Download The French Revolution

The French Revolution
1789 - 1815
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
Detail From Triumph of Marat, Boilly, 1794 (Musee des Beaux-Arts)
HOW TO TAKE NOTES ON THIS PPT

REVIEW/HISTORICAL CONTEXT


No need to copy in notes word for word
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IMPORTANT! PLEASE TAKE NOTE!
The Seigneurial System



Receiving a seigneurial grant
Feudal method of
land ownership and
organization
Peasant labor
worked the land of
the nobles
Nobles taxed the
peasants for profit
Louis XIV






Ruled from 1643–1715
Absolute monarch
(didn’t share power with
a counsel or parliament)
Claimed “Divine Right”
Reduced the power of
the nobility
Fought four wars ($)
Greatly increased
France’s national debt
The Seven Years’ War
Louis XV




French
and
English
troops
fight at
the
battle of
Fort St.
Philip on
the
island of
Minorca
Louis XV
War fought in Europe, India, North America
France ends up losing some of its colonial possessions
Increases French national debt
The Old “Ancien” Regime

The Third Estate
This cartoon from
the era of the
French Revolution
depicts the third
estate as a person
in chains, who
supports the clergy
and nobility on his
back.
The Old “Ancien” Regime
What is going on in
this image?
 What cause of the
French Revolution
does this image
illustrate?

The Third Estate
The Three Estates

Before the revolution, the French people
were divided into three groups:




The first estate: the clergy
The second estate: the nobility
The third estate: the common people
(bourgeoisie, urban workers, and peasants).
Legally the first two estates enjoyed many
privileges, particularly exemption from
most taxation.
The First Estate

The first estate, the clergy, consisted of
rich and poor.


There were very wealthy abbots, members of
the aristocracy who lived in luxury off of
wealthy church lands.
There were poor parish priests, who lived
much like the peasants.
The Second Estate

The second estate, the nobility, inherited
their titles and got their wealth from the
land.


Some members of the nobility had little
money, but had all the privileges of noble
rank.
However, most enjoyed both privileges and
wealth.
The Third Estate
The third estate, the common people, was
by far the largest group in France.
 Everyone who was not a member of the
first or second estates was a member of
the third. It included:






Wealthy merchants, whose wealth rivaled that
of the nobility
Doctors and lawyers
Shopkeepers
The urban poor
The peasants who worked the land.
The Ancien (Old) Regime
3rd Estate:

THREE GROUPS
1.
Bourgeoisie:
a)
Wealthy merchants,
manufacturers, bankers,
landowners (20% land),
but frustrated by lack of
social & political power
2.
Urban workers – Sansculottes:
a)
Factory workers,
artisans, journeymen
b)
Lived in poverty – wages
increased by 22%, cost
of living increased by
62% by 1789
3.
Peasantry
a)
Largest group in society
(80% France’s
population)
b)
Paid 50% income in
taxes (dues to nobles,
tithes to church, taxes to
king)
The French Royalty

Hall of Mirrors
The royal family
lived in luxury
at the Palace of
Versailles.
Louis XVI

Louis XVI was an awkward,
clumsy man who had a good
heart but was unable to relate
to people on a personal level.
– He often appeared unfeeling and gruff.
– He was insecure and seems to have disliked
being King of France.

When one of his ministers resigned, he was
heard to remark, "Why can't I resign too?"
Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette, in her
early years as Queen,
was flighty and
irresponsible.


