Transcript Chapter 23: The French Revolution

Chapter 23: The French
Revolution
“Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité”
Ch. 23 Essential Questions
1. Analyze the causes of the
French Revolution.
2. Describe the legacy of the
French Revolution and Napoleon.
Section One: The French Revolution Begins
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1700’s- France considered most advanced
country of Europe
center of Enlightenment, French culture
imitated all over the world
But as 1700’s drew to a close great unrest
brewing in France
I. The Forces of Change
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By 1780’s revolutionary mood in France
b/c of 4 main factors
A. The Old Regime (1)
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Old Regime— political & social system in
France before French Revolution
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ppl divided into 3 large social classes
called Estates
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1. First Estate (1% of pop)
Clergy of Roman Catholic Church
Owned 10% of the land in France
Contributed 2% of income to the gov’t
against Enlightenment ideas
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2. Second Estate
Rich nobles
2% of population
Owned 20-25% of the land, paid very
little taxes
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3. Third Estate
97% of population, Split into 3 sub groups
1. Bourgeoisie (boor-shwa-zee) (middle
class)—bankers, factory owners, merchants,
professionals, skilled artisans
- Very well educated, strong believers in
Enlightenment ideas
2. Workers- Trades ppl, laborers, servants
3. Peasants- 80% of 3rd Estate
 Paid 1/2 of income in taxes to king & church
All ppl of 3rd estate resent clergy & nobles for
their special treatment
B. Enlightenment Ideas (2)
 Enlightenment ideas spreading among 3rd
estate
 inspired by success of American Rev.
 began quoting ideas of Voltaire and
Rousseau- demanding equality, liberty, &
democracy
C. Economic Troubles (3)
 1780s- French economy bad b/c of…
 bad weather caused crop failures resulting in
a severe shortage of grain= price of bread
doubled in 1789, many ppl starving
 debt from previous kings and debt from
helping American Rev.
 Extravagant spending of Louis XVI and his
Queen, Marie Antoinette, added to debt
Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
D. A Weak Leader (4)
 A strong leader may have been able to solve
these problems
 Louis XVI very indecisive, allowed matters
to get out of control
 The queen, Marie Antoinette, added to
the problem- she was very unpopular b/c
she was Austrian
 spent enormous amounts on gowns, jewels,
gambling and gifts- became known as
“Madame Deficit”
II. Dawn of the Revolution
 Louis’ solution to $$ problems? tax nobles…
 Louis calls a meeting of the EstatesGeneral- assembly of representative from all
3 Estates- to approve this new tax
 May 5, 1789- the Estates-General met at
Versailles, (first time in 175 years)
The Estates General
A. The National Assembly
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New tax doesn’t pass b/c of voting laws- 3rd
estate outvoted by 1st/2nd
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3rd Estate wanted to change voting- each
delegate have one vote- gives 3rd Estate
advantage
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Louis XVI sided w/ nobles and overruled
the change to voting
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July 7th, 1789- 3rd Estate delegates make
their own legislative body- National
Assembly to pass laws/reforms
creation of the National Assembly was the
first deliberate act of revolution
Days later, after being locked out of meeting
room, National Assembly broke into indoor
tennis court and pledged to write a new
constitution for France=Tennis Court Oath
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Soon after, nobles and clergymen who favored
reform joined the National Assembly and Louis
XVI called in troops to protect VersaillesRevolution was brewing
Tennis Court Oath
B. Storming the Bastille
 Tension high, rumors flying around Paris
that Louis XVI planned on using military
force to dismiss National Assembly
 Worried of a military attack, ppl in Paris
began to gather weapons
 July 14th, 1789- a mob searching for
gunpowder stormed the Bastille- a prison
in Paris full of gun powder and weapons
 The mob killed guards and marched around
Paris with their heads on pikes- this became
symbolic act of the revolution
• storming of the Bastille viewed as true
beginning of French Revolution and July 14thBastille Day- is a French national holiday, similar
to Fourth of July in America
Click for
Video
C. A Great Fear Sweeps France
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rebellion spread from Paris to countryside
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Wild rumors that nobles hiring outlaws to
terrorize peasants- began a wave of senseless
violence called the Great Fear
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Peasants became outlaws, broke into nobles’
houses, destroying legal papers Sometimes
burn down manor house.
