French Revolution 1789And Age of Napoleon
French Revolution 1789and 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
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 were-
French Empire
Dependent States
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.
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 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.
Legacy of Napoleon
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