the french revolution history project

7/31/2019 The French Revolution History Project

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The French Revolution

sections 2 & 4 pt 1

By: Jessica Meador and Claudia

Garrote

The FrenchRevolution

By:Jessica Meador

andClaudia Garrote


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Louis XIV

Louis XIV inherited the throne of France in 1643, when he was five years old. His chief minister was Mazarin, who was appointed by Cardinal Richelieu.

After Mazarins death in 1661, a 23-year-old Louis decided to become anabsolute monarch.

Louis believed that he had divine right to rule.

He, later on, took the sun as a symbol to represent his absolute power.

o He once said: Ltat cest moi, which is I am the state.

The Estates General did not meet while he was in power and this lasted longafter he died.

o The Estates General did not meet for 175 years which was the time between(1641-1789).

In order to strengthen the state he followed Richelieus policies.

o He expanded the bureaucracy

o Appointed intendants- royal officials to who collected taxes

o Carried out his policies in the provinces

o Recruited soldiers Louis build the French army into the strongest in Europe. The state paid, fed, trained, and

supplied up to 300,000 soldiers. (512)


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Cardinal Richelieu

King Louis XIV


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Louis XIV and the financial troubles he

faced.

Louiss finance manager, Jean-Baptiste Colbert

helped make France the wealthiest state in

Europe, but even though he was such a financial

genius, he still could not make enough moneyto cover the costs of Louiss court and all the

foreign wars he fought in.


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Versailles

In the county-side near Paris Louis turned a hunting lodgeinto the greatest building in Europe, the palace ofVersailles.

Versailles became Louiss symbol of wealth and power.

It was both Louiss house and the seat of government sinceit was the home of nobles, officials, and servants.

Louis preformed several rituals such as the leve, whichemphasized his own importance.o The rituals had another reason for them, they lured the noble to

Versailles were they were turned into courtiers angling forprivileges rather than rivals (512) battling for power.This was an advantage for Louis because he kept his friends close, but

his enemies closer.


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The end of Louiss reign

The age of Louis XIV came to be known as the classicalage of French drama.(512)

o Ballet, gained its popularity at the French court. It was aform of dance and drama.

Louis ruled France for 72-years and when he died in1715 France was the strongest European state.

o He invested a lot of money to wage wars to expandFrances boarders, but he was unable because of thebalance of power alliances, that did not allow him to do so.

In 1685, Louis retracted the Edict of Nantes whichmade the Huguenots leave France. This backfiredbecause the Huguenots were the hardest working andmost prosperous of Louiss subjects.


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Ballet

Edict of Nantes


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Timeline of the French Revolution

By July 1789, the poorly paid, unemployed, and hungry people of France hadtaken up arms. (572)

In 1789, France still had the old social system, ancien regime, which dividedFrance intro three estates or social classes:

o First Estate: The Clergy

o Second Estate: The Nobility

o Third Estate: The vast majority of the population comprised of: The bourgeoisie-middle class

The Urban Workers- poorest

By 1989 half government collected taxes went to paying the interest of thedebt of the Seven Years War and the American Revolution.

For the first time after 175 years the Estates General convened in May 1789.

Delegates of the Third Estate, on June 1789, declared themselves the NationalAssembly and took the Tennis Court Oath.

o The Tennis Court Oath is called this way because the hall they met in was lockedand guarded so they moved their meeting to a tennis court.

On July 14, 1789, an enraged mob broke into the Bastille, they killed thecommander and five guards, and released prisoners. The mob did not find

weapons, but they had broken into the Bastille which represented for themyears of abuse by the monarchy. (577)


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Clergy, Nobles, the rest of the population

The AmericanRevolution

Seven Years War

Estates General Meeting

Tennis Court Oath

Storming

of the

Bastille


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In 1789 there was a political crisis that that

coincided with the worst famine in memory.

Peasants swelled the ranks of unemployment,

but people with jobs spent almost 80% of

their salary on bread.


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Nobles give up their privileges

August 4, nobles in the National Assembly

voted to end their own privileges. Feudalism

is abolished, and the dawn of a new

revolution, when all the burdens weighing on

the people were abolished, and France was

truly reborn.


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In late august, the

Assembly issued the

Declaration of the rights

of Man and the Citizen.

This announced that all

men were born and

remain free and equal

in rights. they enjoyed

natural rights to

liberty, property,

security, and resistanceto oppression.


