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The French Revolution Begins
Chapter 18, Section 1
Background to the Revolution
• Enlightenment
• 1789
– Constitution of the United States
– French Revolution
• The French Revolution had many causes
The Three Estates
• France was divided into the Estates General
– An estate is a social class of France
– Three estates
• Nobles
• Clergy
• Commoners
• Commoners made up 80% of the population
– Serfdom was abolished
• Peasants had relics of feudalism (aristocratic privileges)
– Craftsmen
• Hurt by inflation
– Bourgeoisie (French middle class)
• Upset about noble privileges
Financial Crisis
• The immediate cause to the
Revolution was financial
• Bad harvests in 1787 and
1788
– Food shortages
• Gap between wealth and
poor increased
• War costs
• Louis XVI, king of France
had to call a meeting of the
Estates General to raise
taxes
From Estates-General to National
Assembly
• The third estate wanted to set up a constitutional
government
– Base it on Enlightened ideas
• Voting was a problem
– Estates voted as a unit
– The third estate called for one member one vote but
the king said no
– Rather than vote, they moved to a nearby tennis court
• Tennis court oath
– On July 14, a mob attacked the Bastille
– Peasant Rebellions broke out all over France
Declaration of the Rights of Man
• The Third Estate had declared a National
Assembly
– In August, voted to end noble privileges
• On August 26, they adopted the Declaration of
the rights of man and citizens
– Promised life, property, security and resistance to
oppression
– Equal rights and an end to exemptions from taxation
– Women were not included in the idea of equal rights
• Olympe de Gourges argued that women too deserved
natural rights but was ignored.
The King Concedes
• The King refused to accept the National
Assembly
• In October, peasant women marched on
Versailles
• The royal family was “encouraged” to go
back to Paris
– Basically under house arrest
Church Reforms
• The National Assembly seized church
lands and assets
• Church was secularized
– Elected bishops and priests
• Many Catholics turned away from the
revolution
A New Constitution and New Fears
• In 1791, the National Assembly put forth a new
constitution
– Limited monarchy
• The Assembly had 745 members
– all had to have paid a certain amount of taxes
• Many opposed the new order
– Staunch Catholics
– Nobles
– Radicals
• Louis XVI tried to escape but was caught
War with Austria
• European leaders feared the
revolution would spread
– Austria and Prussia threatened
force to restore Louis XVI
• Queen Marie Antoinette was
Austrian
– The Assembly declared war on
Austria
• Initially the French fared badly
Rise of the Paris Commune
• These defeats, and continued
economic problems caused
further unrest
• Radical groups armed
themselves and attacked the
Palace and Assembly
• They captured the King and
declared for a National
Convention
– Based on one vote one man,
regardless of money
• The Paris Commune took
power
– Backed by the sans-culottes
• Urban poor of Paris
Radical Revolution and
Reaction
Chapter 18, Section 2
Move to Radicalism
• Georges Danton led the Paris Commune
– Began eliminating “counter-revolutionaries”
• Radicals began taking leadership roles
– Jean-Paul Marat
The Fate of the King
• In September 1792 the question of sovereignty was broached
• Most delegates in the National Convention distrusted the king
• Delegates were split into two major factions (differing groups)
– Girondins (provincials) supported the limited monarchy
– The Mountain (radicals) supported ending the monarchy
– Both factions were called Jacobins
• In January the Mountain was able to pass a decree condemning the
king to death
• January 21, 1793 the King was executed by the guillotine
Crisis and Response
• The National Convention had limited control
– Paris Commune dominated Paris
– Peasants in the countryside refused to follow the
decrees
• In addition, the execution of Louis XVI caused
outrage in Europe
– Planned an invasion of France
• To handle these problems, the convention gave
power to the Committee on Public Safety
– Maximilien Robespierre
Reign of Terror
• For a year the Committee on Public Safety
ruled
– This time period is known as the Reign of
Terror
• Prosecuted enemies domestically
– 40,000 people would be killed
– 16,000 people would die by the guillotine
– This be came entertainment
Crushing Rebellion
• Revolutionary armies were sent to crush
rebellions
– Lyon
• 1,880 were executed
• Guillotine was too slow
– Nantes
• People were loaded onto barges and then were
sunk
• The Committee stated that this bloodletting was only temporary
Republic of Virtue
• The committee tried to make a new
order
– Mister and misses changed to citizen and citizeness
– Agents were sent to spread the “good word” of the
