THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

Map of Europe 1600’s

Comparing Europe

Map of Europe 1600’s Map of Europe 1721

Europe 2012

Also known as the Age of Reason. Def. An elite cultural movement of intellects

in 18th Century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge.o It opposed intolerance and abuse in the Church

and state.

Enlightenment

Originated about 1650 – 1700. Sparked by philosophers Baruch Spinoza,

John Locke, Pierre Bayle and mathematician Isaac Newton.

Enlightenment (Cont.)

Nobility –upper class Bourgeoisie – the middle class Proletariat – town working class Peasants –lower class

King was still the ruling class. (Louis XVI)

Four Social Classes 1789

The First Estate: The bishops and clergy control of the land. They represented the traditional authority

of the church over all secular power. Consisted of the rich and poor. Exempt from most taxation. There were wealthy aristocrats called

abbots who lived in luxury off of wealthy church lands.

The poor parish priests lived much like peasants.

The Three Estates 1789

The lords and nobles of France. (called the Nobility)

Once had considerable authority over their own regions, but the king had tried to centralize all power to himself.

Inherited their titles and wealth came from the land.

Some of the nobles had little money, but had privileges of noble rank. Most enjoyed privileges and wealth. Paid little tax.

The Second Estate

The bourgeoisie, proletariat and peasants. The middle class was becoming the

powerful group in the sense of wealth and value.

Were the common people and by far, the largest group of people in France.

Included the wealthy merchants who rivaled the nobility, doctors, lawyers, shopkeepers, the urban poor and the peasants who worked the land. (very diverse group)

The Third Estate

1789 - 1792

The Moderate Stage

Louis XVI asked the First and Second Estates to accept tax on their land, but they refused.

A major financial crisis followed, which touched off the French Revolution in 1789.

The French Revolution Begins

Social Inequality (outdated ‘feudal system’ and classes)

Inefficient GovernmentoTaxes and laws differed from province to province

causing confusion and injustice. Enormous DebtoWhen Louis XIV died in 1715, the treasury was

drained from wars.oThe government was poor, the clergy and nobility

were not.oThe king had no authority to tax the wealthy.

Causes of the French Revolution

Weak/unresponsive monarchy. Food shortages, poor farming conditions

and cold winters. Ideas of the Enlightenment. (society

wanting reform) Growing class disparity between:oOld nobility vs. emerging wealthy bourgeoisie

(privileges).o Lower classes (overtaxed) vs. landlords.

Causes of the French Revolution(Cont.)

Map of Europe 1789

Meeting of Versailles May 5, 1789

Estates-General met at Versailles in May, 1789.o Delegates could not agree on a method of voting.o In order for an issue to pass, two of the three estates

had to agree. Clergy and Nobility usually voted the same; Third Estate

was thus left out. The delegates of the Third Estate were mostly

Bourgeoisie.o They wanted the 3 Estates to meet together, with each

delegate having one vote.o Because half of the 1200 delegates were from the Third

Estate, they thought they would have a chance to bring about reform.

Versailles

The Third Estate’s delegates forced the Estates to meet as one body.

On June 17, 1789, they declared themselves the National Assembly and invited the other Estates to join them.

On the advice of the nobles, Louis XVI ordered the three Estates to continue to meet separately.

The National Assembly

Tennis Court Oath June 20, 1789

The delegates of the Third Estate were locked out at the meeting in Versailles, so they moved to the palace’s indoor tennis court.

Many of the clergy and some nobles joined them.

Defying the king, they demanded a constitution for France and would not leave until this goal was achieved.

The oath they took came to be called the Tennis Court Oath.

The Tennis Court Oath

Faced with solid opposition, Louis gave in. After a week, he ordered all nobility and

clergy to join the Third Estate in the National Assembly.

The king’s recognition of the National Assembly was the first victory for the Bourgeoisie.

Louis soon sent 18 000 soldiers to Versailles.

The Results

On July 14, 1789, the people of Paris massed outside the Bastille.They were already angry because of food shortages, unemployment and high prices.

This stone prison had become a hated symbol of oppression to the Parisians.

Seeking guns and gunpowder, the crowd charged into the courtyard.