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In 1791, Olympe de

Gouges demanded

equal rights in her

Declaration of the

Rights of Women and

the Female Citizen. She

proclaimed, Woman isborn free and her rights

are the same as those

of man, and should be

equally eligible forpublic offices, positions,

and jobs.


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Olympe de Gouges


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On October 5, about six thousand women

marched 13 miles in the pouring rain from

Paris to Versailles. The women refused to

leave Versaille until the king met their most

important demand, to return to Paris. He

reluctantly agreed.


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In 1790 they issued the Civil Constitution of

the Clergy, which ended papal authority over

the French church and dissolved convents and

monasteries.


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The constitution of1791 set up a limitedmonarchy in place of

the absolute monarchythat had ruled Francefor centuries. A newlegislative assembly had

the power to makelaws, collect taxes, anddecide on issues of warand peace.


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One night in June 1791,

a coach rolled north

from Paris toward the

border. Inside sat theking disguised as a

servant, the queen

dressed as a governess,

and the royal children.The attempted escape

failed.


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In August 1791, the king

of Prussia and the

emperor of Austria,

issued the Declarationof Pilnitz.


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In October 1791, the newly elected Legislative

Assembly took office but it survived for less

than a year.


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By 1791 many sans-

culottes wanted a

republic.


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In April 1792, the warof words betweenFrenchrevolutionaries andEuropean monarchsmoved onto the

battlefield, the fightinglasted from 1792-1815.


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Radical Phase of the Revolution

The revolution goes into a radical phase in 1793.

A crowd of Parisians stormed the Palace of

Tuileries and killed the kings guards on August10, 1792.

o About 1,200 prisoners, that were held at a nobles and priests

prison, were killed a month later.


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Storming of the Palace of Tuileries


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In September 1792, the convention that metwas even more radical than earlier assemblies.o Disputes made way for a new constitution in France.

o In the early months of the Republic, Louis XVI was put on trialas a traitor of France by the Convention.

Louis was sentenced to death by a single vote.

In January 1793, Louis was beheaded and his head was lifted up by itshair for the crowed to see.

Before being executed he said: "Frenchmen, I die innocent. I pardon the authors of mydeath. I pray God that the blood about to be spilt will never fall upon the head ofFrance" (586)

Louiss wife Marie was also beheaded In October she was beheaded

As she went to her death she showed great dignity


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Marie Antoinette

Louis XVI


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France was at war with much of Europe by1793.

o This included:

BritainThe Netherlands

Spain

Prussia

o The Problem was in France was externalThe sans-coulottes demanded relief from food

shortages and inflation. (587)

Spain at war with


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Spain at war with

much of Europe

Sans-coulottes

Committee of Public Safety Robespierre


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The Convention created the Committee of Public Safetyo It was composed of 12 members

They had almost all the power

They were in charge of trials and executions

Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794)- he was a shrewdlawyer and politician, quickly rose to the leadership of theCommittee of Public Safety.(587)o He earned the nickname the incorruptible because of his

selfless dedication to the revolution.

o He embraced Rosseaus idea of the general will as the source ofall legitimate law. (587)

o He believed that France could achieve a republic of virtue onlythrough the use of terror.(587)

o He was one of the chief creators of the French Revolution

Committee of Public Safety Robespierre


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Reign of Terror

It lasted from September 1793 to July 1794.

Robespierre gave a speech on February 5, 1794 ,where he explains why the terror was necessary

to achieve the goal of revolution.o He said terror was necessary:

to stifle the domestic and foreign enemies of the republicor perish with them. (587)

Those who resisted the revolution were suspects.o Around 300,000 were arrested during the Reign of

Terror.(588)


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Maximilien Robespierre

Reign of

Terror


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The Guillotine

The Guillotine was the engine of the Reign of

Terror.(588)

o It was introduced by Dr. Joseph Guillotine

He introduced it as a more humane way of executing

people rather than the ax.

Because of its fast-falling blade it took life away instantly.

It quickly became a symbol of horror.(588)


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Dr. Joseph Guillotine


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"Within a year, the Terror consumed those

who initiated it. The members of the

Convention turned on the Committee of

Public Safety. (588)o Robespierre

Was arrested

On the night of July 27, 1794

oWas executed the next day

Committee of Public Safety


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y

Robespierres execution


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Third stage of the Revolution

With this the Revolution begins its third stage

o In it moderates created a third constitution since

the first in 1789.

