Transcript French Rev1 - Elmwood Park Memorial High School

Understanding the French Revolution
By
Mr. Stankus
Causes of the
Revolution
Why was France heading toward a
revolution in 1789?
Vocabulary
•Bourgeoisie
•Louis XVI
•Marie-Antoinette
Reading: Background of
French Revolution
• Various social, political, and economic conditions led to the
revolution. These conditions included dissatisfaction among the
lower and middle classes, interest in new ideas about
government, and financial problems caused by the costs of wars.
• Legal divisions among social groups that had existed for
hundreds of years created much discontent. According to law,
French society consisted of three groups called estates. Members
of the clergy made up the first estate, nobles the second, and the
rest of the people the third. The peasants formed the largest
group in the third estate. Many of them earned so little that
they could barely feed their families. The third estate also
included the working people of the cities and a large and
prosperous middle class made up chiefly of merchants, lawyers,
and government officials.
Reading: Background of
French Revolution
• The third estate resented certain advantages of the first
two estates. The clergy and nobles did not have to pay
most taxes. The third estate, especially the peasants, had
to provide almost all the country's tax revenue. Many
members of the middle class were also troubled by their
social status. They were among the most important
people in French society but were not recognized as such
because they belonged to the third estate.
Reading: Background of
French Revolution
• The new ideas about government challenged France's
absolute monarchy. Under this system, the king had
almost unlimited authority. He governed by divine right-that is, the monarch's right to rule was thought to come
from God. There were checks on the king, but these came
mainly from a few groups of aristocrats in the
parlements (high courts). During the 1700's, French
writers called philosophes and philosophers from other
countries raised new ideas about freedom. Some of these
thinkers, including Jean-Jacques Rousseau, suggested
that the right to govern came from the people.
Political unrest
• Government (absolute monarchy) was oppressing the
people.
• Most people felt the government was not representing
them.
• Wealthy and Powerful People of the Middle Class
were not recognized by the Government.
• 3rd Estate unfairly taxed
• Inequality of classes
Estates General
Each section gets one vote
King
1st Estate
Clergy
150 members
Commoners consisted of
Workers, Peasants, and
2nd Estate
Bourgeoisie (Merchants,
Lords
150 members Businessmen, Bankers, Doctors,
Lawyers and Craftsmen)
3rd Estate
Commoners
(97% of population)
300 Members
The 1st and 2nd Estates
represented the Nobility
The King and the Nobility were
exempt from most taxes
Revolutionary
Ideas
• Enlightenment thinkers spread new ideas about the
rights of people and role of government.
–
–
–
–
Life, Liberty, and Property
Social Contract Theory (Government serves the people)
People are Citizens; not subjects
People are by nature good and turn bad because of poor
government
• American Revolution
– French Soldiers who aided the Americans in gaining freedom
from the British Monarch brought these ideas back to
France.
Financial
mismanagement
• King Louis XIV’s wars
and large living put France
into debt
– Spanish wars of succession
– Palace of Versailles
• King Louis XVI’s large
living put France into debt
– American Revolution
– Marie Antoinette
Review
• What were the four main causes of the French
Revolution?
• What was the King’s government called?
• What estate made up most of France?
• Why was there resentment in the government?
Quiz
Causes of the French Revolution
The Revolution
Begins
An Analysis of the Immediate
Causes of the French Revolution
Vocabulary
• Emigres
• Conservatives
• Moderates
• Radicals
• Liberals
• Reactionaires
Reading: The
Revolution Begins
• The Estates-General opened on May 5, 1789, at
Versailles, near Paris. Most members of the first two
estates wanted each of the three estates to take up
matters and vote on them separately by estate. The
third estate had as many representatives as the other
two estates combined. It insisted that all the estates
be merged into one national assembly and that each
representative have one vote. The third estate also
wanted the Estates-General to write a constitution.
Reading: The
Revolution Begins
• The king and the first two estates refused the
demands of the third estate. In June 1789, the
representatives of the third estate declared themselves
the National Assembly of France. They gathered at a
tennis court and pledged not to disband until they
had written a constitution. This vow became known
as the Oath of the Tennis Court. Louis XVI then
allowed the three estates to join together as the
National Assembly. But he began to gather troops to
break up the Assembly.
Review
•What two things did the Estates
General want?
•What two things did the National
assembly do?
The Tennis Court
Oath
The 3rd Estate, upset because of a lack
of representation, walks out to tennis
court.