She spent huge amounts
on clothes, buying a new
dress nearly every other
day.
Being Austrian, she was
terribly unpopular in
France and had few
friends.
King Louis XVI & Queen Marie-Antoinette
The Financial Crisis
The government of France, however, was
bankrupt and was facing a serious
financial crisis.
 The crisis resulted from:




An inefficient and unfair tax structure, which
placed the burden of taxation on the third
estate
Outdated medieval bureaucratic institutions
A drained treasury which was the result of:



Aiding the Americans during the American Revolution
Long wars with England
Overspending
The Financial Crisis
Bad crops in 1787-88 led to rise in food
prices; high unemployment
 Only 3rd Estate paying taxes

Four Stages of the Revolution
Moderate Stage (1789-1792)
1.
•
1st Constitution & Declaration of Rights
(National Assembly – Legislative Assembly)
Reign of Terror (1792-1794)
2.
•
Radical & bloody phase under Maximilien Robespierre
(National Convention)
Backlash against the Terror (1794-1799)
3.
•
Attempts at stability & moderation
(The Directory)
Shifts back toward dictatorship (1799-1815)
4.
•
Napoleon becomes consul (dictator), and later,
emperor
(French Empire)
Make Predictions about the 4 Stages!
(timed writing in your notes)
Moderate Stage (1789-1792)
1.
•
1st Constitution & Declaration of Rights
(National Assembly – Legislative Assembly)
Reign of Terror (1792-1794)
2.
•
Radical & bloody phase under Maximilien Robespierre
(National Convention)
Backlash against the Terror (1794-1799)
3.
•
Attempts at stability & moderation
(The Directory)
Shifts back toward dictatorship (1799-1815)
4.
•
Napoleon becomes consul (dictator), and later,
emperor
(French Empire)
HOMEWORK REVIEW
1.
What group owned 10 percent of the land
in France?

The First Estate
2.
From studying the circle graphs, what inferences can
you draw about the causes of the revolution?




2% of the pop owned 35% of the land
Peasants = about 75% of the pop and were
unfairly taxed
Commoners = 98% of the pop and owned 65%
of the land AND paid 100% of the taxes
Each estate had one vote. The First and Second
Estates always outvoted the Third Estate because
each estate had one vote, not each deputy.
HOMEWORK REVIEW
4.
Explain why the Catholic Church was
targeted for reform

5.
It was part of the old order that was being torn
down.
What were the main affirmations of the
Declaration of the Rights of Man and the
Citizen?





Right to liberty, property, security
Freedom from oppression
Equal rights for all men
Equal access to public office
Equal and fair taxation
Examine the painting of the Tennis Court Oath. How
does David’s painting reflect the ideals of the French
Revolution?
It appears that everyone is participating equally in the
process of making policy
The Enlightenment
“ 18th century philosophy taught the
Frenchman to find his condition wretched,
unjust and illogical and made him
disinclined to the patient resignation to his
troubles that had long characterized his
ancestors . . . . The propaganda of the
philosophes perhaps more than any other
factor accounted for the fulfillment of the
preliminary condition of the French
Revolution, namely discontent with the
existing state of things.“
American Revolution
…in 1783 the Venetian ambassador to Paris wrote that "it is
reasonable to expect that, with the favourable effects of
time, and of European arts and sciences, [America] will
become the most formidable power in the world." American
independence fired the imagination of aristocrats who were
unsure of their status while at the same time giving the
promise of ever greater equality to the common man. The
Enlightenment preached the steady and inevitable progress
of man's moral and intellectual nature. The American
example served as a great lesson - tyranny could be
challenged. Man did have inalienable rights. New
governments could be constructed. The American example
then, shed a brilliant light. As one French observer
remarked in 1789, "This vast continent which the seas
surround will soon change Europe and the universe."
II. Economic Crisis in France