revolution
– Price limits were set
– Dechristianization continued
• Street names were changed (“saint” was
eliminated)
• Notre Dame changed to the temple of Reason
• Calendar was changed
A Nation in Arms
• France was threatened by outside forces
– Many were forced to join the army
– A huge army was formed
– In doing so, they began to form a national
identity
– Due to this and the division among the
attackers, they successfully defended their
lands
End of the Terror
• By the summer 1794 the outside forces
were defeated
• The Terror continued
• Weary of it, deputies condemned
Robespierre
– Guillotined in July 1794
• Radicals lost power and moderates took
over
The Directory
• Many of the Committee’s rules were overthrown
– Churches were re-opened
– Power of the Committee was reduced
• A legislature was put in place with an upper and lower house
• Five members were chosen to serve on the Directory which ruled
• The Directory had to deal with financial and political problems
– Monarchists wanted a king
– Radicals wanted to regain power
• Eventually, a coup d'état was led by General Napoleon
Bonaparte
Age of Napoleon
Chapter 18, Section 3
The Rise of Napoleon
• Napoleon was born in Corsica
• 1785 he became a lieutenant in the
French army
– Not well liked (short, no money)
• Spent the next seven years studying
military science and philosophy
Military Success
• In 1794 at 24 years old, he became a general
• He gained popularity as General of the Army of
Italy where he had success
• He also gained popularity with his men
• 1797 he attacked Britain through Egypt but was
cut off from his supplies
Consul and Emperor
• In 1799 he joined the coup d’état and helped
establish the consulate
• As consul, he helped rebuild much of France’s
infrastructure
• In 1802 he was named consul for life
• In 1804 he crowned himself Emperor
Peace with the Church
• To help consolidate his power he made
peace with the Catholic Church
• Church was the State religion again as
long as they didn’t claim their lost assets
Codification of Laws
• He also codified the laws
• He instituted the Civil
Code or Napoleonic Code
– Recognized basic rights of
Frenchmen
– It also reversed laws which
made it easier for women to
divorce
– Women were treated as
‘minors’ of their husbands
A New Bureaucracy
• Developed a centralized government
– Promotion was based on merit
• Created a new aristocracy based on merit
– 3,263 men were given titles of nobility
– 60% were army officers
– The rest came from civil servants
Preserver of the Revolution?
• With these advancements, his domestic
policies showed himself as a preserver of
the Revolution
• However he also took away many civil
liberties
– Newspapers were closed down
– Mail was opened by police
Building the Empire
• Externally, Napoleon needed a break from
foreign wars
• He signed a peace treaty in 1802 but it did not
last long
• After a series of battles, in 1807 he had defeated
most of his opponents
• His new empire would resemble Rome
– France itself
– Dependent states (under Napoleon’s relatives - Italy,
Spain, Holland, etc)
– Allied States (those defeated by Napoleon – Prussia,
Austria, Russia, and Sweden)
Spreading the Principles of the
Revolution
• Inside his Empire, Napoleon sought to
spread the Enlightenment
• He tried to eliminate the old order of the
countries he overtook
– Nobility and Clergy lost their privileges
– Equality before the law
– Religious toleration
Britain's Survival
• Britain’s survival continued because of its sea
power
• Napoleon sought to build a navy to invade but it
was destroyed at Trafalgar
• Then he decided to place an embargo on British
goods
• Black market dealings and trade with America
foiled this plan
Nationalism
• Nationalism is a unique identity that
defines a people
– Customs
– Language
– Religion
• Nationalism broke out against France
– Oppressors
– “we are better than them”
Disaster in Russia
• The Russians refused to cooperate so Napoleon invaded
– If Russia was allowed to ignore Napoleon the others would too
• The Russians refused to fight, drawing Napoleon deeper
into their lands
– Burnt everything as they retreated
• At Moscow the city was already burning when they
arrived
– They then began the Great Retreat
• Other countries rose up and captured Paris in 1814
• Napoleon was sent to exile on the island of Elba
• Louis XVIII (brother of Louis XVI) took over
The Final Defeat
• The new king had little support from the French
• Napoleon escaped and marched on Paris
• Other countries sent in armies to defeat him
again
• At Waterloo, Napoleon was defeated by an army
led by the Duke of Wellington
• Napoleon would again be put in exile this time
not to return
The French Revolution and
Napoleon, 1789–1815
DIRECTIONS: Select and write the term that best
completes each sentence.
