FRENCH REVOLUTION AND NAPOLEON

CH 3 section 1French Revolution differed from American Revolution because:

1. it tried to create not only a new political system, but a social one also

2. more violent (both within France and among foreign foes of the revolution

3. was a civil war fighting against its own oppression and injustice

Three Estates (i.e., three classes of people, i.e. the Old Regime.)

1. First = clergy (.5% of population, owned 10% of best land, paid NO taxes)

Second = wealthy nobles (1.5% of pop., owned 25% of best land, paid NO taxes)

Third = everyone else! (98% pop., 65% “left-over “land, paid ALL of taxes) landless peasants who

owed duties to nobles. Urban workers struggled

financially (inflation) Bourgeoisie (middle

class to wealthy professionals, unhappy w. privileges of first two estates and were drawn to the ideas of the Enlightenment.)

Which Estate were nobles? Who from the third estate had the

most power?

Immediate cause of revolution

near collapse of Fr. economy due to: expensive wars (incl. the Am. Rev.) --

wasteful expenditures (Palace of Versailles),

widespread poverty, unemployment & bad harvests.

Louis XVI called a mtg. of representatives (deputies) of Estates-General (1st time in 175 yrs!) to raise taxes.

Advisor Jacques Necker ask to tax all estates(he was fired

1789 Estate General& Each estate had only one vote. 1st & 2nd held

the majority! This system favored by king. 3rd estate protested. Declared itself the

National Assembly and began to draft a national constitution.

Louis locked out the assembly, so they went next door and made the Tennis Court Oath.

Fall of the Bastille (royal armory & prison), July 14, 1789 (French national holiday.) Hated symbol of oppression attacked by 8,000

Parisians. Defended by only 114. Officer in charge surrendered, was be-headed

and head paraded on pike through streets.

Great Fear (vast panic & violence throughout

countryside, fear that Royalist forces within and without

Parisian women marched on Versailles killed guards, broke into king’s chambers & forced him to accept the decrees of National Assembly, told king their children were starving.

They also demanded that king leave his palace & return with them to Paris (feared he would rouse support from foreign monarchs.) He brought goodwill gesture of flour supplies as he & family escorted.

How did the common people show their hatred of the system?

Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen 1789 National Assembly abolished all

privileges of first two estates & adopted the

(based upon Eng. and Am. Bill of Rights and Dec. of Indep.)

All equal before law, had to pay taxes, had natural rights.

What Rights are Similar to the Declaration of Indepedence?

Olympe de Gouges opposed exclusion of females.

National Assembly ignored her. Eventually be-headed!

Revolutionaries take & sold church lands To raise money church came under government

control (clergy to be elected by citizens & salaries paid by govt.) Upset many Catholics.

New Constitution of 1791

stated that assembly was to make laws. But was conservative by keeping monarch (although limited in powers) and only wealthy from ANY estate could vote.

Royal family attempts to flee was captured. This made the new

assembly more radical. Legislative (National) Assembly

declared war on Austria (homeland of despised Queen Marie Antoinette!) Fear Austria will attack to free the Royal

Family

Why do you think they did not let the family leave Paris?

Sans-culottes

= ordinary patriots without fine clothes (eg. knee-length pants worn by aristocracy.)

Revolutionary artists such as David, depicted the strength of average citizens (see p. 218)

The French Revolution Spreads in to Europe After early defeats in war and food

shortage, radicals declared themselves the Paris Commune, seized power from Assembly & arrested king.

All male citizens now able to vote, but also became violent.

CH 3 sections 2Radical Rise and Fall

The Paris Commune had forced the Assembly to set up a National Convention to draft a new constitution, abolish the monarchy & establish the French Republic.

Jean-Paul Marat radical journalist of “Friend of the

People” was an intense and popular revolutionary leader of the Jacobins (organ. of national political clubs.) Assassinated by female political rival.

The Jacobins of the Convention split into factions:The Girondins: The Mountain:

from outside of Paris, favored keeping king alive.

radical Parisians who wanted to execute king

(prevent king from becoming an

inspiration for the Royalists.)