Louis XVI needs to raise new taxes, but cannot do so w/o
approval of the Estates-General, a body of representatives
from each of the 3 estates
Estates-General had not met since 1614
“Beloved and loyal supporters, we require the assistance
of our faithful subjects to overcome the difficulties in which
we find ourselves concerning the current state of our
finances, and to establish, as we so wish, a constant and
invariable order in all branches of government that concern
the happiness of our subjects and the prosperity of the
realm. These great motives have induced us to summon
the Assembly of the Estates of all Provinces obedient to us,
as much to counsel and assist us in all things placed before
it, as to inform us of the wishes and grievances of our
people; so that, by means of the mutual confidence and
reciprocal love between the sovereign and his subjects, an
effective remedy may be brought as quickly as possible to
the ills of the State, and abuses of all sorts may be averted
and corrected by good and solid means which insure public
happiness and restore to us in particular the calm and
tranquility of which we have so long been deprived.”
Louis XVI's letter regarding the convocation of the Estates General at
Versailles (January 24, 1789)
III. From Estates-General to National Assembly
A. Voting in the Estates-General was by
body, not by head:
1. Each estate got 1 vote; traditionally the
1st & 2nd estates voted together, thus
outvoting the 3rd estate 2:1
2. The 3rd estate demanded that voting be
changed to vote by head: 610 (3rd E.) vs.
591 (1st & 2nd)
3. Nobles refuse to change voting; King
supports them
B. Tennis Court Oath
1.
2.
3.
4.
1st deliberate act of
revolution:
3rd estate meets alone
declaring themselves the
National Assembly, June
17, 1789
Louis XVI locks them out
of the meeting room, they
then move to an indoor
tennis court & vow to stay
until they have a written
constitution
Proclaim an end to
absolute monarchy &
beginning of
representative gov.
C. Storming of the Bastille
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
King orders 1st & 2nd estates
to meet w/ N.A.
Sends Swiss royal army to
defend Paris & Versailles
Bourgeoisie fear troops are
coming to disband N.A.
Citizens in Paris react by
storming the Bastille for
gunpowder
July 14, 1789: Bastille Day
becomes National
Independence Day
Significance:
 Politically: saves N.A. &
lessens King’s power
 Socially: symbol of
revolution
 Militarily: forced Louis to
give up plan to control
Paris
D. The Great Fear,
Summer 1789
1.
2.
3.
Rebellion in Paris spread
to countryside
Rumors spread that
nobles hired outlaws to
terrorize peasants
Band of peasants
instead broke into
nobles’ homes to
destroy records of
obligations
August 4: N.A. abolished all legal
IV. Destruction
privileges of nobles & clergy
B. Aug. 26: Declaration of the Rights
of the Ancien Regime
of Man and Citizen
A.


Inspired by English Bill of Rts. &
American Constitution
Charter of basic liberties & natural
rights of man, including:
 all men free and equal before
law
 Public office by talent, not
heredity
 No group exempt from taxes
 Freedom of speech & press
 Applied to men only; protested
by Olympe de Gouges:
Declaration of Rights of Woman
and Female Citizen; she was
killed during the Reign of
Terror, 1793
C. Women’s March on Versailles,
October 5, 1789



