Unit 5: The French Revolutionand the Age of Napoleon

The Find Out Questions

• FOQ1: What was the French NationalAssembly and why was it so important?

• FOQ2:Why did the rest of Europe getdragged into the French Revolution?

• FOQ3: Was Napoleon good or bad forFrance? Explain.

Textbook Help

• Chapter 19 is huge for this unit.

*Pages 471-476 for FOQ#1

*Pages 476-477 for FOQ#2

*Pages 484-490 for FOQ#3

Remember the end of Unit 4??

• What were the social groups in France?

• Many people in France were upset. Why?

• Why did the American Revolutionary Warinspire so many people in France?

FOQ1: What was the French National Assemblyand why was it so important?

The National Assembly createdtwo documents that explainedtheir major goals: theDeclaration of Right of Man andCitizen and the Constitution of1791.

The National Assembly wasborn out of the Third Estate.There were also members fromthe first two estates.

The Monarchy and the NationalAssembly

Both of these documentscalled for the king tocontinue to rule but withvery limited powers. Do youthink the king was happyabout this?

The king tried to deal withthe situation for a while, butdecided to leave thecountry. He was capturedand executed as a traitor.

The National Assembly tookover France. Check out thechart on page 476 to seewhat they did.

Homework #1: Analyzing PrimarySources

• Follow along as we read an account of theexecution of Louis XVI on page 479.

• Do your best and copy the executionscene pictured on page 479.

• Then copy and answer the questions 1-3under skills assessment.

• Finish for homework

French Justice?…Le Guillotine

I forgive my enemies.I trust that my death

will be for thehappiness of my

people, but I grievefor France and I fearthat she may suffer

the anger of the lord.

FOQ2:Why did the rest of Europe get draggedinto the French Revolution?

The French Revolution goes Europewide

After the revolution grew by 1793, othercountries became concerned about therevolutionary changes happening inFrance.

A group of radically patrioticFrenchmen called the Jacobins tookover the revolutionary governmentand began wars against othercountries they feared might invadethem.

Especially Austria, where MarieAntoinette’s brother was emperorbecome determined to punish Francefor their treatment of his sister andbrother-in-law. He indicates his desireto punish France through theDeclaration of Philnitz.

Many Countries in Europe Fight France

After Valmy, the RevolutionaryFrench army thought itself verytough!

Soon however, the professionallytrained and better equipped armiesof France’s enemies (Austria,Prussia) began to beat back theFrench forces made up mainly ofconscripts.

The wars of the revolutionintroduce new weapons

The effects modern cannon• The effects of Napoleonic artillery fire on humans could be terrifying.

While modern weapons may or may not tear and rend, artilleryroundshot was virtually guaranteed to cause dramatic and gorycasualties. The cannonballs themselves were subsonic, and lobbedslowly through the air, loudly whistling as they approached. Even atthe end of its effective range, rolling shot would bowl men over andcause widespread injury. If flying shot hit a horse, it was not just amatter of the horse falling over; the ball might strike the saddlebags,scattering the contents in every direction as the horse went spinning,splattering pieces of the animal closely behind the chunks of leatherand cloth.. At close range, artillery fire would punch holes straightthrough entire sections of units. During the battle of Waterloo, Britishartillery fired "doubleshot" charges (one charge of canister backedup by a round of shot) at point blank range into advancing Frenchheavy cavalry. In one case, the entire front rank of cavalry wastaken down, stopping the assault only because none of the followingtroops could make their way over the heaving pile of men andhorses to their front!– Passage from War Times Journal, James Burbeck

http://www.wtj.com/articles/napart/

FOQ3: Was Napoleon good or bad for France?

After a few years of war, therevolutionary government began to failto bring positive change to France.

In fact there was one revolutionaryleader named Maximilian Robespierrewho terrorized France because of hisradical beliefs.

With all of that going on, a youngFrench general named NapoleonBonaparte was quickly rising to famein the army.

He soon became a war hero anddecided, at a time of weakness inthe revolution, to take over.

Napoleon led a coup d’ etate(takeover of the government)and became emperor of Francein 1804.

Napoleon was an “in charge” kind of leader.

He reorganized the French legal system,creating the Napoleonic Code. He madethe Catholic Church the official church ofFrance.

He took away rights from women andlessened freedom of speech and press.

He set out to have France control all ofEurope and crush any countries that gotin his way.

In his efforts to control all ofEurope, Napoleon invadedRussia in 1812. It was adisaster and most ofNapoleon’s army was killed.

Defeat: The Invasion of Russia

Finally in 1813 a bunch ofEuropean countries includingGreat Britain, Austria, Prussia, andRussia got together to defeatNapoleon and succeeded.

He tried to come back onemore time, but was againdefeated by a group ofcountries (coalition) atWaterloo and forced intoexile.

Napoleon was finallyexiled to St. Helena anddied of natural causes.

After Napoleon was finallydefeated at, all the countriesthat fought him meet to decidewhat should happen next inEurope. That meeting wascalled the Congress ofVienna.

During the years afterNapoleon’s defeat, newideas began to come outthat challenged old ideas. Adebate over the future ofEurope began.

Supporters of the “oldways” (conservatives)began to be challenged bynew thinkers that had beeninspired by the French andAmerican revolutions. Theywanted Europe to be morefair and give all people anequal chance forhappiness and success.These people were calledliberals.