King
1st
Estate
Clergy
150 members
2nd
Estate
Lords
150 members
Together they swear an oath not to go
back in until their demands are met.
Constitutional
Monarchy!
3rd Estate
Commoners
300 Members
One person
one vote!
Reading: The
Revolution Begins
• Meanwhile, the masses of France also took action. On July 14,
1789, a huge crowd of Parisians rushed to the Bastille. They
believed they would find arms and ammunition there for use in
defending themselves against the king's army. The people
captured the Bastille and began to tear it down. At the same
time, leaders in Paris formed a revolutionary city government.
Massive peasant uprisings against nobles also broke out in the
countryside. A few nobles decided to flee France, and many
more followed in the next five years. These people were called
emigres because they emigrated. The uprisings in town and
countryside saved the National Assembly from being disbanded
by the king.
King’s Response
Reading: The
Revolution Begins
• The National Assembly. In August 1789, the
Assembly adopted the Decrees of August 4 and the
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
The decrees abolished some feudal dues that the
peasants owed their landlords, the tax advantages of
the clergy and nobles, and regional privileges. The
declaration guaranteed the same basic rights to all
citizens, including "liberty, property, security, and
resistance to oppression" as well as representative
government.
The French
Revolution
How did the Revolution lose its direction?
French Revolution 1789-1799
National Assembly
1789-91
Constitution and
Declaration of the
Rights of Man
Absolute
Monarchy
Estates General
National Assembly
•The Assembly later drafted a constitution
that made France a limited monarchy with
a one-house legislature. France was
divided into 83 regions called departments,
each with elected councils for local
government. But the right to vote and
hold public office was limited to citizens
who paid a certain amount of taxes.
National Assembly
• The Assembly seized the property of the Roman Catholic
Church. The church lands amounted to about a tenth of the
country's land. Much of the church land was sold to rich
peasants and members of the middle class. Money from the
land sales was used to pay some of the nation's huge debt.
Complete religious tolerance was extended to Protestants and
Jews. The Assembly also reformed the court system by
requiring the election of judges. By September 1791, the
National Assembly believed that the revolution was over. It
disbanded at the end of the month to make way for the newly
elected Legislative Assembly.
National Assembly
• Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
– Equality under the law
– Freedom of :
•
•
•
•
•
Speech
Press
Religion
Assembly
Unlawful arrest
• Civil Constitution of the Clergy
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–
–
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No church tithe
Seize church land
Religious freedom
Clergy under state control
• Constitution of 1791- limited Monarchy
Review
•What three things did the National
assembly do?
–Drafted a Constitution
–Declaration of the Rights of Man
–Seized property of Catholic Church and
sold to wealthy middle class
Quiz
Immediate Causes of Revolution
French Revolution 1789-1799
Legislative
Assembly Limited
Constitutional
Monarchy 1791-92
National Assembly
Constitution and
Declaration of the
Rights of Man
Absolute
Monarchy
Estates General
vocabulary
• Conscription
• Universal Manhood
Suffrage
• Coup d etat
• Georges-Jacques Danton
• Maximilien Robespierre
•
•
•
•
Jean-Paul Marat
Reign of Terror
Napoleon Bonaparte
Josephine de Beauharnais
Legislative
Assembly
• Constitutional powers of Government
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–
–
–
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No noble or feudal titles
3 branch govt. legislative, executive, Judicial
King is sacred but rules under law
All citizens able to run for office
All citizens have freedoms: assemble, worship, speak
,write, come and go, to property
– Voting rights: Frenchman, 25yrs, pay taxes, own
property, cannot be a servant
The Legislative
Assembly
• The new Assembly, made up mainly of representatives of the middle class,
opened on Oct. 1, 1791. It soon faced several challenges. The government's
stability depended on cooperation between the king and the legislature. But
Louis XVI remained opposed to the revolution. He asked other rulers for
help in stopping it, and plotted with aristocrats and emigres to overthrow
the new government. In addition, public opinion became bitterly divided.
The revolution's religious policy angered many Catholics. Other people
demanded stronger measures against opponents of the revolution.
• The new government also faced a foreign threat. In April 1792, it went to
war against Austria and Prussia. These nations wished to restore the king
and emigres to their positions. The foreign armies defeated French forces in
the early fighting and invaded France. Louis XVI and his supporters
clearly hoped for the victory of the invaders. As a result, angry
revolutionaries in Paris and other areas demanded that the king be
dethroned.