Louis refused to accept
N.A.’s decrees
60,000 Parisian women
march 12 miles to Palace
at Versailles to protest
high prices of bread & to
require the king to support
the N.A.
Demanded the King &
Queen return to Paris,
where they are housed in
the Tuileries & kept under
watch
D. Church Reforms
Revolutionaries wanted to reform Church,
also needed money
2. Seized & sold Church lands to pay off
debt
3. Took away Church’s political
independence
***Effect: loss of support of many French
peasants, who were devout Catholics &
will become permanent enemies of the
revolution & the radicals
1.
E. New Constitution & New Fears
1.
2.
3.
Const. of 1791 created
the Legislative
Assembly: a
constitutional
monarchy
Louis & family attempt to
escape France into
Austrian Netherlands, but
was caught & brought
back to Paris a prisoner &
enemy of the revolution
Led to increased power of
the radicals & questions of
whether a constitutional
monarchy was plausible
or necessary
F. Factions arise in L.A. over old problems
Radicals
“Sans-culottes”
Sat on left side of
assembly “leftists”
Proposed a republic, in
which people have
power
Political Parties include:
the Jacobins & the
Mountain
Moderates
Sat in center of
assembly “centrists”
Wanted limited changes
Political Parties: the
Girondin
Conservatives
Emigres / royalists
Sat on right side of
assembly “right-wing”
Wanted to restore king
as limited monarch &
few changes in gov.
G. War with Austria & Prussia, 1792
1.
2.
European monarchs
feared spread of rev.
into their lands, thus
threatened to invade
France & restore the
monarchy
L.A. acted first &
declared war on
Austria, 1792
H. The First Coalition Invades France, 1792.
1.
2.
3.
4.
With the invasion of Austria
& Prussia to restore Louis to
the throne, French mobs
stormed Louis’ Palace in
Paris, the Tuileries.
He and his family were
thrown in prison while his
guards were massacred
(800+).
Rumors spread that while
the volunteer soldiers were
leaving to fight on the Front,
that imprisoned royalists
would attempt to take
control of Paris. Parisian
radicals raided the prisons &
murdered over 1,200
prisoners of the 1st & 2nd
estates: the September
Massacres.
Under threat of the radicals,
the Legislative assembly
dissolved & declared the king
deposed. They formed
France’s 1st Republic: the
National Convention.
“I ran from place to place, and finding the
apartments & staircases already strewed
with dead bodies, I…ran away to the
Dauphin’s garden gate where some
Marseillais, who had just butchered several
of the Swiss, were stripping them. One of
them came up to me with a bloody sword in
his hand, saying, ‘Hello, citizen! Without
arms! Here, take this & help us to kill.’ But
luckily…I managed to make my escape.
Some of the Swiss who were pursued took
refuge in an adjoining stable. I concealed
myself in the same place. They were soon
cut to pieces close to me…” –Unnamed
Royal Servant
Ch. 3.2: Radical
Revolution & Reaction
Stage 2: Reign of Terror
1792-1794
I. The Move to Radicalism
A.
1.
2.
Sept. 1792 the National
Convention abolished the
monarchy and established
The French Republic
 Made Louis XVI a
common citizen, Louis
Capet
 He was tried and found
guilty of treason (for
corresponding w/ Austria)
and executed by the
guillotine Jan. 21, 1793
The king’s execution caused
foreign monarchs to unite to
end the radical revolution:
1st Coalition included Britain,
Spain, Holland, Austria,
Prussia, and Portugal
French radicals respond by
creating The Committee of
Public Safety, who imposed a
draft and created the largest
citizen army of 800,000 men
(and some women)
II. The Committee of Public Safety
A.
Factional disputes
between Political Parties:
the Girondins
(Moderates), the Jacobins
(Radicals) & the Mountain
(extreme radicals) created
problems for the N.C.



Jean-Paul Marat
War abroad, discontent at
home over war &
economy, and counterrevolutionary activity in
countryside
June, 1793: N.C. set up
CPS to deal w/ problems
– had all power in gov
CPS made up of
Jacobins/Mountain &
supported by armed mob
of sans-culottes;
Girondins out of power
B. The Death of Marat, 1793
-Charlotte Corday assassinated one of key CPS leaders
-made Revolutionaries feel threatened
III. The Reign of Terror, 1793-1794
A.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Robespierre wanted to create
a “Republic of Virtue”
Goal was to wipe out any
trace of monarchy and
nobility
Followed Rousseau’s social
contract and that anyone
who opposed being governed
by the general will should be
executed
Up to 40,000 people
executed in France, including
Marie-Antoinette & Danton
Clergy & nobles were about
15% of those executed, the
rest were from bourgeoisie
and peasant classes – those
who the revolution was
fought for
B. The Republic of Virtue
1.
Desire to create a
temporary dictatorship in
order to save the republic
(Roman idea) & restructure society





