Transcript The French Revolution and Napoleon

The French Revolution
and Napoleon
1789-1815
CAUSES OF THE FRENCH
REVOLUITON
 1. POLITICAL
– King ruled by divine right
– King selected officials based on birth
– King censored the people to keep down rebels
– King imprisoned enemies with out cause
– King gave no voice in the gov’t to his people
 2.SOCIAL
– FR had 3 social classes
– The 1st and 2nd estates were only 3% of
the pop., yet they owned most of the
land, had the best jobs, were not
accountable to the law, and were exempt
from taxes
 3.ECONOMIC
– The 3rd estate bore almost all taxes to
the gov’t and the church. After taxes,
most had less than half their income.
– The Bourgeoisie wanted a Laissez-faire
economy
4. The Enlightenment
5. Influence of English and US
Revolutions
– The FR desired a parliament like
gov’t and Ben Franklin and
Thomas Jefferson were
diplomats to Paris
IMMEDIATE CAUSE OF
FRENCH REVOLUTION
 FR went bankrupt in 1788
 Louis XVI summons the Estates
General- 1789-1st time in 175 years,
admitted that the absolute monarch could
not fix the problems of FR.
 Misrepresentation in the Estates General
– The 1st and 2nd estates had as many
representative as the 3ed estate
– They voted by class not by individual so the
3rd estate would be outvoted 2-1
THE REVOLUTION BEGINS
 The Estates-General becomes the National
Assembly [1789]- the 3ed Estate wanted to
be formed into a National Assembly
where each member gets a vote. Louis XVI
rejected this proposal. The 3rd Estate did it
anyway and took the Tennis Court Oath
 The storming of the Bastille [July
14,1789] Louis XVI had threatened to
break up the National Assembly
 This is their Independence Day
What did the National Assembly
Do?
 Stopped all special privileges of the 1st and
2nd estates
 Wrote the Declaration of the Rights of
Man:
 To aid the financial problems they seized
church lands [20% of FR]
– Church lands were sold off to peasants
 The Catholic church was removed from
power. Became enemy of the REV.
 Reformed the gov’t:
– Started uniform national taxes
– All laws were nationwide which helped
nationalism
 Constitution of 1791:
– Created a limited monarchy
– Laws were to be made by an elected
legislative body
– Members of the assembly had to be property
owners that were elected
Who was for and against the
revolution?
 For:
– Middle class and most peasants
 Against who wanted a republic
– Jacobins: radicals who represented the poor
classes of FR
 Against who wanted the old regime
–
–
–
–
LouisXVI
Catholics
Nobles
Other Monarchs
The End of the Limited
Monarchy
 France was invaded by Austria and Prussia
 The people overthrew the king and created
the National Convention to draw up a new
constitution.
 The 1st Fr republic executed the king
 Fr is invaded by ENG, Spain, and Holland.
 Fr defended itself and started the Reign of
Terror
Significance of the French Rev.
 Proclaimed democratic ideal through
Liberte, egalite, and fraternite
 Emphasis on nationalism
 Worldwide influence
The Napoleonic Era
 Napoleon Bonaparte-son of a porr village
lawyer. Born on the island of Corsica in
1769
 By age 30 he had become master of
FRANCE.
 Believed himself a “man of destiny”
 Very ambitious and was ruthless and
unprincipled in his rise to power
Educated in a FR military
academy
Troops were very loyal to him and
supported his political ambition
FR accepted Napoleon b/c they
were tired of Revolutionary
disorder [example reign of terror]
Napoleon’s rise to power:
 First recognition as a military hero in 1793
and 1795
 Defeated Austrian forces in Italy in 179697
 Wins victories in Egypt against ENG in
1798-99
 Coup d’Etat-swift overthrow of the
government by force- Napoleon returns to
Fr and does this in 1799
 Sets himself up as a military dictator called
the First Consul
1804- Napoleon replaces the
republic with an empire and
crowns himself as Emperor
Napoleon I, the people accepted
this. Look at what the revolution
had become?
Napoleon dominates Europe
1803-1809= Napoleon defeats
Austria, Russia, and Prussia
Controls or allied to all of Europe
except ENGLAND
His Downfall
 1. His own weaknesses
– Created empire to complex to rule
– Lust power was limitless, also stubborn
 2. England
– Had always sought a balance of power
– Napoleon threatened their colonies
 3. His Continental System
– He ordered all of Europe not to trade with
ENGLAND
– Eng. ordered all neutral nations not to trade
with Europe, led to our war of 1812
 Trade declines around the world, everyone
blames Napoleon, peasants rise up because
of hardships throughout the empire
 4. Russia
– Once an ally with FR, Russia resumes trade
with England so it can sell its grain.
– Napoleon invades Russia in 1812, Russia uses
scorched earth policy, Capture Moscow but
have to retreat because of overextended lines
and “General Winter”
– Loses 75% of his army
 5. Rising spirit of Nationalism
– People wanted their independence
from Napoleon
 6. Exhaustion of FRANCE
– Out of manpower and resources
Napoleon Exiled:
 1813-1814:He loses the Battle of Nations
in Germany and the allies invade and
capture Paris
 He is exiled to the island of Elba
 1815: he escapes and returned to France
for 100 Days. He is defeated again @ the
Battle of Waterloo and exiled to St.
Helena.
 Remained there until his death in 1821
Napoleon’s Accomplishments in
FRANCE
 Stable government
 Furthered public education
 Compromise between the France and
the Catholic Church
 Legal reform: Code of Napoleon
 Paid off debt: Bank of France[still
exists]