Name: ______Period: ______
Date: ______Global Studies II – French Revolution
The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte in France
In July 1794, some members of the National Convention turned on Maximilen Robespierre as they feared for their safety. After his arrest, Robespierre was sent to the guillotine in 1794, effectively ending the Reign of Terror; a new government called the DIRECTORY was established in France. The Directory was controlled by a group of five. This new government proved to be too weak to deal with the problems that faced France after the Revolution. French Families were not able to pay the high prices for food, housing and clothing. The government itself needed money. Many people wanted to bring the monarchy back as a way of restoring order and a stable life in France. While many people of the 3rd Estate were treated unfairly under the Old Regime (the King / Queen), life wasn’t so chaotic. People of all classes had grown tired of the Terror; they were also tired of the skyrocketing prices for bread, salt and other goods.
In addition to the problems that existed within France, the country had been engaged in a war with Austria and Prussia since 1792. In 1793, England and Spain joined the conflict against the French. The Directory strongly supported the French armies in the ongoing war in Europe. The leader who would bring new military glory to France was a brilliant young officer named Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon Bonaparte was born on the Mediterranean island of Corsica in 1769. Napoleon studied at military schools in France and fought on the side of the revolutionaries in the French Revolution. Napoleon stood out because of his advanced military training; he was eventually made general of the French army at 24 years old.
In 1796, Napoleon was sent to drive the Austrians out of Italy. He defeated the Austrians, and two years later he invaded Egypt with the intention of weakening British influence in the Middle East. Although he was a great general, Napoleon was pinned down in Egypt and was not able to defeat the British, who were in charge of trade in Egypt. In fact, the British admiral Horatio Nelson defeated Napoleons naval forces. However, Napoleon managed to keep stories about his setbacks out of the newspapers and thereby remained a great hero to the people of France.
When Napoleon returned to France, he was hailed as a national hero. He then showed the boldness that made him famous. He quickly moved to overturn the weak government – the Director, which had lost the support of the people of France. Napoleon used the troops under his command to surround the national legislature and drive out most of its members. He staged a coup d’etat (a sudden revolution) in the fall of 1799, and named himself First Consul (similar to a dictator) of France. In 1804, Napoleon had himself crowned emperor of the French people.