A democratic-republic of
good citizens formed by
good education
De-Christianization policy
b/c Catholic Church
encouraged superstition
rather than reason; cult
of Supreme Being Deism
New calendar dating from
Sept. 22, 1792 (1st day of
the republic) w/ new
months & no Sundays
Playing cards changed
Fashions emphasized
Roman style or sansculotte
The proof necessary to convict the enemies of the
people is every kind of evidence, either material or
moral or verbal or written. . . . Every citizen has
the right to seize conspirators and counterrevolutionaries and to arraign them before
magistrates. He is required to denounce them
when he knows of them.
```````Law of 22 Prairial Year II (June 10, 1794)
C. Thermidorian Reaction
1.
2.
3.
By mid-1794, as First
Coalition was defeated,
there was less need for
the Terror & Robespierre’s
leadership
Moderates became fearful
he would turn on them, so
he was arrested &
executed July 28, 1794
(Ninth of Thermidor)
Jacobins lose power to
moderates as public
opinion shifted from the
left to the right
IV. The Directory, 1795-1799
Stage 3: Backlash Against the Terror (1794-1799)
A.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Moderates draft a new constitution, the
3rd since 1789, creating a gov. with a 2house legislature and an executive of 5
men to bring order & stability
Corruption rampant: officials made illegal
fortunes
Political enemies from both right and left
Economic problems due to ongoing war
Directory names Napoleon Bonaparte as
General of French Army
Ch. 3.3: The Age of
Napoleon
Stage 4: Shifts Back To
Dictatorship
1799-1815
I. The Rise of Napoleon



1769: born in Frenchcontrolled Corsica to a
middle-class family
Sent to military school
at age 9 on
scholarship, became a
lieutenant upon
graduation at 16
Joined the army of the
new gov. when the
Revolution broke out.
When he was in school
in Brienne in continental
France, where he was
very much laughed at
and bullied for being a
barbarous Corsican, he
dreamt all the time
of…liberating Corsica.
But he did something
quite exceptional. He
conquered his
conquerors. He got the
better of the French.
Gros, General Bonaparte
on the Bridge at Arcole,
1796, Versailles.
**Art as Political Propaganda
A. Military Successes
1.
2.
3.
Came to national
prominence in 1795,
when he helped defeat
the royalist forces that
threatened the National
Convention
Rewarded by the
Directory; given a French
Army command to fight in
Italy (1796-97 campaign)
He won battles in Austria
& Sardinia, but was
unsuccessful against the
British Admiral Nelson in
Egypt (1798-1801)
campaign), though his
defeats were kept secret.
Gros, Bonaparte Visiting the Plage
Victims at Jaffa, 1799, 1804, The
Louvre.
David, The 1st Consul Crossing the Alps
at Grand St-Bernard Pass, Malmaison.
B. Coup d’etat
1.
2.
Napoleon returns to Paris
in 1799 a hero
French citizens have lost
confidence in the
Directory & the time is
right to seize power



3.
2 of its members (Paul
Barras & Abbe Sieyes plot
w/ Napoleon to launch a
coup)
Napoleon’s troops occupy
the legislature and drive
out 1st House
2nd House is scared and
“votes” to end the
Directory, giving power to
The Consulate w/ 3
consuls
Napoleon was named First
Consul of the French
Republic, a move that
gave him dictatorial
powers.
Bouchot, The Brumaire Coup d’Etat, 1799, 1837, Versailles.
C. Emperor Napoleon I
1.
David, Napoleon in his
Study at the Tulieries,
Washington, D.C.
Propaganda: He has been
up all night working on
Civil Code; clock shows
4a.m., but he is in military
uniform – a general who is
ready to meet his troops.
In 1804, a plebiscite
(vote by the people)
allowed Napoleon to
crown himself
Emperor of France.
**used democratic
process to destroy the
democracy created by
the Republic
**French Revolution is
dead; absolute
monarchy is restored
“The Revolution is over. I am the
Revolution.”
The Crowning of Empress Josephine