The Legislative
Assembly
• In August 1792, the people of Paris took custody of Louis XVI and his
family and imprisoned them. Louis's removal ended the constitutional
monarchy. The Assembly then called for a National Convention to be
chosen in an election open to nearly all French males age 21 or older, and for
a new constitution.
• Meanwhile, French armies suffered more military defeats. Parisians feared
that the invading armies would soon reach the city. Parisians also feared an
uprising by the large number of people in the city's prisons. In the first week
of September, small numbers of Parisians took the law into their own hands
and executed more than 1,000 prisoners. These executions, called the
September Massacres, turned many people in France and Europe against the
revolution. On September 20, French forces defeated a Prussian army in the
Battle of Valmy. This victory, which prevented the Prussians from
advancing on Paris, helped end the crisis.
Review
• Why did the legislative assembly fail?
– King fought against loss of power
– Catholics were angered by loss of church property and
rights
– Prussia and Austria invade France to restore emigres
French Revolution 1789-1799
National
Convention
Legislative
Assembly Limited
Constitutional
Monarchy 1791-92
Republic 1792-93
Democratic
Constitution (all
males can vote)
National Assembly
Constitution and
Declaration of the
Rights of Man
Absolute
Monarchy
Estates General
National Convention
• The king's removal led to a new stage in the revolution. The
first stage had been a liberal middle-class reform movement
based on a constitutional monarchy. The second stage was
organized around principles of democracy. The National
Convention opened on Sept. 21, 1792, and declared France a
republic. The republic's official slogan was "Liberty,
Equality, Fraternity."
• Louis XVI was placed on trial for betraying the country. The
National Convention found him guilty of treason, and a slim
majority voted for the death penalty. The king was beheaded
on the guillotine on Jan. 21, 1793. The revolution gradually
grew more radical--that is, more open to extreme and violent
change. Radical leaders came into prominence.
French Revolution 1789-1799
National
Convention
Legislative
Assembly Limited
Constitutional
Monarchy 1791-92
Republic 1792-93
Democratic
Constitution (all
males can vote)
Jacobins: Reign
of Terror (King
and Monarchist
executed) 1794
Robspierre
National Assembly
Constitution and
Declaration of the
Rights of Man
Absolute
Monarchy
Estates General
Reign of Terror
• The Jacobin government was dictatorial and democratic. It was
dictatorial because it suspended civil rights and political freedom in the
emergency. The Convention's Committee of Public Safety took over
actual rule of France, controlling local governments, the armed forces,
and other institutions.
• The committee governed during the most terrible period of the
revolution. Its leaders included Robespierre, Lazare Carnot, and
Bertrand Barere. The Convention declared a policy of terror against
rebels, supporters of the king or the Gironde, and anyone else who
publicly disagreed with official policy. Hundreds of thousands of
suspects were jailed. Courts handed down about 18,000 death sentences
in what was called the Reign of Terror. Paris became used to the rattle
of two-wheeled carts called tumbrels carrying people to the guillotine.
Victims included Marie Antoinette, widow of Louis XVI.
Reign of Terror
French Revolution 1789-1799
Thermadorian Reaction
National
Convention
Republic 1792-93
Democratic
Constitution (all
males can vote)
Jacobins: Reign
of Terror (King
and Monarchist
executed) 1794
Robspierre
Legislative
Assembly Limited
Constitutional
Monarchy 1791-92
Directory 1795
Abolished Democratic
reforms of Republic
National Assembly
Constitution and
Declaration of the
Rights of Man
Absolute
Monarchy
Estates General
Thermadorian
Reaction
• The revolution ends. In time, the radicals began to struggle for power
among themselves. Robespierre succeeded in having Danton and other
former leaders executed. Many people in France wished to end the
Reign of Terror, the Jacobin dictatorship, and the democratic revolution.
Robespierre's enemies in the Convention finally attacked him as a tyrant
on July 27 (9 Thermidor by the French calendar), 1794. He was
executed the next day. The Reign of Terror ended after Robespierre's
death. Conservatives gained control of the Convention and drove the
Jacobins from power. Most of the democratic reforms of the past two
years were abolished in what became known as the Thermidorian
Reaction.
• The Convention replaced the democratic constitution it had adopted in
1793 with a new one in 1795. The government formed under this new
constitution was called the Directory, referring to the five-man
executive directory that ruled along with a two-house legislature.
