Download The French Revolution

The French Revolution
-Key Concepts-
Revolutionary Ideas
-Ideological Foundation for
Political Liberalism-
Liberty
1. The notion of individual
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
human rights
A new type of
government in which the
people are sovereign
The importance of a
representative assembly
The importance of a
written constitution
The notion of selfdetermination
Freedom to accumulate
property
Equality
1. Equality of rights and civil liberties
2. Equality before the law
3. No special privileges for the rich
4. Equality of opportunity
5. “Careers Open to Talent”
6. Inherent tension between liberty and
equality
Roots of Liberalism
 Judeo-Christian and
Greek roots
 Enlightenment
Foundation
 Locke’s Notion of the
Rights of Englishmen
British North America
 “All Men are Created
Equal”
 The significance of
the American
constitution
 The influence of the
American Revolution
 The impact of the
American Revolution
The French Revolution
1. More fundamental and profound
2.
3.
4.
5.
consequences than the American
Revolution
France = most powerful and populous
state in Europe
Massive social revolution
Worldwide impact
Becomes model for future revolutions
How Should We Look at
the French Revolution?
“Series of revolutions which became
more radical as leadership cascaded
down through French society.”
The Events of the French
Revolution
Watch for the different revolutions
within the Revolution!
Pre-1789:
Causes of the French Revolution
1. King Louis XVI (an absolute monarch) was
spending LOTS of money.
2. France had costly debts from the American
Revolution, Marie Antoinette, and the military.
3. The American Revolution inspired the Third Estate
to begin fighting against the King.
4. King & Aristocracy need more money, so need to
levy an new tax- only Estates-General can do this
The Estates-General
1. An old feudal assembly
that had not met since
1614
2. Three Estates: Clergy,
Nobility, All Others
3. The significance of the
voting procedure
4. The miscalculation and
lack of social awareness
of the aristocracy
The Third Estate
1. Who were they?
2. Third Estate was
dominated by the middle
class
3. Blending of aristocratic
and bourgeois classes
by 1789
4. Middle class = Big
Winners
5. Revolutionary goals of
the middle class
An Agenda of Classical Liberalism
1. Representative
government did not
mean democracy or
“mob rule”
2. Estates-General
became the National
Assembly in June of
1789 with the power
to frame a
constitution
3. Tennis Court Oath
What were the Motivations of these
Revolutionaries?
1. Poverty and Hunger
2. Low wages and fear of
unemployment
3. Heightened expectations
and the exposure to a
political perspective
4. Strong dislike for and
distrust of the wealthy
5. The role of conspiracy
A Case Study: Storming the
Bastille
1. Events of the night of
2.
3.
4.
5.
July 13, 1789
Reasons for the attack
on the Bastille the next
morning
The stubbornness of the
governor of the fortress
Celebrations on the night
of July 14th
Sparks tremendous
popular revolution all
over France
“The Great Fear”
1. Independent
2.
3.
4.
5.
revolutionary agitation in
the countryside
Rumors of Royalist
troops becoming
wandering vandals
Fear breeds fear and
peasants start marching
Within 3 weeks of July
14, the countryside of
France had been
completely changed
Abolition of the Nobility
Declaration of the Rights of Man—
August 27, 1789
A Declaration of
Independence and
Bill of Rights in one.
The Court Returns to Paris
1. Mounting unemployment
and hunger in Paris in
the fall of 1789
2. “October Days”
3. Women nearly killed the
Queen
4. The Royal Family
returns to Paris on
October 6, 1789
France Becomes a
Constitutional Monarchy
September 1791
1.National Assembly wrote a new constitution,
creating a constitutional monarchy in France.
2.France ruled as a constitutional monarchy for
almost a year, with King Louis XVI as the limited
monarch, and several clubs part of the National
Assembly.
August 1792
1.Radicals stormed the Tuileries and took the King
into custody.
2.End of the Sane Revolution
STOP DAY 1
France Becomes a Republic
September 1792 -- the “September
Massacres”
1.The National Assembly began executing
nobles without a trial.
2.The National Assembly was changed to the
National Convention.
A. The government changed to a “republic” -- a
representative democracy.
B. King Louis XVI was no longer needed for the
government.
January 1793
1. King Louis XVI was put on trial and
executed by the guillotine for treason.
2. Peasants broke out in rebellion against the
nobles.
3. HOWEVER: Some peasants and nobility
were still loyal to the King.
--> Those loyal to the monarchy were termed
“counterrevolutionaries” and they became the
adversaries of the radicals in charge of the new
Republic
Popular Political Mobilization
1. Revolutionary Talk
a. More than 500 new
newspapers
b. --Oath of Loyalty
c. “Liberte, Equalite,
Fraternite!”
2. Revolutionary Symbols
3. Revolutionary Clubs
a. --The Jacobins
4. Revolutionary Leaders
K. Growing Radicalism
1. Reasons:
--Snowball Effect
--Unsatisfied
Expectations
--Outbreak of War
2. Results:
-Increasing
Violence- Use of the
Guillotine
--Change in Political
Leadership
L. Robespierre’s Reign of Terror
1. The Committee of Public
Safety
2. The Concept of “Total
War”
3. Maximum price ceilings
on certain goods
4. Dominated by JacobinsHunt for Enemies of the
Revolution
L. The Reign of Terror (cont)
1. Execution of 40,000
2.
3.
4.
5.
“Enemies of the Nation”
Stress on radical
definition of equality
Wanted a legal
maximum on personal
wealth
Wanted a regulation of
commercial profits
End of Robespierre’s
dictatorship on July 28,
1794
France Becomes a Republic
(again)
1795-1799: The Directory is established
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Five officers as the executive
Two legislative bodies
Military is used to maintain control of country
ENTER NAPOLEON BONAPARTE
The French people loved Napoleon and
the Directory was unable to maintain order
without him . . .
Directory Overthrown
1. Napoleon used the
power and influence of
the military to win the
support of the people.
2. The Directory was
overthrown by Napoleon
in 1799.
3. Napoleon organized a
new government.
France Becomes an
Absolute Monarchy
By 1801, Napoleon had gained absolute
power and crowned himself “Emperor of
the French.”
Napoleon’s Policies
(that made him popular)
1. Helped the economy by setting prices,
supporting new industry, and building
roads and bridges
2. Created a government-controlled school
system
3. Established the Napoleonic Code (a set
of laws) that supported equality and
religious toleration
Napoleon’s Empire
1. From 17891812,
Napoleon took
over many
countries with
military force.
2. Napoleon build
up an empire
for France,
peaking in
Napoleon’s Fall
Why did his empire begin to crumble?
1. People in the conquered states revolted
against French rule.
2. Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812. Russia
used the “scorched earth policy” so the
French had no supplies --> Most of the
army was lost during the Russian winter.
3. An 1813 alliance of Russia, Great Britain,
Austria, and Prussia defeated Napoleon.
Effects of the French
Revolution
1. Democratic ideals of “Liberty, Equality, and
Fraternity” were spread throughout Europe.
2. People wanted a change in government
from absolute monarchies, and were
inspired by the changes in France.
3. Nationalism, or strong feelings of pride in
one’s country, were built up by Napoleon’s
conquests.