Download MODERN WORLD HISTORY: The French Revolution and Napoleon

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MODERN WORLD HISTORY: The French Revolution and the Napoleonic Era (Unit 2b) – Notes
I. Background
A. French Revolution divided into four stages:
1.) Moderate stage (1789-1792) – constitution and bill of rights
2.) Radical stage (1793-1794) – Reign of Terror
3.) Reactionary stage (1794-1799) – reaction against violence of radical stage
4.) Napoleonic Era (1799-1815) – Napoleon became dictator, then emperor
II. Old Regime – existed since the Middle Ages
A. Monarchy – France ruled by absolute king
B. Feudalism – system of lords and vassals  serfdom
C. French society split into three estates (social classes)
1.) First Estate – Roman Catholic Church clergy
a. made up < 1% of population, yet controlled 10% of the land
b. enormously wealthy
c. paid no taxes, just donations to government (around 2% of income)
2.) Second Estate – Nobles (born into it)
a. made up < 2% of population, yet owned 20% of the land
b. held all the important offices
c. paid no taxes
3.) Third Estate – Commoners
a. made up ~98% of population
b. split into three groups:
i. Bourgeoisie – city-dwelling middle class (doctors, lawyers, etc.)
 well-educated, studied Enlightenment ideals of equality
 some as rich as nobles, but not equal in social class
 yearned for social status and more political power
ii. Urban lower class (butchers, cooks, servants, etc.)
 poorer than bourgeoisie, could afford little food
 also known as sans-culottes (those w/o knee breeches)
iii. Peasants (largest group in Third Estate)
 4/5 of France’s 26 million people
 ~50% of income went to taxes
 also owed the corvee (tax paid through labor)
4.) All three estates met together as the Estates General, much like Parliament
a. each estate had one vote, so 1st and 2nd estate could always outvote 3rd
b. Estates General had not met since 1614
III. King Louis XVI
A. Weak ruler, very indecisive, unpopular
B. Married Marie Antoinette – from Austria (France’s longtime enemy)
1.) Habit of spending a lot of money on clothing and jewelry
a. meanwhile, people of France are starving
C. France plunged into war debt
1.) Fought the French & Indian War (1754-1763)
2.) Helped the United States in the American Revolution (1778-1783)
3.) Needed to raise more taxes, nobles demanded that Estates General be called
D. Estates General was called in 1789
1.) Third Estate determined to wield more power, becomes the National Assembly
a. voted to end monarchy & begin representative government (REVOLUTION!)
2.) Abbe Sieyes: “What is the Third Estate? Everything. What has it been up to now?
Nothing. What does it demand? To become something herein”
E. Louis XVI panics
1.) Yields to National Assembly’s demands
2.) Sends mercenary Swiss guards to Paris bread riots (couldn’t trust own soldiers)
IV. July 14, 1789 – Fall of the Bastille (symbol of the revolution)
A. Riots spread to countryside as Great Fear swept France
B. October 1789 – Parisian women riot over bread prices, marched to Versailles (king’s palace)
1.) Royal family seized, would never see Versailles again
V. The National Assembly adopted many reforms
A. “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” – slogan of the revolution
B. A Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
1.) “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights”
2.) Natural rights – liberty, property, security, resistance to oppression
3.) Equal justice, freedom of speech, freedom of religion
C. Limited monarchy – National Assembly created a constitutional monarchy by 1791
1.) An elected assembly held legislative power
2.) King no longer absolute, but still had executive power to enforce laws
D. Departments
1.) Abolished France’s traditional provinces
2.) France divided into 83 districts called departments
a. an elected council of officials administered each department
E. A state-controlled church
1.) Government took over church lands
2.) Church officials and priests had to be elected and paid as state officials
a. alarmed devout French peasants
3.) Changes in Catholic Church drove a wedge between peasants and bourgeoisie
a. after this, peasants often opposed further revolutionary changes
F. Louis XVI reluctant approved constitution and Declaration of the Rights of Man
1.) Made the mistake of trying to escape, now a traitor to his people
VI. September 1791 – National Assembly stepped down, replaced by Legislative Assembly
A. Legislative Assembly was split into three factions, as was the rest of France
1.) Radicals – sat on the left side
a. wanted more changes, hated the king, wanted a people’s republic
b. the sans-culottes were extreme radicals – made Paris Commune
2.) Moderates – sat in the middle, also known as “centrists”
a. wanted further reforms, but not as much as radicals
3.) Conservatives – sat on the right side
a. opposed more changes, trusted the king, believed in limited monarchy
b. émigrés – nobles that were extreme conservatives, wanted Old Regime back
VII. France went to war with Austria
A. Austria threatened to attack, French radicals delighted – can spread ideas to Europe
B. April 20, 1792 – Legislative Assembly declares war on Austria first, Prussia joins Austria
1.) War starts off badly – Prussians advance towards Paris by summer of 1792
2.) Legislative Assembly pressured by Paris’ radicals, gave up on limited monarchy
a. declared king deposed
b. ends its existence, newly elected legislature called National Convention
C. France manages to hold off Austrians and Prussians
VIII. Radicals executed Louis XVI
A. Georges Danton – leader of the radical Jacobin Club & Paris Commune, violent speechmaker
B. Jean Paul Marat – published radical newspaper (The Friend of the People)
C. National Convention abolished monarchy, established republic (only adult male citizens vote)
1.) Tries Louis XVI for treason, found him guilty – beheaded by guillotine on Jan. 21, 1793
