european history part i: french revolution and napoleonic period

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European HistoryBroad Historic Overview

Period: From the Revolution in France till the World War I

POLS 208 European StudiesEuropean University of Lefke

1789 a significant year

First time Marx’s “class struggle” into view

Great Impact that sparked further revolts

Absolute Monarchy of Louis XVI and wife Marie Antoinette

Present Chaos and Conditions ripe for change

Revolution in France


The term applied to the reversal of longstanding diplomatic alliances

End of War of Austrian Succession in 1748

France & Austria versus Great Britain & Prussia

Marie Antoinette from Austria marries Louis XVI

Seven Years’ War 1758-1763, Austria and France failed against Prussia

Diplomatic Revolution


The Austrian Alliance – one of the main causes for the Revolution

Queen out of touch with the general population

No-one else to blame for bad policies, but the Queen

Queen exercised influence on the choice of Ministers

Diplomatic Revolution


The Enlightenment ideas

Locke’s idea of overthrowing government

Rousseau’s ideas of the general will

The Enlightenment attached divine right of the ruler

Food shortages, social inequality, week rulers and harsh winter

The immediate spark – the financial crisis in France

Precursors to the French Revolution


Nobles: tax exempt

Massive debt caused by Seven Years’ War

Corruption of the tax-collectors

The Estates General: clergymen, nobles and commoners

Commoners declared the National Assembly

Oath of the Tennis Court swearing allegiance and list of grievances

Democratic Representation and hope for constituion


Precursors to the French Revolution

1st time struggle between different classes

Social mobility and equality

July 14th 1789: Paris mob storms Bastille

The event symbolized the rising of the people against the tyranny of absolutism

1st time for popular mobs to rise and take action outside of the legislature


Class Struggle & Storming the Bastille

The National Assembly – 1789 to 1791

Members were from the Third Estate (Estates General)

Mostly Jacobins or bourgeois

Lower third estate did not take part in the government

Urban middle class led the storming of the Bastille and the march on Versailles

New Governments


Efforts to remake society

Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen: a social contract

Freedom of religion, taxation of equality, legal equality, freedom of press and expression

Constitution: Constitutional Monarchy with a Parliament

Bourgeois – active citizens running the Parliament

The rest of the citizens – passive citizens

New Governments


Progress based upon merit

Establishment of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790)

Church property – nationalized

Abolishment of religious vows and Church clerics turned into civil servants with assignments from Paris, not Rome

Severe punishment for those not taking the oath causes severe resentment

New Governments


Legislative Assembly: 1791 to 1792

Permanent Constitutional Monarchy

Failure due to inability to fix food and unemployment

Lower third estate felt politically abandoned by the bourgeois

Sans –culottes rise against it

New Governments


Austrian Government pushed to crash the revolution

Other Nations feared the Revolution

Austria signs the “Declaration of Pillnitz” in 1791

French interprets it as a declaration of war

Prussia signs the Brunswick Manifesto in 1792

Prussia and Austria ally for the balance of power

New Governments


The Convention: 1792 to 1795

Emergency Republic with universal male suffrage

Committee of Public Safety: suppress dissent & protect the Revolution

12 members

Leaderships splits between Robespierre/Montagnards (radicals) and Girondin (middle class)

New Governments


Convention has issues to address

War with Prussia and Austria

First draft “levee en masse” instituted

1794 French troops invades Austria successfully

“Dechristianization”

“General Maximum” established: controls bread price and wages

New Governments


The Convention needed a new constitution to prevent counter-revolution

“The Terror” period, guillotine invented

New Constituion establsihes government known as the Directory

Permanent Republic envisaged

27th July 1794 Robespierre arrested and executed

New Governments


Jacobins and Montagnards replaced with Girondins (Bourgeois)

Directory: 1795 to 1799 / First Constitutional Republic

Executive Body of 5 Directors and bicameral legislative body consisted of Council of Ancients and Council of 500

1797: first free elections. Royalist mostly chosen to the Legislature

Left-wing members get support from military to purge rightists


New Governments

Dictatorship established

People fear return of the Terror

Napoleon Bonaparte and Abbe Sieyes launched coup to end Directory

Consulate established with little resistance


New Governments


French Revolution at a Glance

Napoleon seizes control and establishes despotism known as the Consulate

Number of Enlightened Reforms

The Napoleonic Code: freedom of religion, uniform law code, social and legal equality, property rights, end of feudal dues

State-wide compulsory education known as the University of France

End of Dechristianization

Napoleon BonaparteRise of Nationalism


The Empire:

1799 to 1804



Napoleon declares French Emperor and becomes a military dictator

Undefeated against Austria. Russia and Prussia

During his tenure he seized large proportions of mainland Europe

Napoleon fails to subdue England

Defeated at the Battle of Trafalgar by Admiral Nelson



Establishment of the Continental System: method of economic welfare

Napoleon prohibits trade with England, but fails in his attempt

England trades with colonies in Asia and America

Napoleon completely eliminates the Holy Roman Empire

1806 “Confederation of Rhyne” (40 states consolidated)



Russia with Alexander I withdraws from the Continental System

Napoleon invades in return, but fails for the 1st time

Russian army: scorched earth tactics

Napoleon rises another army

Battle of Nations/ Leipzig 1813

Quadruple Alliance of England, Austria, Russia and Prussia



Napoleon exiled in Elba

“Hundred days” period in 1815 as Napoleon returns

Quadruple Alliance crashes his new army at the Battle of Waterloo led by Duke of Wellington

Napoleon exiled again on the Island of Saint Helena, where he dies in 1821



The Congress of Vienna 1814 – 1815

Aim: to create Post-Napoleonic Europe

Representatives from England, France, Austria and Russia

France was restored old boundaries and Louis XVII

No reparations



Louis XVIII signs the Charter of 1814: legal equality, offices open to all men, two chamber parliament, Napoleonic Civil Code, abolishment of feudalism

Major Shift in Foreign policy: balance of power still important

Featured in war: advocates of liberalism versus conservatism or the “Old Regime”

Old Regime monarchs establish “the Concert of Europe” using the Congress system to prevent revolution and war



Sense of new nationalism

Largely due to Napoleon’s occupation and destruction/suppression of individual cultures

Napoleon’s conquests spurred new level of Nationalism (esp. Germany and Italy)




Age of RevolutionsTo be continued

Aftermath of the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars

Many European states transformed by 25 years of conflict


Assignments

For next week: One paragraph for each of the EU founding fathers: who were they and why they are considered to be the founding fathers of the European Union

1. Konrad Adenauer

2. Winston Churchill

3. Alcide De Gasperi

4. Jean Monnet

5. Robert Schuman

Send as email to: [email protected]

by Wednesday 12th of March

mailto:[email protected]


Countries Assignement

Each student chooses a country of the EU and makes a country profile research. This will be used for future simulation, role-plays and workshops.


Guess the Flag?

european history part i: french revolution and napoleonic period

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