"The Constitution of 1795 set up a five man directoryand a two house legislature elected by male citizens of

property. (589)

The Directory had power from (1795-1799)


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The Directory

The Directoryo "Was weak but dictatorial & faced growingdiscontent(589)

o "Made peace with Prussia and Spain.(589)

o Threats to DirectoryWhen the sans-culottes rioted because of rising bread

prices (the directory rapidly suppressed them)

Another threat was the revival of royalist feeling. "In the election of 1797, supporters of a constitutional

monarchy won the majority of the seats in the

legislature.(589)


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Napoleon Bonaparte

In the time of chaos, politiciansturned to Napoleon Bonaparte.

o He was a "popular military hero

who won a series of brilliant

victories against Austria in Italy."

The politicians planned on using him

to advance their own goals

BUT, he outwit them all and became

ruler of France.


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By 1799 France had


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By 1799 France had

been dramatically

changed by the 10-

year FrenchRevolution. It had:

o Dislodged the old

social ordero Overthrew the

monarchy

o& brought the

Church under state

control


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Liberty was confirmed by :

o The red "liberty caps"

o The tricolor- which confirmed liberty to all citizens

The title 'citizen' applied to all social classes.

All of the other titles were eliminated.

Louis was called Citizen Capet before being executed.

Elaborate fashions and wigs made way for practical clothes

and simple haircuts of the sans-coulottes.


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Red liberty

caps


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National Identity

The Revolution and war gave people a strong sense ofnational identity.o Then: "As monarchs centralized power, loyalty shifted to

the king or queen. (590)

o

Now: "The government rallied sons and daughters of therevolution to defend the nation itself. (590)This made Nationalism- a strong feeling of pride in and devotion to

one's county- spread through France. "A variety of dances and songs on themes of the revolution became

immensely popular.(590)

"By 1793, France was a nation in arms(590)

In the port of Marseilles troops marched to a rousing newsong":

"La Marseillaise"- which is to this day the French nationalanthem


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"Revolutionaries pushed


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Revolutionaries pushed

for social reform and

religious toleration(590)

Revolutionaries:

Set up state schools

Organized systems to help

the poor, old soldiers, and

war widows.

Slavery was abolished when a

major slave revolt occurred in

the Caribbean colony of St.

Dominique (Haiti).

French in Haiti


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In December 1793, he drove British forces out

of the French port of Toulon. He went on to be

victorious against the Austrians, capturingmost of northern Italy and forcing the

Hapsburg emperor to make peace.


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The battle of Pyramids took place on July 21,

1798.


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By 1799, he helped overthrow the weak

Directory and set-up a three-man governing

board, known as the Consulate.


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In 1800, he forced Spain to return Louisiana

Territory to France.


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In 1802 Napoleon made himself consul for life.


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In 1804, Napoleon

acquired the title

Emperor of the French.

N l d ith th C th li


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Napoleon made peace with the Catholic

Church in the Concordant of 1801.

The concordant kept the Church under statecontrol but recognized religious freedom from

Catholics. This symbolized the separation of

church and state.


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From 1804-1812, Napoleon successfully

battled against the greatest European powers

and came to dominate most of Europe.


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By 1812, his Grand Empire reached its greatest

extent.


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Napoleon annexed the Netherlands, Belgium,

and parts of Italy and Germany into his

Empire.


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Napoleon created a 38-

member Confederation

of the Rhine under

French protection.

Transforming a part of

Poland into the Grand

Duchy of Warsaw.


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he placed his own

brother, Joseph

Bonaparte on the

throne.


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In 1805, Napoleon prepared to invade England

but at the battle of Trafalgar, fought off the

southwest coast of Spain, British Admiral

Horatio Nelson smashed the French fleet.


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British attacks on the American ships sparked

anger in the United States and eventually

triggered the war of 1812.


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In the end, Napoleons Continental System

failed to overthrow Britain completely.


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The restrictions in trade this create had

Europe in a shortage of goods and made

people resent France.


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The Napoleonic Code influenced many

countries in Europe and Latin America.


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Napoleon's empire faces challenges

"In 1812 Napoleon continued his pursuit for

world domination." (596)

o "Napoleon's successes contained seeds of defeat.

