I. On the Eve of Revolution
A. l’ Ancien Regime (The Old Order)
1. established during the 15th century
○ a. includes the First, Second and Third Estates
I. On the Eve of Revolution
A. l’ Ancien Regime (The
Old Order)
2. The First Estate
○ a. the clergy
○ b. the church owned 10% of
the land in France
○ c. collected their own taxes,
but paid no taxes themselves
○ d. provided some social
services
i. schooling, hospitals, and
orphanages
I. On the Eve of Revolution
A. l’ Ancien Regime (The Old Order)
3. The Second Estate
○ a. “titled” nobility
○ b. always had special privileges and preferential treatment
i. top positions in government, army, courts, etc.
○ c. also didn’t pay taxes
○ d. feared change
I. On the Eve of Revolution
A. l’ Ancien Regime (The Old Order)
4. The Third Estate
○ a. 98% of the total population @ 27 million
○ b. a diverse group
i. bourgeoisie – middle class occupations such as banker, merchant,
manufactures, lawyers, doctors, journalists, professors, and skilled
artisans
ii. 9 out of 10 members of the Third Estate were rural peasants
iii. urban workers were probably the worst off
I. On the Eve of Revolution
A. l’ Ancien
Regime (The Old
Order)
5. Discontent
Question: Who
are the three
characters in this
cartoon and what
is the author’s
purpose?
I. On the Eve of Revolution
A. l’ Ancien Regime (The Old Order)
5. Discontent
○ a. peasants live a miserable existence while the 1st and 2nd
Estate live off the sweat and blood of the members of the
3rd Estate
○ b. influence of the Enlightenment reaches members of the
bourgeoisie
i. Why should the 1st and 2nd Estates have such great privileges at
the expense of the majority?
ii. it did not meet the test of reason!
I. On the Eve of Revolution
B. Economic Troubles
1. French government was deficit spending
○ a. when a government spends more than it brings in
○ b. Louis XIV’s Versailles, French court culture, wars, etc…
2. poor harvests and famine
○ a. bread riots were common
3. Louis XVI dismisses finance minister Jacques Necker
4. calling of the Estates General in May 1789
○ first meeting in 175 years!
I. On the Eve of Revolution C. Louis XVI & the Estates General
1. Louis not interested in “working” while king
2. Estates present cahiers at the Estates General
○ a. notebooks listing grievances/complaints
○ b. freedom of press, lower taxes, stop inflation, and regular meetings of the Estates General
○ c. testified and highlighted class resentment
“Tax collectors are the bloodsuckers of the nation who drinks the tears of the unfortunate from goblets of gold”
“vampires pumping the last drops of blood from the people”
“20 million must live on half the wealth of France while the clergy devour the other half”
I. On the Eve of Revolution
C. Louis XVI & the Estates General
3. in the Estates General, each estate has one vote
Question: What is the inherent problem with this
voting system?
the First and Second Estate will always outvote the
Third Estates even though they are the majority
○ a. Third Estate wants votes to be simple majority
I. On the Eve of Revolution
C. Louis XVI & the Estates General
4. Tennis Court Oath
○ a. Third Estate locked out of Estates General meeting
house
○ b. members of the Third Estate swore “never to separate
and to meet whenever the circumstances might require
until we have an established a sound and just
constitution.”
I. On the Eve of Revolution D. Storming of the Bastille
1. July 14, 1789 – Parisians afraid king Louis XVI is sending troops to squash rebellious attitude
2. Bastille – a Medieval fortress and prison
○ a. where weapons and ammunitions are stored
3. guards open fire as Parisians attempt to break in
4. Louis XVI “Is it a revolt”
○ a. “No, sire, it is a revolution!”