France was still a republic, but once again only citizens who paid a
certain amount of taxes could vote.
Napoleon
• Meanwhile, France was winning victories on the battlefield.
French armies had pushed back the invaders and crossed into
Belgium, Germany, and Italy.
• The Directory began meeting in October 1795. But it was
troubled by war, economic problems, and opposition from
supporters of monarchy and former Jacobins. In October
1799, a number of political leaders plotted to overthrow the
Directory. They needed military support and turned to
Napoleon Bonaparte, a French general who had become a
hero in a military campaign in Italy in 1796 and 1797.
Bonaparte seized control of the government on Nov. 9 (18
Brumaire in the revolutionary calendar), 1799, ending the
revolution.
Quiz
Phases of Revolution
The Age of Napoleon
1799-1814
Objective: Was Napoleon a friend or an
enemy to the revolution?
Vocabulary
• Plebiscite
• Concordat
• Nationalism
• Horatio Nelson
• Scorched-earth policy • Duke of Wellington
• Napoleonic Code
Napoleon
• Napoleon – 1st modern dictator, under a republic
– Brought stability and safety after chaos of revolution
– First five years of government called consolate (approve or reject
Napoleon’s ideas)
Napoleon
• Age of Empire 1804
– Napoleon crowns himself emperor
– Plans to take over New World (USA)
– Universal conscription (draft)
– Promotion by ability
– Takes over most of Europe except, Portugal, Britain, Sweden and
Russia
• Napoleon;s downfall
– The Peninsula war- Spain
– Defeat in Russia Scorched earth policy, Russian Winter
– Napoleon returns (100 days)
– Battle of Waterloo final defeat
Napoleon
• Accomplishments
– French laws, Napoleonic Code, Centralized Government
• Uniform code of laws
• Equal treatment
• Trial by Jury
– Finances back in order
• Bank of France promoted sound financial policy
• Debt paid off
• Taxes collected fairly
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–
–
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Public education
Public works, beautifies Paris
Made peace with European countries and catholic church
Legion of Honor-distinguished service regardless of social status
Napoleon
• Influence of Napoleon on France and Europe
– Conqueror of Europe
– Empire too complex to be ruled
– Napoleon blamed for decline in trade and
shortages
– Dictator who encouraged nationalism
– Spread ideas of equality throughout Europe and
ended Old Regime conditions
Napoleon
• Napoleon’s Legacy
– Growth of militarism
– Aroused nationalism among conquered people
– Caused widespread destruction and loss of life
– Dislocated Europe’s economy
– Placed heavy tax burden on conquered people
– 1st modern dictator
Turning Back the
Clock
How did the Congress of Vienna Turn
Back the Clock of Political Progress?
Reading: Congress
of Vienna
• A meeting held from late 1814 through early 1815 to settle the issues
arising from almost 25 years of war between France and the rest of
Europe. The congress decided how Europe would be ruled after the
imminent defeat of the French emperor and military leader Napoleon I.
The workable settlements made in Vienna, Austria, won credit for
helping avoid any wide European conflict for 100 years afterward.
• The chief decisions were made by representatives of the victorious
Quadruple Alliance--Austria, Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia--and
of France. The congress restored many European kings and princes who
were forced from power by Napoleon or by forces associated with the
French Revolution (1789-1799). The restored rulers included the
monarchs of Spain and of what is now southern Italy and the rulers of
a number of states in Germany and northern Italy.
Role Play
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SETTING: Napoleon’s army has been defeated. A meeting was held from late 1814 through early 1815 to settle the
issues arising from almost 25 years of war between France and the rest of Europe. The congress decided how Europe
would be ruled after the imminent defeat of the French emperor and military leader Napoleon I. The chief decisions
were made by representatives of the victorious Quadruple Alliance—Prince Metternich of Austria, Lord Castlereagh
of Great Britain, King Frederick William III of Prussia, and Czar Alexander I of Russia--and Prince Charles de
Talleyand of France.
Prince Metternich: Gentlemen the task is now before us to restore peace to the continent of Europe. A great wave of
destruction in the name of revolution has devastated our countries. Napoleon and his radical followers have proved that
power in the hands of the irresponsible masses is dangerous. It is up to us, the Divinely appointed nobility to restore
order to the masses of Europe.