Many Europeans resented the Continental Systemand Napoleon's effort to impose French culture on

them. (596)

o "From Rome to Madrid to the Netherlands,

nationalism unleashed a revolt against

France.(596)


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Resentment of the Continental System


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"In 1805, at the Battle of Austerlitz, Napoleon had wona crushing victory against an Austro-Russian army ofsuperior number.(597) In 1809, the Austrians soughtrevenge, but Napoleon once again triumphed.

"In 1812 with about 600,000 soldiers and 50,000horses, Napoleon invaded Russia" who was once anally of Napoleon.o To avoid fighting Napoleon the Russians retreated

eastward and burned crops and villages which left the

French hungry and cold in winter.For the French the 1000 mile retreat from Moscow was a battle ofsurvival.

"Napoleon's reputation for success had been shattered.(597)

Battle of Austerlitz


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Russians burn

crops and villages


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Napoleon is forced into exile

In 1813 the alliance of Russia, Britain, Austria,and Prussia defeated Napoleon at the Battleof Leipzig.

o

The alliance sent him to exile in Elba, "an island inthe Mediterranean.(598)

Louis XVIII tried to restore himself as the rulerbut this not go well. Although he agreed to

accept the Napoleonic Code and honor theland settlements made during the revolution.


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Battle of LeipzigNapoleon Forcedinto exile on Elba

Napoleon comes out of exile and into


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Napoleon comes out of exile and into

it again

Napoleon came out of exile and Louis the XVIII fled France as thepeople cheered on Napoleon. Napoleon entered Paris in March1815.

Napoleon's time in France lasted only 100 days. On June 18, 1815the Duke of Wellington along with the British forces defeat theFrench in a day-long battle, the Battle of Waterloo, which forcedNapoleon to abdicate and go back into exile. This time he went toSt. Helena, "a lonely island in the South Atlantic(598).

Napoleon died in 1812, but his legacy still lives.o He did not succeed at making Euro a French empire. Instead, he incited nationalist

spirits all throughout Europe.

Napoleon's decision to sell the Louisiana Territory in 1803 to theAmerican government doubled the size of the United States and"ushered in an age of American expansion."


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Napoleon sent to exile in

St. Helena.

Napoleon returns from exile

Napoleon sells the

Louisiana territory.


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Congress of Vienna

At the Congress of Vienna, diplomats andheads of state "faced the monumental task ofrestoring stability and order in Europe after

years of war."(599) The Congress met in September 1814 to June

1814. (lasted 10 months).

o "The chief goal of the Vienna decision makers was

to create a lasting peace by establishing a balanceof power and protecting the system ofmonarchy." (600)


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Each of the leaders of the congress followed their owngoalso Metternich of Austria- who was the prevalent figure at the

Congress, "wanted to restore things to the way there werein 1792"(600).

o Tsar Alexander I of Russia- "urged a 'holy alliance' ofChristian monarchs to suppress future revolutions."(600)

o Lord Robert Castlereagh of Britain- "was determined toprevent a revival of French military power." (600)

o Prince Charles Maurice de Talleyrand (representedFrance)- "he shrewdly played the other leaders against oneanother so France would be accepted as an equalpartner."(600)

Prince Charles Maurice deTalleyrand


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Metternich of Austria

Tsar Alexander I of Russia

Lord Robert Castlereagh of Britain


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The leaders redrew the map of Europe by containing Frenchambition with strong countries.

Going back to 1792 the peacemakers promoted the principle oflegitimacy, which restored the hereditary monarchy which had beenoverthrown by Napoleon during the French Revolution.o Before the congress began they had put Louis XVIII as king of France

o Then, they restored monarchs in Portugal, Spain, and the Italian states.

"To protect the new order, Austria, Russia, Prussia, and Great Britainextended their wartime alliance into the postwar era."(600)o They formed the Quadruple Alliance- were the four nations promised

"to maintain the balance of power and to suppress revolutionary

uprisings."(600)

The redrawn map


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The Quadruple Alliance

Concert of Europeo A system, that resulted of the Congress, which met


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o A system, that resulted of the Congress, which metperiodically to discuss problems that affected the peace ofEurope.

The Vienna statesmen achieved the immediate goalswhich were to create a lasting peace.o For the next 100 years, their decision influenced European

politics

o Until 1914 Europe did not see war on a Napoleonic scale.

o Yet, they "failed to foresee how powerful new forces suchas nationalism would shake the foundation of Europe andLatin America in the next decades."(600)

l h d


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Enlightenment ideas

Maximilien Robespierre embraced

Rousseau's idea of the general will as the

source of all legitimate law.(587)

Maximilen Robespierre Jean Jacques Rousseau

Enlightenment Ideas vs. French


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Enlightenment Ideas vs. French

Revolution

Enlightenment Ideas

Thomas Hobbes- believed that

people were naturally cruel,

greedy, and selfish.