IX. New Republic of France created a citizen-army to face foreign threats
A. Britain, Spain, Portugal join Prussia, Austria  First Coalition
B. National Convention drafts 800,000 young men into army by 1794
1.) Achieved victory after victory – had loyal patriots w/ everything to lose
X. The Reign of Terror
A. Robespierre, “the Incorruptible,” came to power – made very strange, radical changes
1.) Altered decks of cards, changed to scientific calendar, closed churches
2.) Formed the Committee of Public Safety
a. sent people to guillotine – Marie Antoinette, fellow radicals included (like Danton)
b. innocent people beheaded – around 40,000 altogether (80% from 3rd Estate)
B. National Convention turned on Robespierre, executed him on July 28, 1794 – radical stage over
XI. Reactionary stage begins – people sick of being terrorized, same problems (bread prices) still existed
A. Moderates changed Constitution, created the Directory – executive body of five men
1.) Directory appointed Napoleon Bonaparte leader of France’s armies
XII. Napoleon (5’ 6”) conquered much of Europe
A. Napoleon rose through the army
1.) Born in 1769 in Corsica (island in Mediterranean Sea)
a. that year, French army crushed Corsican independence movement
2.) 10 years old – went to military school outside Paris
a. snubbed by classmates as foreigner
3.) 1785 – finished school, became lieutenant in the artillery
4.) October 1795 – fought off royalist army, became hero of the French Republic
5.) 1796 – Directory appointed him to fight Austria
a. crossed the Alps and conquered northern Italy, famous in all Europe
B. Napoleon seized power in France – had loyalty of army
1.) 1799 – people losing confidence in the Directory
a. November 9, 1799 – Napoleon orders troops into legislature building
i. coup is successful – Directory turns power over to Napoleon
C. A Second Coalition attacked France
1.) Britain + Austria + Russia = 2nd Coalition
2.) Napoleon fought them off, March 1802 – Treaty of Amiens made peace
D. Napoleon became emperor
1.) Plebiscite (yes/no election) of 1800 made Napoleon First Consul
a. People of France desperate for a strong leader
2.) December 2, 1804 – Napoleon crowns himself Emperor (literally)
E. Emperor Napoleon I (absolute monarch) restored order to France
1.) Economic order – slowed inflation, balanced budget, set up national bank
2.) Social order – nobles returned, bourgeoisie pleased at his meritocracy
3.) Religious order – concordat w/ pope set up new church/state relationship
a. Catholicism recognized
b. Government only appoints bishops, that’s it
c. Freedom of religion in France – toleration
4.) Legal order – Napoleonic Code gave France single set of laws
a. abolished estates, granted equal rights under the law to all classes
b. limited liberty, however (Napoleon exempt)
i. no free press, no rights for women, slavery resumed
F. Napoleon extended France’s power
1.) Threatened Great Britain, who declared war in 1803
a. Third Coalition = Great Britain + Austria + Russia + Sweden + Prussia
2.) Major battles
a. The Battle of Ulm (October 1805) – occupied Vienna, Austria
b. The Battle of Trafalgar (October 1805) – Napoleon beaten on the sea
i. British Admiral Horatio Nelson defeats Napoleon
ii. Napoleon abandons plans to invade Great Britain
c. The Battle of Austerlitz (December 1805) – Austria made peace after
d. The Battle of Jena (October 1806) – beat Prussia, occupied Berlin
e. The Battle of Friedland (June 1807) – beat Russians
G. Napoleon dominated Europe – largest empire since Rome
1.) Three categories of conquered lands:
a. directly annexed into France (Dutch republic, Italian states)
b. independent but puppets of Napoleon (Spain, part of Poland)
i. Napoleon put own brothers as rulers there
c. attached to Napoleon through alliances (Russia, Prussia, Austria)
2.) Empire lasted only from 1807 to 1812
a. sudden collapse caused in part by Napoleon himself
XIII. Napoleon made three crucial mistakes
A. Continental System (1806) – no state under his control could import British goods
1.) Meant to destroy Britain’s economy and make Europe more self-sufficient
2.) Set up naval blockade – ports closed to British shipping
a. British goods smuggled in; their economy weakened, not destroyed
3.) British set up own blockade – ships bound for Europe stopped
a. Britain’s navy was better  their blockade worked better
4.) Continental System hurt Napoleon more than his enemies
B. Napoleon tries to install brother Joseph as king of Spain (1808)
1.) Peninsular War (1808-1813) – Spanish guerillas vs. France
a. lost 300,00 men, later need to draft men from all over (no loyalty)
b. nationalism becoming weapon against Napoleon
i. Spain set example for rest of conquered lands
C. Napoleon invaded Russia (1812)
1.) Czar Alexander I refused to stop selling grain to Britain
2.) Czar used scorched-earth policy – burns own crops, kills own livestock
a. starve the invading army
b. burns Moscow rather than let Napoleon take it
3.) Napoleon waited for peace offer which never came, Russian winter sets in
a. has to retreat, soldiers freeze to death
XIV. Grand Alliance defeated Napoleon
A. Britain + Russia + Prussia + Austria + Sweden = Grand Alliance
B. Napoleon loses Battle of Leipzig (1813) – opposing armies march through Paris
C. Napoleon surrenders in 1814, exiled to Elba
1.) Escapes in 1815 – Frances rejoices (Hundred Days – last days of power)
a. Napoleon defeated at the Battle of Waterloo (1815)
D. Napoleon banished further away to St. Helena in South Atlantic
1.) Died in 1821 of stomach ailment – some say British guards poisoned him
XV. Final Balance
A. Napoleon – Hero
1.) Military genius
a. tremendous victories
2.) Brilliant administrator
a. law code and reforms were long-lasting
B. Napoleon – Villain
1.) Millions of lives lost
2.) “He was as great as a man can be without virtue”
– Alexander de Tocqueville