Download THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

Map of Europe 1600’s
Map of Europe 1721
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Also known as the Age of Reason.
Def. An elite cultural movement of intellects
in 18th Century Europe that sought to
mobilize the power of reason in order to
reform society and advance knowledge.
o It opposed intolerance and abuse in the Church and
state.
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Originated about 1650 – 1700.
Sparked by philosophers Baruch Spinoza,
John Locke, Pierre Bayle and mathematician
Isaac Newton.
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Nobility –upper class
Bourgeoisie – the middle class
Proletariat – town working class
Peasants –lower class
King was still the ruling
class. (Louis XVI)
The First Estate:
 The bishops and clergy control of the land.
 They represented the traditional authority of
the church over all secular power.
 Consisted of the rich and poor.
 Exempt from most taxation.
 There were wealthy aristocrats called abbots
who lived in luxury off of wealthy church
lands.
 The poor parish priests lived much like
peasants.
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The lords and nobles of France. (called the
Nobility)
Once had considerable authority over their
own regions, but the king had tried to
centralize all power to himself.
Inherited their titles and wealth came from
the land.
Some of the nobles had little money, but had
privileges of noble rank. Most enjoyed
privileges and wealth. Paid little tax.
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The bourgeoisie, proletariat and peasants.
The middle class was becoming the powerful
group in the sense of wealth and value.
Were the common people and by far, the
largest group of people in France.
Included the wealthy merchants who rivaled
the nobility, doctors, lawyers, shopkeepers,
the urban poor and the peasants who worked
the land. (very diverse group)
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1789 - 1792
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Louis XVI asked the First and Second Estates
to accept tax on their land, but they refused.
A major financial crisis followed, which
touched off the French Revolution in 1789.
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Social Inequality (outdated ‘feudal system’
and classes)
Inefficient Government
o Taxes and laws differed from province to province
causing confusion and injustice.
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Enormous Debt
o When Louis XIV died in 1715, the treasury was
drained from wars.
o The government was poor, the clergy and nobility
were not.
o The king had no authority to tax the wealthy.
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Weak/unresponsive monarchy.
Food shortages, poor farming conditions and
cold winters.
Ideas of the Enlightenment. (society wanting
reform)
Growing class disparity between:
o Old nobility vs. emerging wealthy bourgeoisie
(privileges).
o Lower classes (overtaxed) vs. landlords.
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Estates-General met at Versailles in May, 1789.
o Delegates could not agree on a method of voting.
o In order for an issue to pass, two of the three estates had
to agree.
 Clergy and Nobility usually voted the same; Third Estate was
thus left out.
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The delegates of the Third Estate were mostly
Bourgeoisie.
o They wanted the 3 Estates to meet together, with each
delegate having one vote.
o Because half of the 1200 delegates were from the Third
Estate, they thought they would have a chance to bring
about reform.
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The Third Estate’s delegates forced the
Estates to meet as one body.
On June 17, 1789, they declared themselves
the National Assembly and invited the other
Estates to join them.
On the advice of the nobles, Louis XVI
ordered the three Estates to continue to meet
separately.
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The delegates of the Third Estate were locked
out at the meeting in Versailles, so they
moved to the palace’s indoor tennis court.
Many of the clergy and some nobles joined
them.
Defying the king, they demanded a
constitution for France and would not leave
until this goal was achieved.
The oath they took came to be called the
Tennis Court Oath.
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Faced with solid opposition, Louis gave in.
After a week, he ordered all nobility and
clergy to join the Third Estate in the National
Assembly.
The king’s recognition of the National
Assembly was the first victory for the
Bourgeoisie.
Louis soon sent 18 000 soldiers to Versailles.
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On July 14, 1789, the people of Paris massed
outside the Bastille.
They were already angry because of food shortages,
unemployment and high prices.
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This stone prison had become a hated
symbol of oppression to the Parisians.
Seeking guns and gunpowder, the crowd
charged into the courtyard.