Bastille

Bastille

The prison commander panicked and ordered the guards to open fire.

Nearly 100 people were shot dead before the crowd overwhelmed the defenders and killed the commander.

His head and the head of the mayor of Paris were stuck on poles and paraded through the streets of Paris.

Bastille (Cont.)

The attack on Bastille frightened the king into calling back his troops.

The people of Paris had won another victory.oTheir bold action had saved the National

Assembly. Today, the French people mark July 14 as

Bastille Day. (their day of national celebration)

The Attack

Rumors spread that the nobles were organizing armed bands to kill peasants and seize their property.

A feeling of fear and desperation, called the Great Fear, took hold of the people.

Peasants burned the lords’ manors and destroyed records of payments due.

Middle-class landowners and well-to-do farmers also lost their homes and property as violence raged.

The Great Fear

The peasant uprisings convinced many nobles that they were in danger.

A large number fled to other parts of Europe and were known as Emigres.

The nobles who stayed in France realized the old regime was coming to an end.oThey rose in the National Assembly and

reluctantly agreed to give up privileges their families had held for centuries.

Major Reforms

On August 4, 1789, the National Assembly announced the end of feudalism in France.

The church could no longer collect taxes. The nobility could not demand fees, taxes

and labour from the peasants. All positions in churches, government and

the army were opened to all citizens.

The End of Feudalism

This document set forth the ideals of the French Revolution.

It reflected people’s hopes for individual rights, freedom and equality.

Government now belonged to the people as a whole.

Declaration of the Rights of Man

Many Parisian women earned a living making hats and dresses for noblewoman.o However, hat makers and seamstresses found less

work, as aristocratic families fled France.o Unemployment worsened as did hunger.

On October 5, 1789, thousands of women marched twelve miles in the pouring rain to Versailles to protest a shortage of bread and soaring food prices.

They stormed the palace and forced the royal family to return to Paris.

Women’s March on Versailles

French Revolution Recap Video

Louis had no choice but to cooperate with the National Assembly.

Over the next two years, the Bourgeoisie made sweeping changes.

The following three drastic changes were:

Further Reforms

The country was divided into departments governed by elected officials.

The metric system became standard. The assembly made changes in land

ownership. Land was seized from the Church and of

nobles who had fled. Much of this land was then sold to peasants.

1. Government Administration

The National Assembly tried to bring the Church and the clergy under state control.

In 1790, the Civil Constitution of the Clergy was passed.oThis law stated that bishops and priests were to

be elected by popular vote and paid by the government.

2. Church Influence

Perhaps the most important act of the National Assembly, was the adoption of the Constitution in 1791.

This document limited the power of the king and set up an elected lawmaking body, the National Assembly.

To vote for representatives to the assembly, one had to be a male taxpayer.o This barred all women and about 30% of adult

men.

3. Constitutional Government

Women wanted better education for girls, fair laws dealing with marriage and divorce, and the right to sit on juries.

In 1792, Mary Wollstonecraft, an English writer, published “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman”.oShe stated that the rights of man should be

extended to women. Better education should achieve this goal.

Women in the Revolution

The Constitution of 1791 marked the end of the first stage(Moderate Stage) of the French Revolution.

The Bourgeoisie had made many gains:o Ended special privileges.o Limited the king’s powers.o Provided people a chance to take part in

government. Some felt the reforms had gone too far.o The Revolution entered the second stage marked

by violence that rocked much of Europe.

The Radical Stage of the Revolution

The nobles, the king and queen, Marie Antoinette (a member of the Hapsburg family of Austria) thought the Revolution had gone too far.

She made plans for the royal family’s escape to the Austrian Netherlands, where Louis could work with other European monarchs on plans to crush the Revolution.

The Flight of the Royal Family

Louis and his family slipped out of the palace on the night of June 20, 1791.

Guards arrested them before they could reach the border and returned them to Paris.

This cost Louis a loss of support. Many people suspected the king and queen

of plotting to overturn the recent reforms.

The Escape

Radicals, people who favor drastic change, grew in numbers, as doubts about the king increased.oThese included many wage earners and small

shopkeepers of Paris.oWere called sans-culottes (men wore long pants,

instead of knee-length pants of the upper classes) They wanted France to become a republic.