The Mountain convinced the Convention to condemn Louis XVI. •The Mountain convinced the Convention to

condemn Louis XVI.

King is Beheaded “I die innocent of

all the crimes laid to my charge; I pardon those who had occasioned my death; and I prayto God that the blood you are going to shed may never be visited on France.” Louis XVI, Jan, 1793.

Kings execution created enemies: Domestic: Paris was radical, but

much of the rest of France resisted rule of Convention

Foreign: European monarchs outraged. Coalition of countries ready to invade.

“Committee of Public Safety”-Created to calm situation

led by Maximilien Robespierre. radical revolutionary

leader who preached democracy and universal male suffrage,

very honest and obsessed with creating a “Republic of Virtue.”

he also believed that those who opposed the general will of the republic (as he interpreted it) must be executed.

“Reign of Terror.” Created by Robespierre and Committee of public safety

Revolutionary courts executed 40,000 (includingQueen Marie Antionette.)

Brutality of Reign of Terror City of Lyon made an example of warning (1,880 executed by guillotine and cannon grapeshot)

City of Nantes, victims chained to barge, then sunk in the Loire River!

Robespierre Opinion of Violence bloodshed was to be only

“temporary”, until crises were over & “Republic of Virtue” becomes a reality: “Citizen & Citizeness,” primary education for all, abolished slavery in colonies, price controls, female activists, de-Christianization, “temples of reason, Republic calendar.

Arrests and kills his rivals

French Nationalism

Nationalism Pride and unity in your country To save the republic from foreign enemies,

universal mobilization was decreed. French revolutionary army helped create

modern “nationalism” = largest army in European history, made up of regular citizens (not smaller forcers of paid professional soldiers or mercenaries.)

The Terror Ends Robespierre was obsessed

with ridding France of all enemies (real or perceived) = he himself became one of

the Terror’s last victims. Jacobins lost power and “moderate” leaders took over.

The Terror ended, some of most extreme characteristics of the revolution ended (eg. churches re-opened.)

Constitution of 1795

set up a legislative branch of two houses, designed to keep any one political party from gaining too much control. Members were chosen by electors (qualified voters who must own

property.) The Republic became more conservative and less democratic.

Executive branch led by a committee of five leaders known as the Directory, to prevent too much power in hands of one person or party (but Directory was plagued by corruption.)

Problems for the New Gov

domestic political enemies, economic problems and ongoing expensive foreign wars.

Directory relied upon support from the military to stay in control.

1799 General Napoleon Bonaparte staged a coup d’etat. New Leader Emerges

2 View Points

Edmund Burke = people should be cautious about breaking the social contract w. the “state” because it had been created by many previous generations & would impact future generations.

Thomas Paine = every generation should be free to break contract w. any gov’t. that is tyrannical.

Youth of France

School of Mars’ goal of training young people to become fanatic patriots in just a few weeks failed.

“Golden Youth” were gangs of young men opposed to the Reign of Terror.

Julian was imprisoned, disillusioned by failures of the revolution, but would have his faith restored by thetalented & charismatic Napoleon.

CH 3 Section 3 Rise and Fall of Napoleon -Napoleon Bonaparte = refers to

himself as “savior” “genius” “great” (egomaniac!)

Napoleons Changes

preserved & strengthened some goals of French Revolution,

his rule also brought revolution to an end.

France would no longer be ruled by an assembly, but by a military dictator.

Napoleons Brief Bio He was Corsican (Italian accent),

went to military school, became lieutenant, but not popular w. officers.

Devoted himself to his studies: the Enlightenment & military campaigns.

Rose in ranks quickly to become a general at age 24 by Committee of Public Safety.

Won a series of battles using; speed, surprise and decisive action.

Napoleon’s energy, initiative, intelligence, ease w. words & self confidence, made him a hero to his troops.

Napoleon fails in Egypt Egyptian campaign against British

naval forces was a military failure.