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The prison commander panicked and ordered
the guards to open fire.
Nearly 100 people were shot dead before the
crowd overwhelmed the defenders and killed
the commander.
His head and the head of the mayor of Paris
were stuck on poles and paraded through the
streets of Paris.
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The attack on Bastille frightened the king into
calling back his troops.
The people of Paris had won another victory.
o Their bold action had saved the National Assembly.
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Today, the French people mark July 14 as
Bastille Day. (their day of national celebration)
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Rumors spread that the nobles were organizing
armed bands to kill peasants and seize their
property.
A feeling of fear and desperation, called the
Great Fear, took hold of the people.
Peasants burned the lords’ manors and destroyed
records of payments due.
Middle-class landowners and well-to-do farmers
also lost their homes and property as violence
raged.
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The peasant uprisings convinced many nobles
that they were in danger.
A large number fled to other parts of Europe
and were known as Emigres.
The nobles who stayed in France realized the
old regime was coming to an end.
o They rose in the National Assembly and reluctantly
agreed to give up privileges their families had held
for centuries.
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On August 4, 1789, the National Assembly
announced the end of feudalism in France.
The church could no longer collect taxes.
The nobility could not demand fees, taxes
and labour from the peasants.
All positions in churches, government and the
army were opened to all citizens.
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This document set forth the ideals of the
French Revolution.
It reflected people’s hopes for individual
rights, freedom and equality.
Government now belonged to the people as a
whole.
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Many Parisian women earned a living making
hats and dresses for noblewoman.
o However, hat makers and seamstresses found less work,
as aristocratic families fled France.
o Unemployment worsened as did hunger.
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On October 5, 1789, thousands of women
marched twelve miles in the pouring rain to
Versailles to protest a shortage of bread and
soaring food prices.
They stormed the palace and forced the royal
family to return to Paris.
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Louis had no choice but to cooperate with the
National Assembly.
Over the next two years, the Bourgeoisie
made sweeping changes.
The following three drastic changes were:
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The country was divided into departments
governed by elected officials.
The metric system became standard.
The assembly made changes in land
ownership.
Land was seized from the Church and of
nobles who had fled. Much of this land was
then sold to peasants.
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The National Assembly tried to bring the
Church and the clergy under state control.
In 1790, the Civil Constitution of the Clergy
was passed.
o This law stated that bishops and priests were to be
elected by popular vote and paid by the
government.
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Perhaps the most important act of the National
Assembly, was the adoption of the Constitution
in 1791.
This document limited the power of the king and
set up an elected lawmaking body, the National
Assembly.
To vote for representatives to the assembly, one
had to be a male taxpayer.
o This barred all women and about 30% of adult men.
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Women wanted better education for girls, fair
laws dealing with marriage and divorce, and
the right to sit on juries.
In 1792, Mary Wollstonecraft, an English
writer, published “A Vindication of the Rights
of Woman”.
o She stated that the rights of man should be
extended to women. Better education should
achieve this goal.
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The Constitution of 1791 marked the end of the
first stage(Moderate Stage) of the French
Revolution.
The Bourgeoisie had made many gains:
o Ended special privileges.
o Limited the king’s powers.
o Provided people a chance to take part in government.
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Some felt the reforms had gone too far.
o The Revolution entered the second stage marked by
violence that rocked much of Europe.
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The nobles, the king and queen, Marie
Antoinette (a member of the Hapsburg family
of Austria) thought the Revolution had gone
too far.
She made plans for the royal family’s escape
to the Austrian Netherlands, where Louis
could work with other European monarchs on
plans to crush the Revolution.
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Louis and his family slipped out of the palace
on the night of June 20, 1791.
Guards arrested them before they could reach
the border and returned them to Paris.
This cost Louis a loss of support.
Many people suspected the king and queen of
plotting to overturn the recent reforms.
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Radicals, people who favor drastic change,
grew in numbers, as doubts about the king
increased.
o These included many wage earners and small
shopkeepers of Paris.
o Were called sans-culottes (men wore long pants,
instead of knee-length pants of the upper classes)
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They wanted France to become a republic.
