1 / 13

French Revolution

French Revolution. The Reign of Terror and the Age of Napoleon. Reign of Terror. The revolution was in crisis France was under attack from Austria, Great Britain, Prussia and others

misae
Download Presentation

French Revolution

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. French Revolution The Reign of Terror and the Age of Napoleon

  2. Reign of Terror • The revolution was in crisis • France was under attack from Austria, Great Britain, Prussia and others • Many peasants, upset about attacks on the church and the call for a military draft, begin counterrevolutionary activity • Radicals (Jacobins) seek to eliminate all internal opponents through terror

  3. The Terror • Robespierre is major force behind the terror • Targets are all opponents of revolutionary government • 15,000-20,000 are executed • Terror ends with execution of Robespierre

  4. Victims of the Terror • All classes of society were victimized • The wealthiest (Marie Antoinette) and the most humble were all subject to execution • Moderate Girondists and followers of Danton (who merely wanted to end the terror) • Ultimate expression of “equality”

  5. After the Terror • New, moderate government, called the Directory, takes over • Government is weak due to corruption and poor leadership • People in France, fearing return to monarchy, look for strong leader............

  6. Rise of Napoleon • Napoleon has military success in France and in France’s war during the Revolution • During the weak, ineffective rule of the Directory, Napoleon returns to France • He seizes power with the help of the army in a coup d’etat (forced transfer of power) • Napoleon at first is known as first consul

  7. Napoleon as Emperor • Ceremony usually has Pope crowning the emperor • Napoleon takes crown- puts it on his own head • Message- supremacy of the Emperor • http:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uH0xnatlB8

  8. Napoleonic Wars • Napoleon has many military successes • At his peak, his empire includes almost all of Europe • Major opponent is Great Britain- he tries to defeat them by Continental System (naval blockade and other trade restrictions)

  9. Military Conquests • Peninsular war- Napoleon fights to gain control of Portugal who refused to comply with Continental System • He also becomes bogged down in Spain- enforcing his rule against guerrilla opposition • Other conquests include Holland and several Italian and German states

  10. Growth of Empire

  11. Napoleon as Political Leader • Preserves many of the ideals of the French Revolution- equality before the law, limitations on influence of church and nobility • In other ways, he goes against revolutionary ideals- limited personal freedom, no freedom of press, discrimination against women

  12. Major Reforms • Agreement with the Pope (concordat) satisfies those who resented anti-church bias of Revolution • Efficient tax system, better financial system • Napoleonic code of Law- laws apply to all equally • Improved educational system

  13. Legacy of Napoleon • Gave permanence to many ideas of the French Revolution • Responsible for rising influence of nationalism in Europe- French people have intense pride in their nation while other European nations develop national pride in resisting conquest

More Related