Today’s Standard

10.2.4 Explain how the ideology of the French Revolution led France to develop from constitutional monarchy to democratic despotism to the Napoleonic empire.

Create your essential question by turning the above standard into a question.

Revolution Brings Reform and Terror

The Great FearRumors cause the French citizens to panic

It is increased by famine and fear of nobles.

Great Fear: Wave of senseless panic sweeps through France

Emergence of Émigré – nobles, clergy and others who fled France to escape the revolution

Peasants trash property and kill & imprison émigré’s

Turmoil in Paris

• Variety of factions trying to gain power

• Marquis de Lafayette mobilizes a militia in Paris to resist royal guards.

The Assembly Reforms France

• 1st & 2nd Estates lose special privileges Peasants equal to nobles

• State takes control of the Catholic Church resulting in loss of peasant support

• And began the process of writing a Constitution to limit the power of the King.

Declaration of the Rights of Man

• Created by the National Assembly. Aug. 27, 1789 – Statement of revolutionary ideals

• This document was influenced by enlightenment ideas and the Declaration of Independence.

• Natural Rts: Liberty, Property, etc.

• Freedom of speech & religion

• “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”

• This document did not apply to women.

March on Versailles• October 1789: Women’s

March

• 6,000 women riot over rising price of bread

• March to Versailles

• Women March 13 miles in pouring rain

• Much of the anger is focused on the Queen

• Force Louis and Marie Antoinette to Paris

Conflicting Goals Cause Division

• New Constitution (1791): Absolute monarchy to Constitutional monarchy

• Legislative Assembly created power to create laws

• Old problems remain Gov’t. splits into 3 factions: – Radicals - San Culottes and

Jacobins– Moderates– Conservatives

War and Extreme Measures• War w/ Austria & Prussia (April

1792)

• Radicals imprison Louis and family – take over France

• September Massacres: Radicals murder royalists, nobles, clergy, and anyone else opposed to new republic

• King deposed; Assembly dissolves; National Convention created (Sept. 1792)

• Monarchy was abolished Republic was formed

The Dead Marat by Jaques Louis David

King Louis XVI Loses his Head

• The National Convention tried King Louis XVI for treason.

• He was found guilty and on January 21, 1793 ex-king Louis XVI was beheaded.

Democratic Despotism within a

RepublicRobespierre’s “Reign of Terror”

• Begins July 1793

• Committee of Public Safety: wipe out every trace of the French nobility– Headed by Robespierre.– Decided who to try for treason.– Tried and then executed them

• 3,000 people executed in Paris from July 1793 to July 1794

• Roughly 40,000 people executed throughout France

• Robespierre beheaded on July 28, 1794

Guillotine from Revolutionary

Period

Revolution Brings Change• After Robespierre’s death,

French public opinion shifted dramatically to the right.

• In 1795 moderate leaders in the National Convention drafted new Constitution of 1795 (3rd)

• Create a two house legislature called the Directory

• Directory is weak – – Cost of food goes up– Émigrés began coming back

French Nationalism

• By 1799 the French Revolution had achieved the following:– Dislodged the old regime– Overthrown monarchy– Brought church under state

control• French people felt a sense of

pride in their country – Nationalism

• Reform continued:– Schools – no longer

religious– Social reforms – help poor,

elderly, etc