Jacques-Louis David, The Coronation of the Emperor Napoleon I, 1804, Musee du Louvre, Paris.
Napoleon & Josephine
Marie-Josephe-Rose Tascher
1763 - 1814
"When she came into the room, you'd
probably be really drawn to her. She
had great charisma, long eyelashes
and big eyes. She wasn't a beauty, but
she was really striking …She had a
wonderful walk, very elegant, an
indolent walk that really was
enchanting. And she had a beautiful
voice, what we would call a really sexy
voice, very low and musical. So there
was something about her aura that
just enchanted people."
“Josephine is a woman who is very good
and who knows how to draw attention on to
her. She’s simple. She’s not complicated.
She’s not someone who makes up schemes,
and she’s very gracious. Has a lot of charm
and may not be very beautiful but has a
very flexible gait... someone that draws
attention. She’s a real woman and that’s
what Napoleon said always about her, and
that she’s someone who doesn’t leave
people indifferent.” (PBS)
Of Napoleon:

“Oh, he's a scruffy guy,
you know, that everyone
was embarrassed about.
He was so serious and he
had no sense of humor and
he was skinny. He was
poorly clothed. His boots
smelled. His hair was kind
of hanging and he was
unkempt. He was a sorry
sight.” (PBS)
Napoleon & Josephine
"I awake full of you. Your image and the
memory of last night's intoxicating
pleasures has left no rest to my senses.
Sweet, incomparable Josephine, what a
strange effect you have on my heart.
Are you angry? Do I see you sad? Are
you worried? My soul breaks with
grief, and there is no rest for your
lover; but how much the more when I
yield to this passion that rules me and
drink a burning flame from your lips
and your heart? Oh! This night has
shown me that your portrait is not
you! You leave at midday; in three
hours I shall see you. Meanwhile, my
sweet love, a thousand kisses; but do
not give me any, for they set my blood
on fire.
B." December, 1795
Of her affairs:
November 1796:
I don’t love you anymore; on the contrary, I
detest you. You are a vile, mean, beastly
slut. You don’t write to me at all; you
don’t love your husband; you know how
happy your letters make him, and you
don’t write him six lines of nonsense…
Soon, I hope, I will be holding you in my
arms; then I will cover you with a million
hot kisses, burning like the equator.
II. Domestic Policies
A.
B.
C.
Peace with the Catholic Church
1.
Guaranteed religious toleration & recognition of Catholicism
as religion of people
2.
Signed a Concordat w/ Pope Pius VII in which he agreed not
to ask for return of church lands seized during the revolution
Legal Code – Napoleonic Code
1.
b/w 1801-1804, he compiled a comprehensive set of laws –
the first national legal system applied equally to everyone,
except the Emperor
2.
Included rev. ideas: equality before the law, religious
tolerance, abolished serfdom
3.
Women’s rights gained in the rev. were undone: could not
testify in court, harder to divorce, loss of property rights
Administration
1.
Public officials and military officers promoted on ability rather
than birthright
2.
Created a national bank, equalized taxation, balanced the
budget
3.
Created a public school system, the Lycees, admission was
merit based
4.
Censorship of the press & private mail
III. Napoleon’s Empire
2 Goals: 1) extend power in Europe &
2) in the New World
A. Europe:
1.
2.
3.
1799: 2nd Coalition (Russia, Britain, Austria)
formed to fight against France
1802: a treaty was signed briefly ending the
war
1803: 3rd Coalition (Britain joined by Austria,
Russia, Sweden, Prussia) formed against
Napoleon

Napoleon was successful against all, except Britain
1.
B. Napoleonic Europe
2.
3.
Battles of Ulm, Austerlitz,
Jena, and Friedland (1805
– 1807) Napoleon’s Grand
Army defeated armies of
Austria, Russia & Prussia
He created the Grand
Empire, lasting from
1807-1812
 French Empire
 Dependent States:
(ruled by relatives of
Napoleon) Spain,