Deepening Divisions

The Parisian people gained fewer benefits than the Bourgeoisie and the peasants.o Wanted a greater voice in government, higher

wages, lower food prices, and an end to food shortages.

The Bourgeoisie viewed the demands of the radicals as a threat. However, other members became leaders of the radicals.

They steered the Revolution in a more violent direction, bringing bloodshed to much of Europe.

Deepening Divisions

On April 20, 1792, France declared war on Austria.oWas partly due to worries that the family of Marie

Antoinette who ruled Austria might help the nobles in a counterrevolution. A movement to restore the old way of government.

Prussia backed Austria and the two countries invaded France.

War With Austria and Prussia

Prussia and Austria threatened to destroy Paris if the king or queen were harmed.

Enraged, the Parisians rioted. A mob attacked the palace on Aug. 10, killing hundreds of guards and servants.

A radical government, the Commune, seized power and imprisoned the king.o They ordered elections to choose representatives for

a new assembly to be called the National Convention.o For the first time, all adult males were granted

suffrage, the right to vote.

The Invasion

The declaration of war on Austria showed that the French Revolution had moved into a radical stage.

Its leaders were willing to take drastic action against all enemies.

The following are three major events that occurred:

The Revolution in Crisis

The National Convention met for the first time in September, 1792.

Its first act was to end the monarchy and declare France a republic.

The radical members decided that the royal family was a danger to the republic. They accused Louis of working with nobles and foreign agents.

1. Execution of the King and Queen

The Convention, by one vote, sentenced Louis to death.

He was sent to the guillotine and beheaded on January 21, 1793.

Marie Antoinette met the same end later that year.

Execution (Cont.)

Recap of the French Rev. (Part II)

1793 – 1794 Also known as the ‘Reign of Terror’.

The Radical Stage

French armies recovered from early defeats, forcing the invading Austrians and Prussians to retreat.oMarched into the Austrian Netherlands.

Britain and Spain became allies of Austria and Prussia.

The once confident French Revolutionaries now found themselves at war with nearly all of Europe.

2. Expansion of The War

By the spring of 1793, the new French republic was in a state of crisis.

Foreign troops had invaded France and were marching toward Paris.o Food prices soared.oHungry Parisians looted stores.

In western France, clergy and nobles led a counterrevolutionary movement.

2. Expansion of The War (Cont.)

Violent disagreements emerged within the National Convention.

The most radical groups of revolutionaries were centered in Paris and included a political club called the Jacobins.

George Danton and Maximilien Robespierre were both lawyers and two of the most prominent Jacobins.

3. Disputes Among The Revolutionaries

The more moderate members of the Convention were known as Girondists.

They drew most of their support from people in provinces outside of Paris.

Leaders of the Jacobins and Girondists came mainly from the Bourgeoisie.

The Jacobins joined forces with poor Parisians and arrested Girondist leaders.o Set up the Committee of Public Safety.o This group of about a dozen men held unlimited

power to deal with France’s desperate situation.

3. Disputes (Cont.)

One of the most pressing problems for the Committee of Public Safety was to feed the hungry in Paris.

The government lowered the price of certain foods and rationed bread.

The committee also had to push back enemy troops and protect the government from its opponents within France.

Dictatorial Government

In August, 1793, the Committee appealed to the nation to help in the war effort.

For the first time in European history, all able-bodied men were drafted for army service.

The new French army, one million strong, was the largest army in the history of the world.

The rallying song, Marseillaise, is now the French National Anthem.

A People’s Army

Robespierre, the leading member of the Committee of Public Safety, attempted to preserve the republic.

He introduced a brutal program called, “The Reign of Terror”.o The goal was to silence critics of the government.

He set up a court to arrest and hear cases of accused enemies of the republic.

Between Sept. 1793 and July, 1794, 20 000 – 40 000 were found guilty and executed. Many others were imprisoned.

The Reign of Terror

Included clergy, aristocrats and common people. (anyone who disagreed with the Jacobins)

Most trials were a mockery of justice.oNo chance to defend themselves.