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Oct 1789 thousands of women marched to
Versailles to demand changes (appx. 60,000)
broke into Palace of Versailles killing some
guards, demanded Louis and Marie Antoinette
return to Paris
Louis agreed and royal family left Versailles
Section Two:
Revolution Brings Reform and
Terror
I. Assembly Reforms France
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Aug 4, 1789- Great Fear caused noblemen to
join National Assembly and agree to get rid
of 1st/2nd Estate privilege= Old Regime gone
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3 weeks later Assembly adopted the
Declaration of the Rights of Man- stated
“men are born and remain free and equal in
rights”
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Rights included- “liberty, property, security,
resistance to oppression”- also guaranteed
equal justice, freedom of speech and religion
A. Louis Tries to Escape
 While Assembly focused on reform, royal
family tried to escape to Austria, failed
 royal family returned to Paris to await their
fate
II. Divisions Develop
A. A Limited Monarchy
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1789-91 NA argued over new constitution
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Sept 1791 NA finally completed
constitution creating a limited Monarchy
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Created Legislative Assembly w/ power
to create laws and declare war
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National Assembly -> Legislative Assembly
B. Factions Split France
 Old problems of debt, food shortage still
affected France
 Legislative Assembly split into 3 groups:
1. Radicals sat on left side, wanted extreme
changes including abolishing monarchy
2. Moderates sat in middle, wanted some
changes- but not as many as radicals
3. Conservatives sat on right side, upheld
limited monarchy, wanted few changes in
gov’t
The Legislative Assembly
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Factions outside Legislative
Assembly also wanted change
Émigrés- nobles who wanted
to restore Old Regime
Sans-Culottes- “those without
knee breeches” also wanted lots
of change, found a way to exert
their power in the streets of
Paris
III. War and Execution
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Other European countries fear rev would
spread to them
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Austria & Prussia urged French to restore
Louis XVI as an absolute monarch
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April 1792- Legislative Assembly declare
war on Austria and Prussia
A. France Goes to War and Becomes a Republic
 war began badly for France
 Parisians imprison King Louis XVI, Marie
Antoinette and their children
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Sept 1792- under pressure from radicals,
Legislative Assembly put newly formed
constitution aside, dissolved monarchy, and
called for a new legislature
National Convention was formed and
declared France a Republic- gave male’s 21
and up right to vote and hold office
National Assembly  Legislative Assembly National
Convention  what’s next??
B. Jacobins Take Control
 radical political group called Jacobin Club
 Jean-Paul Marat a Jacobin newspaper
editor called for death of all who supported
King
 Georges Danton very talented speaker and
devoted himself to the rights of the poor
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Jan. 21, 1793- Louis XVI found guilty of
treason, executed by new invention,
guillotine
Marie Antoinette executed Oct. 16th 1793
Fun Facts:
•1939- last public
guillotining in
France
•1977- last
guillotining in
France
C. The War Continues
 war w/ Prussia and Austria still raging
 1793- England, Holland, Spain join fighting
the French revolutionaries
IV. The Terror Grips France
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1793- Jacobin leader began gaining
power, Maximilien Robespierre
Robespierre and his radical followers set
out to build a “republic of virtue” by
wiping out every trace of France’s past
A. Robespierre Assumes Control
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1793- Robespierre makes Committee of
Public Safety controlled France as a dictator
Committee’s main task was to protect Rev
from its “enemies”
known as Reign of Terror b/c so many were
killed in the name of “protection” of France
About 40,000 executed during Reign of Terror
B. End of the Terror
 July 1794 National Convention arrested and
executed Robespierre
 Public opinion shifted dramatically after
Robespierre’s death and radical phase of the
French Rev. was over
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National Convention drafted a new plan for
gov’t, finally gave France some order
new gov’t placed power firmly in hands of
upper middle class, made 2 house legislature
and a 5 man Directory
also found right general to command armies—
Napoleon Bonaparte
Revolutionary Gov’ts
National Assembly 
Legislative Assembly
National Convention 
Directory
Timeline Activity
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In your Journal- use your notes to create
a timeline of events in the French
Revolution we’ve covered up to this point.