Holland, Italy, Switz.,
Rhine, Warsaw
 Allied States:
(conquered states)
Prussia, Austria,
Russia, Sweden
Throughout the Grand
Empire, Napoleon
abolished privileges of
clergy & nobility and
applied his Code &
principles of the
Revolution
C. The New World
1.
2.
3.
4.
In the New World, Napoleon
sought to regain control of
Saint Domingue (Haiti),
which had revolted in 1791.
In 1801, his forces were
defeated by the former
slaves, in part due to yellow
fever.
US President Thomas
Jefferson offered to buy the
Port of New Orleans from the
French; Napoleon decides to
make money by selling the
Louisiana Territory in 1803
for $15 million.
The Louisiana Purchase
allowed him to finance his
European expeditions &
ensure the power of the U.S.
against the British.
IV. European Response
A. British Resistance
1. Napoleon was never able
to defeat the British b/c of
their naval supremacy
2. Battle of Trafalgar, 1805



Napoleon’s Fleet vs.
Admiral Horatio Nelson
Forced Napoleon to give
up idea of invading Britain
& ensured British naval
supremacy
Napoleon dominated the
continent, but the Empire
was unstable & difficult to
rule over
The Battle of Trafalgar, 1805
(Read Only) The Continental System

The Continental System was a foreign-policy cornerstone
of Napoleon I of France in his struggle against the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland during the Napoleonic
Wars. By 1804, France was the dominant military force in
continental Europe, however the British Isles stood outside
French control and the United Kingdom was an important
force in encouraging and financing resistance to France.
Napoleon lacked the resources to attempt an invasion of
the United Kingdom or to defeat the Royal Navy at sea. His
one attempt to do so ended with defeat at the Battle of
Trafalgar in 1805. Napoleon resorted instead to economic
warfare. As a result of the Industrial Revolution, Great
Britain was emerging as Europe's manufacturing center,
and Napoleon believed it would be vulnerable to embargo
on trade with the European nations under his control.
V. Napoleon’s 3 Mistakes that Lead to the
Collapse of His Empire:
1. The Continental System,
1806-1812




Designed to cripple the
British economy
Cut off all trade b/w the
Grand Alliance & Britain
– a “blockade” of British
colonial goods into the
European continent
Backfired when GB
began their own
blockade of all ships
bound for the continent
b/c GB controlled seas
Actually weakened
French economy &
angered Napoleon’s
allies, who were angered
over loss of access to
British goods
(Read Only) The Continental System
However bad the Continental System was for
Britain, it was disastrous for Napoleon
because it backfired on him. French customs
revenue fell and European nations were
starved of British colonial goods: coffee,
sugar, tobacco, cocoa, and cotton textiles.
Apart from cotton, the imported goods were
addictive luxuries and people resented the
French depriving them of these commodities.
Replacement items such as sugar beet and
linen were not tolerated. The British blockade
of European ports and the scarcity of goods
created a rise in European nationalism.
(Read Only) The Peninsular War, 1808-1813


By the Convention of Fontainbleu in November 1807, the
Spanish government agreed to allow a French army to pass
through Spain to attack Portugal; in return, most of the
conquered Portugal would become Spanish territory.
Napoleon decided that it was unlikely that Spain would be
able to complete its agreement and sent in French armies
to conquer the country. Napoleon summoned the Royal
Family to meet him in Bayonne where he persuaded them
to hand over their claim to the Spanish crown. Napoleon
then installed his brother Joseph as King of Spain. The
result of this action was riots in Madrid and uprisings in
each of the Spanish provinces that were led by the landed
magnates and local clergy. Companies of Spanish
volunteers were formed and any Frenchmen and/or