In Paris, carts filled with prisoners rolled through the streets to the public square, where the guillotine was set up.oHuge crowds came to see these executions.

Victims

Spiraled out of control.oRobespierre’s fellow leaders weren’t safe.oEarly in 1794, Danton and other politicians were

executed for trying to stop the terror. Several members of the National

Convention arranged for Robespierre’s arrest on July 27, 1794.

The next day, Robespierre and his followers met their fate and were sent to the guillotine.

Victims (Cont.)

1794 - 1798

The Reactionary Stage

The fall of Robespierre put the reins of the government back into the hands of the moderates.

They wanted no more of the Jacobins. They lifted price controls and limited the

voting rights to taxpayers only.

Return to Moderation

In 1795, a group of five men called the Directory, set up a republic.

Only property owners were allowed to vote. These five directors put down uprisings by

the radical sans-culottes and the ones supporting monarchy.

The Directory was a very weak government. They fell from power in 1799, ending the French Revolution.

Directory

Map of Europe 1799

The French Revolution radically changed French society.

The Old Regime was completely overturned. Absolute Monarchy came to an end. The Church and the nobility lost their

special privileges. The decline of the nobles aided the steady

rise of the Bourgeoisie, who soon dominated the government bureaucracy.

Results

Timeline Organizer By Year

Were felt outside of France as well.o Liberty and individual rights were echoed by

reformers in Latin America and other lands. Introduced a new style of warfare.o Other European countries followed France’s idea

of bringing people and resources of the entire nation to help in war efforts.

Promoted the spirit of nationalism, deep devotion to one’s country. It eventually spread throughout Europe and beyond.

Effects

The Napoleonic Stage 1799-1815

In November 1799, a group of politicians carried out a coup d’etat or “strike against the state”.o They overthrew the Directory and placed a popular

general at the head of the government. Within a decade, this leader, Napoleon

Bonaparte, made France the dominant power of Europe.

Reforms of the Revolution spread across Europe.

Napoleon proved to be a military genius.

Napoleon’s Conquest of Europe

In 1793, he joined the French Revolutionary forces and showed great talent for planning and leadership.

In 1796, he took command of the French armies fighting the Austrians in Italy.oWon key battles.

Not content to be a general. He wanted to rule France.

Napoleon’s Early Career

Invaded Egypt in 1798, but that was a military failure.

In November 1799, Napoleon’s soldiers surrounded the French legislature to overthrow the Directory.

A new government called “The Consulate” replaced the Directory.

The Consulate

Was a remarkable politician and general. Won political support by pleasing the

Bourgeoisie. He promised them jobs in government and the army.

Promoted trade and industry. Placed taxes on imports to protect French

businesses. Set up a national bank to provide credit to

businesses and keep the economy stable.

Napoleon’s Rule of France

At the same time, he won the support of workers and peasants.oExpansion of trade created many new jobs.o Food available at low prices to poor city dwellers.oAllowed peasants to keep land they had gained

during the Revolution. Pleased the nobles, even though Feudal

privileges were not restored.

Napoleon’s Rule of France (Cont.)

Napoleon reached an agreement with the Pope called the Concordat of 1801.oBalanced the rights of Church and State.

The Church would not get its land back. Catholicism was accepted as the religion of

the majority. Also, the government had greater control,

as Napoleon chose Bishops. It now had greater control over the Church.

A Compromise With The Church

In 1800, Napoleon appointed a staff of lawyers to draw up a code of laws for all of France.

The Napoleonic Code, established in 1804, stated that all French men were treated as equals, no matter what their birth or wealth.

Feudalism and class privileges were abolished.

People could practice the religion of their choice and protected their property rights.

The Napoleonic Code

Napoleon used diplomacy and military skills to break up the alliance between Russia, Austria and Britain and sign peace treaties with all three countries.

However, the French expansion threatened British trade. The two went to war in 1803.

In 1805, Russia, Austria and Sweden formed an alliance against Napoleon, which Prussia joined the next year. The wars that followed were called the “Napoleonic Wars”.

Napoleonic Wars

From 1805 – 1807, Napoleon’s armies rolled over Austria, Prussia and Russia.

Suddenly, France was the leading power in Europe.