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The Parisian people gained fewer benefits than
the Bourgeoisie and the peasants.
o Wanted a greater voice in government, higher wages,
lower food prices, and an end to food shortages.
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The Bourgeoisie viewed the demands of the
radicals as a threat. However, other members
became leaders of the radicals.
They steered the Revolution in a more violent
direction, bringing bloodshed to much of Europe.
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On April 20, 1792, France declared war on
Austria.
o Was partly due to worries that the family of Marie
Antoinette who ruled Austria might help the nobles
in a counterrevolution.
 A movement to restore the old way of government.
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Prussia backed Austria and the two countries
invaded France.
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Prussia and Austria threatened to destroy Paris if
the king or queen were harmed.
Enraged, the Parisians rioted. A mob attacked
the palace on Aug. 10, killing hundreds of guards
and servants.
A radical government, the Commune, seized
power and imprisoned the king.
o They ordered elections to choose representatives for a
new assembly to be called the National Convention.
o For the first time, all adult males were granted suffrage,
the right to vote.
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The declaration of war on Austria showed
that the French Revolution had moved into a
radical stage.
Its leaders were willing to take drastic action
against all enemies.
The following are three major events that
occurred:
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The National Convention met for the first
time in September, 1792.
Its first act was to end the monarchy and
declare France a republic.
The radical members decided that the royal
family was a danger to the republic. They
accused Louis of working with nobles and
foreign agents.
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The Convention, by one vote, sentenced Louis
to death.
He was sent to the guillotine and beheaded
on January 21, 1793.
Marie Antoinette met the same end later that
year.
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1793 – 1794
Also known as the ‘Reign of Terror’.
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French armies recovered from early defeats,
forcing the invading Austrians and Prussians
to retreat.
o Marched into the Austrian Netherlands.
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Britain and Spain became allies of Austria and
Prussia.
The once confident French Revolutionaries
now found themselves at war with nearly all
of Europe.
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By the spring of 1793, the new French
republic was in a state of crisis.
Foreign troops had invaded France and were
marching toward Paris.
o Food prices soared.
o Hungry Parisians looted stores.
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In western France, clergy and nobles led a
counterrevolutionary movement.
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Violent disagreements emerged within the
National Convention.
The most radical groups of revolutionaries
were centered in Paris and included a political
club called the Jacobins.
George Danton and Maximilien Robespierre
were both lawyers and two of the most
prominent Jacobins.
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The more moderate members of the Convention
were known as Girondists.
They drew most of their support from people in
provinces outside of Paris.
Leaders of the Jacobins and Girondists came
mainly from the Bourgeoisie.
The Jacobins joined forces with poor Parisians
and arrested Girondist leaders.
o Set up the Committee of Public Safety.
o This group of about a dozen men held unlimited power
to deal with France’s desperate situation.
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One of the most pressing problems for the
Committee of Public Safety was to feed the
hungry in Paris.
The government lowered the price of certain
foods and rationed bread.
The committee also had to push back enemy
troops and protect the government from its
opponents within France.
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In August, 1793, the Committee appealed to
the nation to help in the war effort.
For the first time in European history, all
able-bodied men were drafted for army
service.
The new French army, one million strong, was
the largest army in the history of the world.
The rallying song, Marseillaise, is now the
French National Anthem.
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Robespierre, the leading member of the
Committee of Public Safety, attempted to
preserve the republic.
He introduced a brutal program called, “The
Reign of Terror”.
o The goal was to silence critics of the government.
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He set up a court to arrest and hear cases of
accused enemies of the republic.
Between Sept. 1793 and July, 1794, 20 000 – 40
000 were found guilty and executed. Many
others were imprisoned.
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Included clergy, aristocrats and common
people. (anyone who disagreed with the
Jacobins)
Most trials were a mockery of justice.
o No chance to defend themselves.
