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French Revolution 1789
and
Age of Napoleon
Background to Revolution
• Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment
• Enlightenment validated human beings
ability to think for themselves and govern
themselves.
• Rousseau believed all people were equal
and wanted all rank and nobility abolished.
• Rousseau said “Man is born free and
everywhere he is in chains.”
American Revolution
• 1775 – 1781
• Helped cause the French Revolution
because of the money it cost France
(more later on this)
• Also provided the French with an example
of revolution and a new spirit of
democracy.
Three Estates
•
•
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Estates were legal social classes.
1st Estate = Clergy (Catholic Church)
2nd Estate = Nobility
3rd Estate = Everybody else
• 1st and 2nd Estates were exempt from
taxes.
• 3rd Estate owed duties – left over from
feudalism
Third Estate
• Made up of many different types of people.
• Extremely poor peasants who owned no land
• Very wealthy merchants who hoped to become
nobles
• Included merchants, bankers, industrialists,
lawyers, doctors, writers
• Middle Class – called the bourgeoisie
• Led the Revolution because they had more of
their basic needs met and could spend the
time organizing the revolution.
Bad Times in France
• Poor harvests – food scarce and prices
high
• Fall-off in trade – decline of trading with
other countries
• Decline in manufacturing – with rising
prices people couldn’t afford to buy
manufactured goods, so factories
produced less, which led to layoffs
Financial Crisis
• Louis XVI wanted to rule like all absolute
monarchs
• He spent enormous sums of money on
wars and court luxuries – Marie Antoinette
– “Let them eat cake.”
• Even though the economy was on the
verge of collapse, he spent another
fortune on helping the American Colonists
vs. England
Louis XVI
and
Marie Antoinette
• Because the government was almost out
of money, Louis XVI had to call an
assembly of the Estates to ask for more
taxes (hadn’t been done for over a 150
years)
• When the Estates got together, they
wanted to change things
• The Third Estate wanted more say in how
things were run.
• The Nobles blocked the changes
National Assembly
• Since the Third Estate was blocked by the
Nobles,
• They decided that they would write a
constitution that would limit the power of
the king.
• They allowed the 3rd Estate to vote
• They also proclaimed the Declaration of
the Rights of Man and the Citizen – all
men were equal under the law (not
women)
Storming of the Bastille
• While the National Assembly was debating the
new laws, the people rebelled.
• One of the hated symbols of the old regime was
a prison fortress called the Bastille
• Peasants broke in, freed the prisoners,
captured the weapons, and tore down the
prison.
• This marks the beginning of the Revolution
• They still celebrate Bastille day in France each
year.
Women gone wild!
• Women were rioting because there was no
bread.
• Thousands of Parisian women marched to
Versailles and captured Louis XVI and his
family.
• He was a captive from this point on and
had to accept the decrees of the National
Assembly.
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
• (Fraternity means brotherhood)
• This was the chant heard all over France
• This slogan represented the ideals of the
Revolution
French Revolution
• The French Revolution had been fairly
peaceful.
• Over the course of 2 years
• They had changed their government from an
Absolute Monarchy to a Limited Monarchy.
• They wanted to make everyone equal and
eliminate all the symbols of the old regime
• They abolished religion and renamed the
months
• The King of France was not thrilled with
the new government – he wanted to go
back
• The kings in other countries were not
happy either.
• Austria and other countries raised
armies and invaded France to restore
Louis XVI’s power.
• The people are afraid and what to defend
the revolution.
Reign of Terror
• Fear drove the Reign of Terror
• The new government was afraid that they
would have to go back to the old
government.
• They were afraid that other kings would
invade and make them change back.
• And they were afraid the people in France
would make them change back.
Committee of Public Safety
• Given broad powers to defend France from
threats.
• Led by a man named Robespierre.
• Accuse anyone of trying to change the
government.
• Punishment was the guillotine.
• The guillotine was used because it killed
humanely.
• 40,000 people killed across France.
• Including the King.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon’s Rise
• From island of Corsica
• Supporter of the Revolution.
• Revolution changed the way people got
important positions.
• People were no longer given positions in
the government based on nobility.
• He is promoted because of his ability.
• One of the greatest generals in history.
• At the height of his power he controlled
almost all of Europe. (next slide)
The 3 parts of
Napoleon’s
Empire were1. French
Empire
2. Dependent
States
3. Allied States
Coup d’etat
• Strike (a blow against) the State
– (Synonyms = coup, putsch, overthrow)
• Sudden, illegal overthrow of the
government (usually by the military)
• Napoleon and others overthrew the
Directory (what the government was called
at the time)
• Within a few years he had himself
crowned Emperor Napoleon I.
The 3 parts of
Napoleon’s Empire
1.French Empire
2.Dependent States
3.Allied States
Civil Code - Law Reform
• His most important social achievements
• Before the revolution, France had more
than 300 different legal systems.
• During the revolution they worked on
making just one.
• The work was finished under Napoleon
• Called the Civil Code, it included things
like equality of all citizens before the
law, right to choose a profession,
religious toleration, abolition of
serfdom
Nationalism
• He brought the ideas of the French
Revolution to all the countries he
conquered – especially nationalism
• This is the idea that the people are the
nation.
• People will work together and work
harder to defend their country.
• People began to look at themselves and
take pride in their history.
• This idea which Napoleon spread would
eventually lead to his downfall.
England – Thorn in the Side
• England held out against Napoleon
• Since Nap. Couldn’t invade England he
would crush them economically.
• Continental System – no country on the
continent of Europe could trade with
England.
• Russia didn’t obey the Cont. Sys.
• So to teach them a lesson, Napoleon
invaded Russia.
Russia
Russia 1812
• Nap. Brought an army of 600,000.
• Russians retreated – just fast enough to
avoid a big battle
• Scorched Earth – burn or destroy anything
that the enemy might be able to use.
• As the French went farther and farther into
Russia, they got farther and farther from
their supplies.
• The French finally reached Moscow
(capital of Russia), and it had been set on
fire.
• The Russian winter began and Napoleon
and his army had to retreat.
• By the time his army got back to the
starting point there were only 40,000
troops left.
Napoleon’s Fall
• After the defeat in Russia, France was
weak.
• Because of their feelings of nationalism,
the countries that France had controlled
now rose up and attacked France.
• They restored the monarchy to France.
• Napoleon was forced into exile.
• The exile didn’t last long.
• Napoleon returned, and the army joined
him.
• The Duke of Wellington (Englishman)
finally defeated Napoleon at the Battle of
Waterloo, 1815.
Legacy of Napoleon
• He spread the idea of nationalism.
• He spread French Revolution ideas,
including equality, education, and law
reform.
Congress of Vienna
• After Napoleon was exiled, the countries
of Europe decided to try and work things
out.
• Officials from almost every country in
Europe gathered at a meeting called the
Congress of Vienna
• Didn’t achieve much
• First time continent wide meeting of
countries
• Mitternich and Legitimacy