His administrators in conquered lands reduced the privileges of the nobles and the clergy.

Early Victories

Map of Europe 1807

In 1805, France could not defeat Britain at Trafalgar. They lost many ships, but Britain did not lose any.

Napoleon then developed a plan called “The Continental System”. It did not allow any countries under French control to trade with Britain.

Britain got around this by increasing trade with the United States and smuggling goods into Europe.

The Continental System

The British navy blockaded France and its allies.

Middle class merchants in Europe turned against Napoleon, because their businesses were weakened by the cutoff of British trade.

The Plan Backfires

Portugal did not go along with The Continental System.

Napoleon invaded it and Spain. In 1808, the Portuguese and Spaniards bitterly

resented the takeover. They used guerrilla warfare (surprise attacks by small bands of soldiers)

French troops were trained for regular warfare and could not adjust to the rugged terrain and these attacks.

Eventually France was defeated, and in turn, Britain invaded France.

France Defeated in Spain

By 1812, Napoleon’s empire had reached the edge of Russia.

Relations between France and Russia were strained, even though they were allies.

Czar Alexander I angered Napoleon by trading with Britain in violation of the Continental System.

Napoleon decided to invade Russia.

The Invasion of Russia

Napoleon gathered about 614 000 troops from France and conquered countries.

The Grand Army, as it was called, invaded Russia in June 1812.

Russia retreated eastward, setting fires to farms and crops along the way. The French army was deprived of food.

The Grand Army also began to run short of supplies. Disease, hunger, exhaustion and desertion thinned the ranks.

The Grand Army

The Russian retreat allowed Napoleon to reach Moscow.

The city was deserted, as the Russians had set fires that destroyed nearly all of it.

Napoleon ordered a French retreat, as he knew that his army could not survive the harsh winter. He only had about 100 000 soldiers left.

They began the long march westward on October 19, 1812.

Moscow

The retreat became a disaster. The soldiers had little food and not enough

warm clothing. Russian peasants and horsemen attacked

soldiers who fell behind. Temperature dropped to minus 30 degrees

and troops froze to death. Fewer than 40 000 soldiers survived the

march from Moscow.

Withdrawal From Moscow

In the German state of Prussia, anti-French leaders stirred up feelings of nationalism.

In 1813, Prussia declared war on France. Allied forces from Prussia, Austria, Russia

and Sweden defeated Napoleon in October 1813 at Leipzig, Germany.o It was called “The Battle of the Nations”.

The Fall of Napoleon

The victorious allies then invaded France. When they reached Paris in March 1814,

Napoleon abdicated. Louis XVIII, the younger brother of the

executed Louis XVI, was crowned King of France.

The allies exiled Napoleon to a small island called Elba, off the western coast of Italy.

Napoleon Abdicated

Map of Elba

To keep France in line, Prussia, Austria, Russia and Great Britain agreed to form the Quadruple Alliance.

They pledged to remain united against any future attempt by France to dominate Europe.

Quadruple Alliance

Napoleon was only 44 years old at the time of his exile.

He longed for the excitement of battle, the cheers of his soldiers and the glory of victory.o He also knew that many French people did not

like the new king.

The Hundred Days

Napoleon escaped Elba and landed on the French coast on March 1, 1815 with about 1000 soldiers.

King Louis XVIII sent his army to arrest Napoleon.

The king’s troops joined Napoleon after he won back their loyalty.

On March 20, 1815, Napoleon swept back into Paris and received a hero’s welcome.

The Escape

In June 1815, the European allies and France met again in the Austrian Netherlands.

Napoleon’s army was soundly defeated. This was led by the British Duke of Wellington and the Prussian field marshal Gebhard von Blucher.

The Battle of Waterloo

Napoleon surrendered to the British, who sent him to St. Helena, a lonely island a thousand miles from the Atlantic coast of Africa.

This is where he spent the last six years of his life.

St. Helena

Map of St. Helena

His conquests radically changed Europe by spreading many of the French Revolution’s reforms and ideals.

Governments were reorganized, feudal ideas were rejected, freedom and equality took root.

Nationalist feelings grew and many European people took steps to create independent nations.

Napoleon’s Mark on History