Le French Revolution

1. Le French Revolution By: Katlyn Powers, Alexandria Bryant, and Maria Kline

2. Introduction The World Civilizations: The Global Experience textbook defines the French Revolution as, “An ideological insistence on change won increasing attention from the mid-18th century onward, as Enlightenment thinkers urged the need to limit the powers of the Catholic church, the aristocracy, and the monarchy.” To simplify, this is a time period in which there is a separation between the aristocracy(upper class) and the average French citizen. The citizens wanted more rights and a greater political roll in government. Therefore the age of absolute monarchy in France was ended.

3. King Louis xvi Louis XVI was a French king who attempted to introduce a new tax reform to parliament during his reign. However, middle class representatives, inspired by the Enlightenment, wanted to modernize parliament by allowing a vote for each representatives rather than a vote for each estate. In the summer of 1789, street riots broke out and Paris and the hesitant king Louis XVI gave in to the citizen’s pressure and allowed for this new parliament. The revolution was well underway.

4. Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen Like the Declaration of Independence, this document stated that all French citizens were all equal.

5. The Guillotine The guillotine was used during the French Revolution for executions and was a symbol of revolutionary blood thirst.

6. Maximilienrobespierre Maximilien Robespierre ruled from1758 to 1794 and established the Reign of Terror. His laws allowed for the confiscation of property and the persecution of suspected traitors. The use of the guillotine to persecute the corrupt led to the death of Robespierre with no trial.

7. Napoleon Bonaparte Click the link below for a FASCINATING video about Napoleon Bonaparte! http://www.biography.com/people/napoleon-9420291

8. The congress of Vienna Held from September of 1814, to June of 1815, this international conference was held after the downfall of Napoleon Bonaparte in order to create a balance between European powers and maintain peace and stability.

9. Quotes from ya homeboy napoleon bonapartayyyyy “A man will fight harder for his interests than for his rights.” “Death is nothing; but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily.” “The best way to keep one’s word is to not give it.” “An army of lions commanded by a deer will never be an army of lions.” “History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon.”

10. Did you know… Napoleon Bonaparte was a hypochondriac. He believed he had ulcers, complained of a nervous cough and trouble urinating, and had constant rashes. He would take steaming baths daily that lasted over one and a half hours at a time when daily bathing was unheard of. He gargled constantly with brandy and covered himself with perfumed oils that he believed protected him. Napoleon was described as being “tense, prone to hysteria, and very susceptible to emotional influences”.