THE FRENCH REVOLUTION 1789-1815

1. THE FRENCH REVOLUTION1789-1815

2. What circumstances can lead to a REVOLUTION? Think back . . . See what you can remember from 8th Grade U.S. History . . . AMERICAN REVOLUTION (1775-1781) • War broke out between the 13 colonies and the British Gov’t • Reasons: British wanted to control colonial trade and manufacturing as well to increase taxes • Colonists felt their British rights were being abused by the king

3. The Outbreak of the Revolution What problems did France face in the late 1700’s? 1st: American Revolutionaries freed themselves from British rule, yet they kept many British ways of gov’t 2nd: In France, the revolutionaries wanted to create a new French society . . . so, widespread unhappiness w/the old regime produced a revolution that shook the continent def: old regime: the French political & social system in the years before 1789

4. What was the social structure of the Old Regime? The Old Regime: the Three Estates . . . Since the middle ages, everyone in France belonged to one of the three social class

5. 1. FIRST ESTATE -- Clergy * enjoyed enormous wealth & privileges * paid NOtaxes to the state** * owned about 10% of land * included bishops 2. SECOND ESTATE – Nobility * paid almost no taxes *held highest offices in gov’t * received generous gifts from the king *owned about ¼ of land (France) * jealous of king’s power *feared to lose privileges (tax) included only about 2% of total population of 24 mill.

6. 3. THIRD ESTATE – everyone else Bourgeoisie (middle class: merchants, lawyers, doctors, intellectuals, gov’t bureaucrats) * peasants, city workers, middle class * peasants were the largest group; struggled to make a living * most owned no land * worked as day laborers 9 out of 10 people were peasants

8. Why did peasants live in poverty? 1. old fashion ways of farming 2. taxation paid to who? church and king . . . Sometimes taxes took more than half of a peasant’s family income from land to soap to salt

9. IF YOU ADD ‘EM UP ALL TOGETHER: By 1789, France faced several crises: - Peasants were hungry; they wanted a fairer tax system - 1788 bad harvest followed by bad winter food prices rise, people are starving - ENLIGHTENMENT ideas led people to question the old regime WHY should the first two estates have privileges at the expense of the majority? . . . it just didn’t meet the test of reason! EVERYWHERE, THEY CALLED FOR THE PRIVILEGED CLASSES TO PAY THEIR SHARE!!

10. 1789 – France faced several crises: -- cause: deficit spending (gov’t spending more $ than it takes in ) Why? * Seven Yrs. War * Am. Revolution . . . So how are they going to solve the problem? by INCREASING TAXES Nobles & clergy resisted any attempt to end their exemption from taxes. left country in debt

11. . . . looking back – 1788 What just went on in 1788? * bad harvest, prices increased * high unemployment * people are hungry, they’re rioting for food * widespread famine, malnutrition, disease, death * Rise of Enlightenment ideals Louis XVI (1774) did little to make gov’t work better

12. * Peasants (3rd Estate) cannot pay taxes * No other choice but to tax the nobles. This financial crisis touched off the FRENCH REVOLUTION IN 1789 def: the rebellion of the French people beginning in 1789 against the monarchy and the old regime structure 3rd Estate v. 1st & 2nd Estates Bourgeoisie v. Nobles/Clergy

13. How did the people of France push for reforms? Crisis and Revolt: * Nobles refused to be taxed * Louis XVI calls on a meeting of the Estates General (an assembly for all France) to talk about the approval of a plan to tax the 1st & 2nd Estates * So they met and they couldn’t decide * The 3rd Estate’s delegates were mostly from the Bourgeoisie and wanted the 3 estates to meet w/each delegate having one vote. * Since about ½ of the 1,200 delegates were from the 3rd estate there would be a better chance of reform

14. The National Assembly – the 3rd estates delegates decided to force the estates to meet as one body --- saying they represented the people of France June 17, 1789 – the 3rd estate declared themselves a National Assembly and invited the other estates to join them. • Against the king, they ALL joined together and demanded a constitution for France and swore not to leave until they achieved this goal • They chose the delegates.

15. Tennis Court Oath • They took an oath, vowing not to disband until they had drawn up a constitution for France. • Louis had no choice – he had to accept it! • Troops gathered outside Versailles --Rumor: King wanted to dissolve the assembly . . . CRISIS DEEPENED

16. Storming of the Bastille ** July 14, 1789: tired of the oppressive brutality of the French monarchy,an angry mob captured the Bastille (prison for political prisoners)

17. * They searched for guns/gunpowder * Guards opened fire – 100 shot dead * King is frightened, troops are ordered out People of Paris won!! July 14, Bastille Day! . . . After this, all sorts of rumors spread out * nobles v. peasants and troops v. peasants Peasants violently revolted– attacked noble homes, burned manor records

18. Declaration of Rights of Man & Citizen • nobles in danger because of peasant uprisings; large #s fled to other parts of Europe becoming émigrés (nobles who fled France); Old regime was coming to an end; No more tax collection from Church/nobles; all gov’t positions open regardless of birth Aug 27 – Declaration of Rights of Man & Citizen: (gov’t belonged to the people as a whole; aim: gov’t was to preserve the “natural rights” of liberty/equality; but no political rights for women) ** Enlight. ideas created limited monarchy

19. How did the French Revolution move into a more extreme phase? radicals: people favoring drastic change * Jacobins: radical political club * Maximilien Robespierre (Jacobin member) News about Fr.Rev. spread across Europe • Europeans feared that these ideas would spread to their countries • In 1792, France declared war on Austria, Prussia, Britain; it lasted 20 yrs.

