warfare against the French.

• Napoleon would call Spain his “Spanish Ulcer” because of the problems there.

Arthur Wellesley, The Duke of Wellington

Napoleon’s Empire

• In 1811 Alexander, Czar or Russia withdrew from the Continental System.

• An outraged Napoleon turned his Grand Armee of 600,000 men towards Russia.

• The Russians adopted a scorched earth policy in where they retreated and burned everything as they withdrew.

Napoleon’s Empire

• Napoleon reached Moscow only to find it in flames.

• He would be forced to retreat as the French had no shelter and the Russian winter was upon them.

• As the French Army retreated their numbers fell drastically due to the weather and limited engagements by the enemy.

The Battle of Nations

• Napoleon’s enemies would once again join against him at Leipzig in what became known as the Battle of Nations.

• It is considered the largest battle in Europe before World War I, with over 500,000 troops involved.

• Napoleon would be defeated with 38,000 dead or wounded and 30,00 men captured.

Exile

• Napoleon was forced to abdicate in March of 1814 as the allies entered Paris.

• Napoleon was exiled to Elba, off the coast of Italy and Louis XVIII, was placed on the throne of France.

• The borders of France were restored to those of 1792.

The 100 Days

• Napoleon spent nine months and 21 days on Elbabefore he escaped back to France.

• Napoleon would land in France with 600 men and would soon swell his ranks as more French troops would join him.

• Napoleon would plead for Peace but be denied by the European powers who were meeting at the Congress of Vienna.

Battle of Waterloo

• The Battle of Waterloo, fought near the town of Waterloo in Belgium on Sunday 18 June 1815.

• The battle was fought between the Anglo-Prussian armies of Arthur Wellesley and Gerhard von Blucher and the armies of Napoleon Bonaparte.

• This would be Napoleon’s final battle.

• The loss of this battle would force Napoleon to abdicate the throne of France once again.

Second Exile

• In 1815 the British government selected Saint Helena as the place of detention of Napoleon I of France. He was brought to the island in October 1815 died in May 1821.