supporters of the French régime were massacred.
2. Rise of Nationalism
The Peninsular War,
1808-1813
A.



Portugal was ignoring
the Continental System;
Napoleon wanted to send
his troops through Spain
to invade Portugal
Napoleon installed his
brother, Joseph, on the
Spanish throne
Spanish peasant fighters,
guerillas, attacked
Napoleon’s troops in the
spirit of nationalism

Francisco de Goya, the Third of May, 1808
Completed 1814, Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain

Catholics feared
undermining of Church
in Spain
French Army lost
300,000 soldiers,
weakening the Empire
3. Invasion of Russia, 1812



Russia refused to
implement the Continental
System leading directly to
the Moscow Campaign of
1812.
Russian Army implements
the “scorched earth
policy”: retreat eastward
burning & killing
crops/livestock along the
way, leaving no food for
invading army
By the time the GA
retreats, winter has set in
 Russian raiders attack
 Soldiers starve & freeze
to death
 Began w/ 600,000; only
40,000 troops survive
VI. The Empire Collapses
A.
1.
Sensing weakness, GB forms a 4th
Coalition w/ Russia, Prussia, Sweden to
invade France & regain lost territory
1813, Battle of Leipzig, Napoleon’s army is
defeated


The largest battle of the Napoleonic Wars –
also called the Battle of Nations
“One should not believe but they are really
attacking me.” -Napoleon at Leipzig
1814, 4th Coalition captures
Paris
3.
Napoleon is exiled to Elba &
Louis XVIII is restored as King
2.
The Empire Collapses
B.
The Hundred Days
1.
2.
3.
C.
The Battle of Waterloo, June 15, 1815
1.
D.
March 1, 1815: Napoleon escapes & returns to Paris
French enthusiastically join his army & restore him as
Emperor Napoleon I
Grand Alliance gets armies together
Under the command of the Duke of Wellington, British
& Prussian armies finally defeat Napoleon
Exile to St. Helena
1.
Dies in 1821
Ch. 4.2: Reaction &
Revolution
The Congress of Vienna & the
Concert of Europe, 1815-1848
I. Metternich Restores Stability
A.
1.
2.
Congress of Vienna, 1814-15
The 5 “Great Powers” met to set
up policies to achieve a lasting
peace in post-Napoleonic Europe
Prince Klemens von Metternich
of Austria was the most
influential & was very distrustful
of democratic ideals of the
French Rev.
Emperor Francis I of Austria
Wellesley, Duke
of Wellington,
Britain
King Frederick
William III of
Prussia
Czar Alexander I of Russia
Talleyrand of France
Prince Klemens von
Metternich of Austria
B. Metternich’s 3 Goals:
1.
2.
3.
Containment of France:
prevent future aggression by
surrounding France w/
strong countries
Restore a Balance of
Power: no country would be
a threat to others
 C. of V. was easy on
France:
 Forced to give up
territories Napoleon took,
but kept 1790 boundaries
& overseas possessions,
army & gov
Legitimacy: Restore
Europe’s families to thrones
that had been driven out by
Napoleon
 France: Louis XVIII ruled
as a Constitutional
Monarch
 Spain, Italy, Germany:
rulers restored
C. (READ ONLY) Success of C. of V.
1.
2.
Did not leave
countries dissatisfied,
thus able to prevent
future wars
From June 1815 –
1853 none of the
Great Powers
engaged in war w/
each other (and some
until 1914 – WWI)
II. Political Changes
A.

1.
Conservative Europe
As monarchs were restored to
power, concern for ideals of
Rev.
Holy Alliance, 1815

2.
Concert of Europe / Principle
of Intervention

3.
League b/w Austria, Russia, &
Prussia to help each other in case
of revolution based on Christian
values
A series of alliances created by
Metternich to assure aid if
revolution broke out
Gov. still divided over ideas of
revolution



Liberals wanted more power
Middle classes wanted right to
vote
Conservatives tried to suppress
revolutionary goals
Areas of
Rev.
18201831
B. Long Term Legacy
1.
2.
3.
Growth of nationalism
in Italy, Germany, and
Greece
Independence of
Spanish colonies in
Latin America
Growth of democratic
ideas