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Chapter 18
French Revolution
• In the late 1780’s,
France’s population was
divided economically and
politically.
• The taille was France’s
chief tax and of France’s
three estates the Third
Estate (commoners) was
NOT exempt from the
taille.
• Therefore, the clergy
& the nobility stayed
wealthy and immune
to economic problems
although the majority
of France’s population
was the 3rd estate.
• The bourgeoisies were
middle class people
who made up part of
the third estate.
• The middle class
became sick of the
privileges of the clergy
& nobility and
demanded change.
French Women rioting for bread
• On the verge of complete
financial collapse, Louis
XVI was finally forced to
call a meeting of the
Estates-General to raise
new taxes.
• Since each Estate had one
vote, the third estate
would be out cast.
• Therefore, the Third estate
left the meeting and
formed its own legislative
department called the
National Assembly.
• They were then locked out
of the General Assembly
area, so they moved to a
nearby Tennis Court.
Tennis Court Oath
Tennis Court
signatures
• The French National
Assembly swore the
Tennis Court Oath,
which was a vow to
continue to meet until
they had produced a
French constitution.
• Louis XVI declared he
would use force against the
National Assembly, but he
was forced to accept the
National Assembly’s
decrees because thousands
of armed Parisian women
descended on the palace and
captured him and his family.
• This is known as Bastille
Day or Independence Day
(July 14th, 1789)
Lady Liberty Leading the People
• Soon a document
called The Declaration
of the Rights of Man
and the Citizen –
which was inspired by
the American
Declaration of
Independence,
proclaimed equal
rights for all men.
• But, the declaration
had no political rights
for women.
• Outraged, political
activist Olympe de
Gouges demanded
equal political rights
for women from the
new French National
Assembly
• A new reform movement
occurred in the French
churches.
• According to the Civil
Constitution of the Clergy,
bishops and priests were
to be elected by the people
and paid by the state.
• A new constitution was
made in 1791.
• Under the Constitution
of 1791, the
Legislative Assembly
would be established
and make the laws.
• Unhappy with the lack
of progress in late
1792, a group called
the Paris Commune
seized political power
from the Legislative
Assembly.
• This group used the term
sans-culottes, meaning
“without breeches,” which
implied that the members
of this political group
were ordinary patriots
without fine clothes – the
working class or common
citizen.
• The Paris
Commune set the
stage for a more
radical and violent
era in the French
Revolution.
• The Jacobin club
was one of the
larger networks of
political groups
throughout France.
The Girondins
• However, this group
soon split into
factions, or dissenting
groups, over the fate
of the ousted king.
• The two main factions
were Mountain & the
Girondins both part of
a larger membership
called the Jacobins.
• The difference
between the Girondins
and the Mountain was
that the Girondins
leaned toward keeping
the king alive, while
the Mountain wanted
the king executed.
• In response to threats
against the
government (called the
National Convention)
if the king were
executed, the
Committee of Public
Safety was given
broad powers to
defend France.
• Maximilian Robespierre
was the brutal head of the
Committee of Public
Safety.
• He brought forth the
Reign of Terror, a time
where revolutionary courts
were set up to prosecute
internal enemies of the
state.
• Over 40,000 people were
killed during this time for
their political views
opposing the National
Convention - including
Olympe de Gouges.
• The guillotine (an
execution machine) was
well used. And, when that
was too slow, grapeshot
put the condemned in
mass graves.
Robespierre showing decapitated head of Louis XVI
• In its attempts to
create a new order that
reflected its belief in
reason, the National
Convention pursued a
policy of deChristianization, going
so far as to adopt a
new calendar.
De-Christianization of Europe
National Convention executing Robespierre
• With the terror over, the
National Convention
reduced the power of the
Committee and set up a
new legislative assembly
known as the Directory.
• The Directory could not
solve the immense
economic problems of
France and increasingly
relied on military power to
control its people.
At this time (1792) France was attacked by Britain
And other countries trying to take advantage of its
weakness during its chaos of revolution.
• By 1799, Napoleon’s coup
d’état overthrew the
Directory to establish his
consulate and the start of
his Empire.
• Napoleon declared himself
emperor and made peace
with the Church by
declaring France a
Catholic country.
• He established seven
legal codes.
• The most important
was the Civil Code or
Napoleonic Code.
• The Napoleonic Code
preserved most of the
rights of the people
gained by the
revolution.
• He established a new
bureaucracy based on
merit rather than social
status.
• Promotion within
Napoleon’s new
bureaucracy was based
on ability only, not
rank or birth.
• As Napoleon gained
power within the
country, he conquered
other countries in
Europe establishing
his empire.
• The three major parts of Napoleon’s Grand Empire
were the French Empire, the dependent states, and
the allied states.
• The two major reasons
that Napoleon’s Grand
Empire collapsed were
the survival of Great
Britain and the force
of nationalism.
• Great Britain was one
of the few major
European powers that
survived the French
onslaught of war –
mainly due to its
superior navy.
Admiral Lord (Horatio) Nelson
British fleet v. French fleet
Battle of Trafalgar
• Also, hatred of the French spread across the peoples of
Europe stirring their sense of nationality and unity to
fight the French.
• Napoleon made one of his
few mistakes by trying to
invade Russia.
• The Russians defeated
Napoleon’s superior
Grand Army by retreating
hundreds of miles and
burning their own villages
and countryside.
• Napoleon was attacked by
other European countries
and exiled to Elba Island
off the coast of Tuscany.
• Why not kill him?
• He escaped back into
France to a hero’s
welcome and reestablished himself as
ruler.
“Napo-alone”
• He soon went on the
offensive and met
British and other
European forces in
Belgium at the Battle
of Waterloo.
• In his final battle, the
Duke of Wellington
defeated Napoleon and
he was again exiled to
St. Helena where he
died of stomach cancer
(supposedly).
Arthur Wellesly – 1st Duke of Wellington
End