20. Extreme Phase -- French Revolution moved into a radical stage willing to take drastic actions against all enemies **Louis and Antoinette are beheaded for treason

21. Reign of Terror Reign of Terror: a period when brutal measures were used to eliminate enemies and critics of the revolutionary republic set up in France They arrested girondins, clergy, aristocrats, common people – anyone who disagreed w/Jacobins

23. Why? To silence the critics 1793-94: 16,000 were killed on the guillotine; 20,000 were found guilty RESULTS: • End to the Old Regime • Bourgeoisie dominates gov’t • Promoted spirit of nationalism

30. End of Terror 1794 – Robespierre is guillotined; b/c he was becoming very powerful and people thought he was becoming obsessed w/ ridding France of all corruption and people feared him After his death, revolutionary fervor began to cool; Jacobins lost power; Moderate middle class came to power

31. 1795 -- A new government was drafted, the third since 1789 – the new constitution placed power firmly in the hands of the upper middle class and called for a two-house legislature and an executive body of five men, known as the Directory The Directory also found the right general to command France’s army –supremely talented and young – Napoleon Bonaparte

32. Rise of Napoleon • Le petit Corporal • ambitious; overextended his power • Greatest military genius of his time • Perhaps the greatest general in history • 1793 – he joined the French Revolutionary forces and showed great talent/leadership • Wanted to rule all of France

33. The Terror is over; Churches open for worship; New constitution is created (Council of Elders accept/reject laws); It is a weak gov’t; was corrupt, couldn’t find solutions for France’s problems; ruled by legislature (1795-1799) • 1799 – A coup d´état (blow of state), led by Napoleon, overthrows the Directory to establish his consulate • 1800 – a new constitution gave all real power to Napoleon; was made consul for life (held absolute power, even though it was a republic)

34. 1804 – he crowned himself emperor

35. What does he do for France? • He set up an efficient tax collection system • Fired corrupt officials, he trained new officials • Set up government-run public schools, even for ordinary citizens • New relationship between church and state • Set up a new comprehensive system of laws – Napoleonic Code

36. Napoleonic Code • Most important: CIVIL CODE: all French men were treated as equals regardless of birth or wealth • class privileges were abolished • Freedom of religion • woman could acquire property only w/her husband’s written consent • supported education (set up public schools) • reflected the ideals of the Enlightenment

37. Napoleon creates an Empire • 1810 –he annexed Holland, Austria, Netherlands, parts of Italy and France, and much of Germany • Built largest Empire since the Romans How did he do it? * He was ambitious; overextended his power; was power hungry conqueror; won confidence of his men w/his energy, charm, ability to make quick decisions, keen intelligence, ease w/words, supreme confidence in himself; he wanted Europe to be united under a liberal gov’t & he did this by concentrating power in his own hands

38. 1812 – his victories had given him mastery of over most of Europe, except: * Britain * Ottoman Empire * Portugal * Sweden

39. Napoleon’s Empire Collapses Napoleon’s three costly mistakes: • Continental System: he orders a blockade to destroy Britain’s commercial and industrial economy 2. Peninsular War: he sends his army to attack Portugal through Spain because Portugal did not follow the Continental System

40. Invasion of Russia in 1812 (thirst for power, most disastrous mistake!!!): Why? Alexander I refuses to stop selling grain to Britain and both France and Russia want Poland • June– He marches into Russia What was Napoleon’s greatest enemy in his war against Russia? • Sept – he lost about 60,000 men so they retreat, Russia used their scorched-earth policy, temperatures of -15, -35

42. December – winter and starvation kills most of his army he began with 422,000 men and ended with 10,000

43. Fall of Napoleon • 1814 – he is exiled to Elba, but escapes in March 1815 • 1815 - Final defeat: led by the British Duke of Wellington, Napoleon is defeated at Battle of Waterloo; he is exiled to St. Helena where he dies alone in 1821 (he was 51; a remote island in South Atlantic) Reasons for fall: * Survival of Great Britain; force of nationalism (deep devotion to one’s country)

44. “ Such work as mine is not done twice in a century . . . I have saved the Revolution as it lay dying. I have cleansed it of its crimes, and have held it up to the people shining with fame. I have inspired France and Europe with new ideas that will never be forgotten.” Napoleon, quoted in Napoleon at St. Helena