• 1. Before the revolution, French society was divided into
three
• 2. French peasants resented the
that
included the payment of fees for the use of village
facilities as well as contributions to the clergy.
• 3. The
, or French middle class,
supported the revolution.
• 4. The Third Estate in France came together for a
meeting to discuss their government reforms. Finding
their assigned meeting hall locked, they moved to a
nearby venue. It was here that the
, an
agreement that they would remain assembled until a
constitution had been written, was made.
• 5. The Constitution of 1791 set up a limited
where there was still a king, but a Legislative Assembly
would make the laws.
• 6. During the French Revolution, many radical members
of the Paris Commune wore long trousers instead of
knee-length breeches and called themselves
• 7. The 1793 execution of King Louis XVI pushed the
French Revolution into a new stage called,
the political orientation of those who favor revolutionary
change in government and society.
• 8. In order to meet both the domestic and foreign crisis,
the National Convention in 1793 gave broad powers to a
special committee known as the
,
dominated at first by Georges Danton, then by
Maximilien Robespierre.
• 9. The popular general Napoleon Bonaparte seized
control of France in a
• 10. In 1799 Napoleon held absolute power in a new
government called the
• 11. In other European countries, strong feelings of
, or the cultural identity of a people based on common
language, religion, and national symbols, helped to stir
revolts against Napoleon.
Checking for Understanding
Define Match each definition in the left column with the
appropriate term in the right column.
C 1. the middle class, including
__
merchants, industrialists,
and professional people
A. estate
B. relics of
feudalism
B 2. obligations of peasants to
__
C. bourgeoisie
noble landlords that survived
D. sans-culottes
into the modern era
D 3. “without breeches,” members of the Paris
__
Commune who considered themselves ordinary
patriots (in other words, they wore long trousers
instead of fine knee-length breeches)
A 4. one of the three classes into which French
__
society was divided before the revolution: the
clergy (first estate), the nobles (second estate),
and the townspeople (third estate)
Summarize What were the main
affirmations of the Declaration of
the Rights of Man and the Citizen?
The main affirmations were: the right
to liberty, property, and security; equal
rights for all men; equal access to
public office; and equal, fair taxation.
Checking for Understanding
Define Match each definition in the left column with the
appropriate term in the right column.
__
B 1. an individual qualified
to vote in an election
A. faction
__
A 2. a dissenting group
C. coup d’état
__
C 3. a sudden overthrow
of the government
B. elector
Explain both the similarities and the
differences between the Girondins
and the Mountain.
The Girondins represented provinces,
feared radical mobs, and were
moderate toward the king. The
Mountain represented the city, were
a more radical group, and wanted to
execute the king.
Checking for Understanding
Define Match each definition in the left column with the
appropriate term in the right column.
__
B 1. the unique cultural identity
of a people based on
common language, religion,
and national symbols
A. consulate
B. nationalism
__
A 2. government established in
France after the overthrow
of the Directory in 1799, with
Napoleon as first consul in
control of the entire government
Checking for Understanding
Explain how nationalism contributed to
Napoleon’s defeat. Be sure to discuss
how French nationalism produced
nationalism outside of France.
Conquered people were brought
together in their hatred for their French
oppressors.
Using Key Terms
Insert the key term that best completes each of the following
sentences.
relics of feudalism were
1. Aristocratic privileges, or _______________,
obligations of the French peasants to local landlords.
2. Members of the French middle class, the
_______________,
were part of the third estate.
bourgeoisie
3. During the National Convention of 1792, dissenting
factions
groups or _______________
disagreed over the fate
of Louis XVI.
4. In 1799, Napoleon controlled the _______________,
consulate
a new government in which Napoleon had absolute
power.
Nationalism
5. _______________
is the cultural identity of a people
based on common language, religion, and national
symbols.
Government How did Robespierre and
the Committee of Public Safety deal with
opponents of the government? What
was the effect of their policies?
They murdered their opponents. Others
feared Robespierre’s power and had
him executed.
Geography How did the French
Revolution lead to war with other
European nations?
Other nations feared that the rebellions
and uprisings would spread to their
countries.