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In Paris, carts filled with prisoners rolled
through the streets to the public square,
where the guillotine was set up.
o Huge crowds came to see these executions.
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Spiraled out of control.
o Robespierre’s fellow leaders weren’t safe.
o Early in 1794, Danton and other politicians were
executed for trying to stop the terror.
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Several members of the National Convention
arranged for Robespierre’s arrest on July 27,
1794.
The next day, Robespierre and his followers
met their fate and were sent to the guillotine.
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1794 - 1798
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The fall of Robespierre put the reins of the
government back into the hands of the
moderates.
They wanted no more of the Jacobins.
They lifted price controls and limited the
voting rights to taxpayers only.
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In 1795, a group of five men called the
Directory, set up a republic.
Only property owners were allowed to vote.
These five directors put down uprisings by
the radical sans-culottes and the ones
supporting monarchy.
The Directory was a very weak government.
They fell from power in 1799, ending the
French Revolution.
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The French Revolution radically changed
French society.
The Old Regime was completely overturned.
Absolute Monarchy came to an end.
The Church and the nobility lost their special
privileges.
The decline of the nobles aided the steady
rise of the Bourgeoisie, who soon dominated
the government bureaucracy.
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Were felt outside of France as well.
o Liberty and individual rights were echoed by reformers
in Latin America and other lands.
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Introduced a new style of warfare.
o Other European countries followed France’s idea of
bringing people and resources of the entire nation to
help in war efforts.
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Promoted the spirit of nationalism, deep devotion
to one’s country. It eventually spread throughout
Europe and beyond.
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In November 1799, a group of politicians carried
out a coup d’etat or “strike against the state”.
o They overthrew the Directory and placed a popular
general at the head of the government.
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Within a decade, this leader, Napoleon Bonaparte,
made France the dominant power of Europe.
Reforms of the Revolution spread across Europe.
Napoleon proved to be a military genius.
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In 1793, he joined the French Revolutionary
forces and showed great talent for planning
and leadership.
In 1796, he took command of the French
armies fighting the Austrians in Italy.
o Won key battles.
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Not content to be a general. He wanted to
rule France.
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Invaded Egypt in 1798, but that was a military
failure.
In November 1799, Napoleon’s soldiers
surrounded the French legislature to
overthrow the Directory.
A new government called “The Consulate”
replaced the Directory.
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Was a remarkable politician and general.
Won political support by pleasing the
Bourgeoisie. He promised them jobs in
government and the army.
Promoted trade and industry.
Placed taxes on imports to protect French
businesses.
Set up a national bank to provide credit to
businesses and keep the economy stable.
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At the same time, he won the support of
workers and peasants.
o Expansion of trade created many new jobs.
o Food available at low prices to poor city dwellers.
o Allowed peasants to keep land they had gained
during the Revolution.
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Pleased the nobles, even though Feudal
privileges were not restored.
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Napoleon reached an agreement with the
Pope called the Concordat of 1801.
o Balanced the rights of Church and State.
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The Church would not get its land back.
Catholicism was accepted as the religion of
the majority.
Also, the government had greater control, as
Napoleon chose Bishops. It now had greater
control over the Church.
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In 1800, Napoleon appointed a staff of
lawyers to draw up a code of laws for all of
France.
The Napoleonic Code, established in 1804,
stated that all French men were treated as
equals, no matter what their birth or wealth.
Feudalism and class privileges were
abolished.
People could practice the religion of their
choice and protected their property rights.
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Napoleon used diplomacy and military skills to
break up the alliance between Russia, Austria and
Britain and sign peace treaties with all three
countries.
However, the French expansion threatened British
trade. The two went to war in 1803.
In 1805, Russia, Austria and Sweden formed an
alliance against Napoleon, which Prussia joined
the next year. The wars that followed were called
the “Napoleonic Wars”.
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From 1805 – 1807, Napoleon’s armies rolled
over Austria, Prussia and Russia.
Suddenly, France was the leading power in
Europe.