Napoleon Takes Power He returned to Paris to

lead a coup to overthrow the Directory & establish a consulate.

New govt. still a republic in theory, but dictatorship in reality as

Napoleon became “first consul,” “consul for life” & “emperor” (crowned himself!)

His Deal with the Church Deal wtih the pope:

Catholicism would be respected as the major religion. In return the church

would not demand church lands be returned.

With this agreement, church was no longer an enemy of the revolution and people who had acquired church lands would strongly support Napoleon.

Napoleonic Code/Civil Code -He codified (simplified) France’s

hundreds of different legal systems into one national Civil Code.

-Code reflected many of the ideals of the revolution (equality before the law, religious toleration, etc.)

but was a step backwards for females (lost personal property at marriage,

couldn’t inherit property equally, hard to get divorce, could not testify in court, etc.)

Changes Government

-Created strong, central administration led by a bureaucracy of capable officials (not based upon class.)

-Promotion based upon ability. Created new aristocracy based on

meritorious service to France. Got rid of Corrupt officials

Duality of Napoleon -Napoleon: both

destroyer & preserver of the revolution = legal equality, religious toleration & economic freedom under the Civil Code

yet ruled as an emperor & dictator who censored the press.

-Napoleon tried destroy old order: nobles & clergy lost privileges

replaced w. liberal values of equality.

Glory for France From 1805-07, Napoleon’s Grand

Army defeated the Austrian, Prussian and Russian armies.

From 1807-12, Napoleon created a Grand Empire in Europe consisting of three parts:

French Empire = an enlarged France

Dependent States = kingdoms ruled by relatives of Napoleon

Allied States = defeated countries who were forced to oppose Britain

Empire starts to fall

-Two main reasons Empire collapsed: British strength (military, political & economic) & rise of Nationalism

French forces spread revolutionary ideals of equality & nationalism = backfired on French rule. Countries resented being controlled by

foreign gov(france)

1805 Battle of Trafalgar (Fail) British navy defeated combined

French & Spanish fleets (Britain rules the seas.)

Continental System (Fail) -Napoleon’s plan to cut off Britain’s

trade w. European continent (failed attempt.)

Hurt French Economy & British still smuggled good in

Russian Invasion(fail) -Russia refused to follow

Continental System, so France invaded w. 600,000 soldiers in June, 1812.

-Napoleon’s defeat due to: Russian policy of retreat (vast country,) scorched-earth policy & harsh winter.

-Only 40,000 survived (15%) as of January, 1813.

Banished #1 -Coalition forces captured Paris. Napoleon exiled to

Elba island and Louis XVIII restored King. -Napoleon escaped, royal troops mutinied, & Louis

XVIII fled. March 20, 1815 returned to Paris as hero.

Banished #2 -Coalition forces again

prepared to battle. French devoted war veterans flocked to Napoleon.

-June 18, 1815 at Waterloo, Belgium, combined British & Prussian forces under command of Duke of Wellington defeated Napoleon for last time.

Exiled to island of St. Helena & captive until death.

Congress of Vienna

put Peace and order back into Europe

Set borders in Europe for 100 yrs Place kings back in power in

France, Italy, and Spain

Anne-Louise-Germaine = prominent writer of

revolution & Napoleonic eras. Established an influential salon.

Helped friends escape Reign of Terror. Supporter of Napoleon who eventually denounced him as a tyrant.

Her books were banned & she was exiled to German states.

Primary Source -Preliminary to French Constitution (Abbe

Sieyes) All people have natural rights as passive citizens, but only active citizens should have an influence on public affairs (excludes women, children, foreigners & those not publicly active.)

-Robespierre Denouncing Restrictions on Citizenship. Opposed categories of passive vs. active citizens.

-Women’s Rights (Etta Palm d’Aelders). Female activist of reformers group known as the Social Circle.

World Literature

-Candide by Voltaire. Satire of Prussians, military, war, “philosophy of optimism,” & religion.

-A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Sympathetic to cause of commoners, but opposed Parisian mobs.