Czar Alexander I: Good and Noble men, power cannot be trusted in the hands of the many. Our war with Napoleon
has proven that. Russia has been left devastated. Millions of Russians have lost their lives defending the thrown of
their Czar. And I know that thousands of other Europeans have lost their lives in the defense of their monarchs. We
owe it to those who gave their lives to restore the monarchs. If we do not restore the royal families of Europe then all
our fighting would be in vain.
Lord Castlereagh: I agree, we noble few must establish order and reassign each man their rightful place according to
divine will. The Lords and the commoners must respect each other for their role in our society. Even though England
does respect the rights of all men, we still believe in the need for the educated few to guide the lives of the uneducated
masses.
A Voice from the back of the room: I agree with you on some points Lord Castlereagh, but what if the masses are
educated? Do they not have a right to equal protection and equal status? Doesn’t the educated have a right to choose
how they should be ruled?
Role Play
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King Frederick: Who is that at the back of the room? You sir, what noble title do you hold?
A Voice from the back of the room: None that I know of sir. However God has given me a voice the same as you.
King Frederick: Then what right do you have to talk! You are a commoner, it is because of radicals like you that so
many have died! Your liberal views of freedom and equality have almost destroyed Europe! The rule of the masses has
only brought chaos and anarchy.
A Voice from the back of the room: You say that these wars happened because of the disorder of the masses. I say
that these wars happened because of the abusive powers of the nobility! The people have had enough of absolute rulers!
Those that have died on the battlefield were not defending the monarchy they were defending their homes! Noblemen
and peasants were both “equal” enough to die together on the battlefields of Europe but now they are not “equal”
enough to rule together or have the same rights as you! You (pointing to the Czar) do not honor the lives of Russians by
denying their families the basic rights of equality! All of you put together cannot stop the voices of the people, we shall
be heard!
Prince Metternich: Guards remove this radical from our sight!
Three guards approach the man and start struggling with him. He becomes violent and has to be dragged out.
A Voice from the back of the room: (as he is being dragged out) Via la France!, We the people of the revolution shall
all see your heads rolling just like old king Louis! Your days are over “liberty, fraterity, and justice shall prevail.
Talleyrand: Gentlemen, yes my country was the birth of this radical revolution, and you can see the violent nature of it
exhibited in this man. My country has seen a lot of bloodshed. If we can restore order, even though it may mean
denying certain rights of mankind, I would much rather have peace and order, than chaos and violence in the disguise of
freedom.
Prince Metternich: This radical, is like many of his kind they are like children without the control of their parents.
Gentlemen, it is up to us to restore the family of Europe. It is up to us as parents (monarchs)to bring order to our house
(kingdoms) and start disciplining our children (peasants). Let us together restore the rule of the Monarchs and teach our
people the proper ways of living. Maybe some day mankind will be mature enough to talk about freedom and equality,
but as for now we must treat them as parents treat their children.
Reading: Congress of
Vienna
• A meeting held from late 1814 through early 1815 to settle the issues
arising from almost 25 years of war between France and the rest of
Europe. The congress decided how Europe would be ruled after the
imminent defeat of the French emperor and military leader Napoleon I.
The workable settlements made in Vienna, Austria, won credit for
helping avoid any wide European conflict for 100 years afterward.
• The chief decisions were made by representatives of the victorious
Quadruple Alliance--Austria, Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia--and
of France. The congress restored many European kings and princes who
were forced from power by Napoleon or by forces associated with the
French Revolution (1789-1799). The restored rulers included the
monarchs of Spain and of what is now southern Italy and the rulers of
a number of states in Germany and northern Italy.
Reading: Congress of Vienna
• The congress also ratified several allied conquests. Britain retained a number of
colonies it had seized during the fighting. Russia kept Finland and Bessarabia
and won most of Poland. Austria and Prussia regained control of the remaining
parts of Poland.
• In addition, the congress attempted to limit the power of France by placing
strong countries on France's borders. For example, the congress created the
Kingdom of the Netherlands on the northeastern border of France by joining
together Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg. Prussia received German
territories that bordered eastern France, and Austria gained major provinces in
northern Italy.
• The Congress of Vienna was bitterly criticized for many years because it ignored
the strong democratic and nationalistic sentiments of many Europeans. These
sentiments contributed to democratic revolutions in numerous European
countries in 1830 and 1848 and to nationalistic movements in Germany and
Italy. But some historians have praised the Congress of Vienna for creating a
balance of power in Europe and for not treating defeated France too harshly.