Your timeline should include the following:
At least 5 events with dates
A picture for each event
Section Three: Napoleon Forges
an Empire
I. Napoleon Bonaparte Grasps Power
 Born on island of Corsica in 1769
 military school at age 9, graduated at
age 16
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When revolution broke out he joined
army of the new gov’t
A. Hero of the Hour
 1795- Rebels threatened National
Convention- Napoleon protects them
 hailed throughout Paris as the savior of the
French Republic
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Directory appointed Napoleon to lead
army against Austria, he won a series of
remarkable battles
Gained a lot of popularity w/ these
victories
had a string of defeats against Britain
but kept those out of the papers
B. Coup d’etat
 urged by friends to seize political power
 Nov 1799- surrounded building where the
Directory met, drove out most members
 few members left estb a group of 3 consuls1 of whom was Napoleon, who quickly
assumed the powers of a dictator
 sudden seizure of power is known as coup,
from the French phrase coup d’etat “blow
to the state”
II. Napoleon Rules France
A. Restoring Order at Home
 1800- plebiscite (vote) to approve a new
constitution giving all power to Napoleon
 As an absolute leader, kept many changes
of Rev
 Napoleon’s
1st priority was to rebuild
economy
 set up public schools called lycees
 signed a concordat w/ Pope Pius VII to est. a
new relationship b/w Church and State
where Church had no say in national affairs
 Also
created Napoleonic
Code- uniform set of laws
1. Limited liberty, promoted
order & authority over
individual rights
2. Took away rights of
women
3. Re-established slavery in
the Caribbean
4. Freedom of speech was
tightened
B. Napoleon Crowned as Emperor
 1804- Napoleon decided to make himself
emperor w/ support of the French voters
 at Notre Dame in Paris, Napoleon
crowned himself & his wife, Josephine
(gesture showed that he was more powerful than the church)
Coronation of Josephine
III. Napoleon Creates an Empire
 Napoleon not content ruling just
France; wanted to control rest of
Europe & reassert French power in the
Americas
 Napoleon failed- instead he sold the
Louisiana Territory to Thomas Jefferson
for $15 million
B. The Battle of Trafalgar
 Napoleon focused on creating his European
Empire
 lost only one major battle- 1805- Battle of
Trafalgar against Horatio Nelson and
the British navy
 Napoleon’s efforts to control England would
lead to his own undoing
C. The French Empire
 1st decade of 1800’s, Napoleon’s victories
gave him rule over most of Europe
 only controlled it for 5 years from
1807-1812
* Engineering and Empire clip- Napoleon
Start at 30 counter
* Gaga Clip
Section Four: Napoleon’s Empire
Collapses
I. Napoleons Three Costly Mistakes
 Napoleon’s own personality greatest danger
to empire
 efforts to extend Empire and crush Britain=
Napoleon made 3 disastrous mistakes
1. The Continental System
 1806- Napoleon set up blockade to prevent
trade w/ Great Britain
 called Continental System (trying destroy
Britain’s trade economy)
 blockade
through
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failed, Britain was able to get ships
Continental System ended up hurting the
French economy 
2. The Peninsular War
 1808- Portugal ignoring Continental System
so he sent troops through Spain to invade
Portugal
 outraged Spanish- attack French troopsNapoleon lost 300,000 troops during this
Peninsular War against Portugal/Spain
3. The Invasion of Russia
 1812- Russia ignored Continental System
 Napoleon invaded Russia in June of 1812just before winter
 Russians used scorched-earth policy—
retreated burning grain fields and
slaughtering livestock to leave nothing for
enemy to eat
 Napoleon had to return to France- it was
Oct, winter was upon them
 When
Napoleon’s Grand Army finally left
Russia there were only 10,000 of the
original 420,000 men still alive
II. Napoleon’s Down Fall
 Britain, Russia, Prussia, Sweden attack
France
 1814- Napoleon finally defeated and exiled
to Elba, a small island off Italian coast
 French
restored monarchy w/ Louis XVI’s
brother, Louis XVIII- very unpopular w/ ppl
 Napoleon escapes Elba on March 1, 1815 to
return to France, w/in days he is again
emperor
 European allies attack, Napoleon defeated
by British and Prussian forces at Battle of
Waterloo
 defeat ended Napoleon’s last bid for power
called the Hundred Days
 British
exiled Napoleon to Saint Helena
 Napoleon lived there for 6 years
eventually died of a stomach ailment
 defeat of Napoleon opened the door for a
new era of power in Europe- what are
they going to do now?
Section Five: The Congress of
Vienna
I. The Congress of Vienna
 1814-heads of European gov’ts wanted to
estb lasting peace/stability in Europe
 leaders of 5 “great powers” of Europe
(Russia, Prussia, Austria, England, France)
met in Vienna, Austria in meetings called the
Congress of Vienna to discuss this goal
 most influential rep was foreign minister from
Austria, Klemens von Metternich
II. Metternich’s Plan for Europe
 Metternich distrusted democratic ideals
of Enlightenment and sought to return
European politics to a pre-rev state
 Metternich had 3 goals for Europe:
1.
Prevent future French aggression
2.
restore a balance of power among nations
in Europe
3.
restore Europe’s royal families to their
thrones
III. Political Changes Beyond Vienna
 leaders of Europe very nervous about
more revolutions
 nations agreed in the Concert of
Europe to help one another if a
revolution broke out in their nation
IV. Legacy of French Rev and Congress of
Vienna
 French Rev and Congress of Vienna
influence European politics for next 100yrs
 Congress of Vienna sought to undo
changes- but further ignited ppl’s
commitment to democratic gov’t
 a new era had begun