His administrators in conquered lands
reduced the privileges of the nobles and the
clergy.
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In 1805, France could not defeat Britain at
Trafalgar. They lost many ships, but Britain did
not lose any.
Napoleon then developed a plan called “The
Continental System”. It did not allow any
countries under French control to trade with
Britain.
Britain got around this by increasing trade with
the United States and smuggling goods into
Europe.
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The British navy blockaded France and its
allies.
Middle class merchants in Europe turned
against Napoleon, because their businesses
were weakened by the cutoff of British trade.
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Portugal did not go along with The Continental
System.
Napoleon invaded it and Spain.
In 1808, the Portuguese and Spaniards bitterly
resented the takeover. They used guerrilla warfare
(surprise attacks by small bands of soldiers)
French troops were trained for regular warfare and
could not adjust to the rugged terrain and these
attacks.
Eventually France was defeated, and in turn, Britain
invaded France.
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By 1812, Napoleon’s empire had reached the
edge of Russia.
Relations between France and Russia were
strained, even though they were allies.
Czar Alexander I angered Napoleon by
trading with Britain in violation of the
Continental System.
Napoleon decided to invade Russia.
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Napoleon gathered about 614 000 troops from
France and conquered countries.
The Grand Army, as it was called, invaded Russia
in June 1812.
Russia retreated eastward, setting fires to farms
and crops along the way. The French army was
deprived of food.
The Grand Army also began to run short of
supplies. Disease, hunger, exhaustion and
desertion thinned the ranks.
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The Russian retreat allowed Napoleon to reach
Moscow.
The city was deserted, as the Russians had set
fires that destroyed nearly all of it.
Napoleon ordered a French retreat, as he knew
that his army could not survive the harsh winter.
He only had about 100 000 soldiers left.
They began the long march westward on October
19, 1812.
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The retreat became a disaster.
The soldiers had little food and not enough
warm clothing.
Russian peasants and horsemen attacked
soldiers who fell behind.
Temperature dropped to minus 30 degrees
and troops froze to death.
Fewer than 40 000 soldiers survived the
march from Moscow.
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In the German state of Prussia, anti-French
leaders stirred up feelings of nationalism.
In 1813, Prussia declared war on France.
Allied forces from Prussia, Austria, Russia and
Sweden defeated Napoleon in October 1813
at Leipzig, Germany.
o It was called “The Battle of the Nations”.
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The victorious allies then invaded France.
When they reached Paris in March 1814,
Napoleon abdicated.
Louis XVIII, the younger brother of the
executed Louis XVI, was crowned King of
France.
The allies exiled Napoleon to a small island
called Elba, off the western coast of Italy.
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To keep France in line, Prussia, Austria,
Russia and Great Britain agreed to form the
Quadruple Alliance.
They pledged to remain united against any
future attempt by France to dominate Europe.
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Napoleon was only 44 years old at the time of
his exile.
He longed for the excitement of battle, the
cheers of his soldiers and the glory of victory.
o He also knew that many French people did not like
the new king.
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Napoleon escaped Elba and landed on the
French coast on March 1, 1815 with about
1000 soldiers.
King Louis XVIII sent his army to arrest
Napoleon.
The king’s troops joined Napoleon after he
won back their loyalty.
On March 20, 1815, Napoleon swept back
into Paris and received a hero’s welcome.
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In June 1815, the European allies and France
met again in the Austrian Netherlands.
Napoleon’s army was soundly defeated. This
was led by the British Duke of Wellington and
the Prussian field marshal Gebhard von
Blucher.
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Napoleon surrendered to the British, who sent
him to St. Helena, a lonely island a thousand
miles from the Atlantic coast of Africa.
This is where he spent the last six years of his
life.
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His conquests radically changed Europe by
spreading many of the French Revolution’s
reforms and ideals.
Governments were reorganized, feudal ideas
were rejected, freedom and equality took
root.
Nationalist feelings grew and many European
people took steps to create independent
nations.