John Locke- had a completely

different view on human

nature. He believed people

were reasonable and moral

and that they had certain

natural rights such as the right

to life, liberty, and property.

French Revolution

Monarchs, such as Louis XVIproved Thomas Hobbes correctbecause he was living anextremely lavish life while the

French people were dying ofhunger.

John Lockes idea is contradictorywhen applying it to the revolutionbecause the people of Franceeliminated the monarchy with theguillotine therefore taking awaytheir right to life. Yet, this waythe people of France acquired theright to liberty and property.

C i i


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Continuation

Enlightenment Ideas

Voltaire used biting wit as aweapon to expose the abuses of hisday. He targeted corrupt officialsand idle aristocrats. With his pen,he battled inequality, injustice, andsuperstition. He detested the slavetrade and deplored religiousprejudice. (546)

Montesquieu criticized absolutemonarchy. And he believed thatthe best way to protect liberty was

to divide the various functions andpowers of government amongthree branches of government: thelegislative, executive, and judicial.

French Revolution

The French Revolutions maingoal was to obtain liberty andequality for all men.

Revolutionaries abolished slavery

when a major slave revoltoccurred in the Caribbean colonyof St. Dominique (Haiti).

The Constitution of 1795 set upa five-man Directory and a two-house legislature elected by male

citizens of property. (588-589) In the Revolution the monarchy

was dethroned. Louis and Marie-Antoinette were executed.


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Immediate causes Immediate effects

The government had a huge debt to pay. Declaration of the Rights of Man and the

Citizen adopted.

Prices of bread rose and there were poor

harvests.

The first written constitution in France

was implemented.

Louis XVI refused financial reforms. France fights the alliances of European

powers.

The National Assembly was formed. King and queen were executed,

abolishing the monarchy.

Storming of the Bastille. The Reign of Terror.


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Long-term causes Long-term effects

Leadership of the time was inconsistent

and corrupt.

Napoleon gains power and was the first

strong ruler France had had in a long

time.

Napoleonic Code is established.

The Third Estate resents the first and

second Estate advantage in life.

French public schools were set up for

kids in the Third Estate.

The spread of enlightenment ideas

throughout France.

French victories spread nationalism

throughout.

The congress of Vienna was summoned

to restore stability to Europe.

Revolutions occurring elsewhere inEurope.

American Revolution English Revolution

There were many revolts by the colonists such as the During this time, England went through a shift in


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There were many revolts by the colonists such as the

Boston Tea Party and the Boston Massacre; this can

be compared with events in the French revolution

such as the Storming of the Bastille and the march of

the 13,000 women.

During this time, England went through a shift in

political power. After this, Locke wrote that if a

government fails its obligations or violates peoples

natural rights, the people have the right to overthrow

the government. (545) this statement later

influenced the French Declaration.The American Revolution influenced the French

Revolution. Marquis de Lafayette was an admirer of

the Declaration of Independence and was inspired by

it to write the first draft of the French Declaration of

the Rights of Man and the Citizen.

Both revolutions leaders were considered very good.

Robespierre was called incorruptible and George

Washington was so successful he went on to become

the first president of the United States.

The Framers of the Constitution had studied the

history and captivated the ideas of Locke,Montesquieu, and Rousseau. The French declaration

stated that all men enjoyed the natural rights to

liberty, property, security, and resistance to

oppression. similar to the writings of Locke and the

philosophes, it insisted that governments exist to

protect the natural rights of the citizens. (579)

S f th F h R l ti


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Summary of the French Revolution

The French Revolution was a 10-year strife that startedin1789. It was a revolt of the people of France against theabuses of the monarchy. While the monarchy was enjoyingluxuries in Versailles, the people of France were starving.Then the Third Estate formed the National Assembly to

protect their own interests. They also formed the Counciland the Directory. In the midst of the French Revolutionand ambitious, young general, Napoleon Bonaparteemerged and even crowned himself ruler of France. Afterbeing exiled twice he died in 1812, yet his legacy still live.Then came the Congress of Vienna who wanted to maintaina balance of power and although this worked for 100 yearsthey did see a Napoleonic scale war in 1914.

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