5. becomes an early symbol of the Revolution
○ a. Bastille Day celebrated similarly to July 4th Independence Day
II. Creating a New France
A. Phases of the French Revolution
1. 1789-91: The National Assembly
2. 1792-93: Escalating Violence
3. 1793-94: Reign of Terror
4. 1795-99: The Directory
5. 1799-1815: The Age of Napoleon
II. Creating a New France
B. Revolts in Paris and the Provinces
1. inflation of bread prices
○ a. peasant families spending 80% of income on food alone
○ b. violence and anger spread during the Great Fear
○ c. factions begin to form in Paris
i. factions – small groups with shared ideas/philosophies
○ d. all factions begin to openly criticize the Monarchy
II. Creating a New France
C. Moderate Reforms of the National
Assembly
1. nobles forced to agree to the Declaration
of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
○ a. abolished “feudalism”
○ b. modeled in part on the U.S. Constitution
○ c. natural rights to liberty, property, security,
and resistance to oppression
○ d. all male citizens equal before the law
i. in reality, the nobles gave up nothing they had not
already lost
2. Louis XVI was slow to implement
changes, if at all
II. Creating a New France
D. Women March on Versailles
1. fearsome fish ladies demand bread
2. hatred directed at Queen Marie Antoinette
○ a. because of her excessive spending
○ b. “Let them eat cake;” probably not actually said
3. force royal family to move to Paris
○ a. held as “prisoners” at the Tuileries Palace
II. Creating a New France
E. The National Assembly Presses
Onward
1. gov’t took over Catholic Church
possessions
2. create the Constitution of 1791
○ a. established a constitutional monarchy
i. limited monarchy replaces absolute monarchy
○ b. established a legislative assembly
i. power to make laws, collect taxes, and wage
wars and peace
3. Louis XVI attempted escape
○ a. tries to escape to family in Austria;
captured
○ b. convinces French that he is a traitor
II. Creating a New France
F. Reaction Outside France
1. enlightened philosophers were excited by the
progress of the National Assembly in France
2. European absolute monarchs were worried
3. émigrés – French nobles, clergy and others who are
fleeing the dangers of the French Revolution
○ a. many began predicting the revolution will get bloodier
II. Creating a New France
G. War at Home and Abroad
1. threats emerge from outside France
○ a. Austria and Prussia issue the Declaration of Pilnitz
i. threatened to intervene to save the monarchy
○ b. the National Assembly (France’s revolutionary gov’t)
prepares to defend itself
2. Paris factions disagree on key issues
○ a. a Republic (no monarchy) or a limited monarchy
3. by April 1792, French armies battling against
European powers and fighting within France
III. Radical Days
A. Abolition of the Monarchy
1. September Massacres – French
slaughter “supposed enemies of the
revolution”
2. the Legislative Assembly becomes
the National Convention
○ a. place King Louis XVI on trial as a
traitor
i. found guilty
ii. sentenced to death by the Guillotine
iii. Queen Marie Antoinette executed a few days
later
iv. royal children die of abuse in prison
III. Radical Days
A. Abolition of the
Monarchy
3. the Guillotine
○ a. a more “humane” way
of execution
○ b. equal in life, equal in
death
i. better than the torture
devices used previously on
the members of the 3rd
Estate
III. Radical Days
B. The Convention Defends
the Republic
1. establish the Committee on
Public Safety
○ a. a 12-member body made of
members from the bourgeoisie
who have absolute power
○ b. issue a levee en masse
i. a mass levy / military draft
○ c. began to actually attack and
invade foreign nations
i. the Netherlands and Italy among
others
III. Radical Days
C. Maximillien Robespierre & the Reign of Terror
1. called “The Incorruptible”
2. a lawyer with Enlightened ideals
3. attempted to create a “republic of virtue”
○ a. “Liberty cannot be achieved unless criminals lose their
heads”
III. Radical Days
C. Maximillien Robespierre & the Reign of Terror
4. July 1793-4: The Reign of Terror
○ a. cheers of “Hail the Republic; Death to Traitors”
○ b. 40,000 French citizens are sentenced to death
○ c. causes massive hysteria
5. fatal mistake
○ a. presents a list of traitors but doesn’t let anyone see it
○ b. members of the other factions fear they might be on the
list
○ c. Robespierre is arrested by the other factions
○ d. Robespierre is sentenced to guillotine
6. after Robespierre’s death, the Reign of Terror ends
and violence subsides
III. Radical Days
D. Reaction & the Directory
1. once again, a new constitution
2. established a 5-man governing body [The Directory]
3. members of the bourgeoisie still running France
4. made peace with Prussia and Spain, continued to
fight with Austria and Britain (UK)
5. frustrated citizens look to Napoleon Bonaparte, a
young military hero
III. Radical Days
E. Changes to Daily Life in France
1. 1789-99 = 10 years of bloody revolution
2. dislodged old social order, abolished monarchy, and
took over the power and privileges of the Church
3. universal greeting becomes “citizen”
○ a. eliminated titles
4. fashion becomes less extravagant
5. French calendar changed
○ a. 10-day week with new names for days and months
6. abolished slavery in the colonies
7. establish non-religious schools
IV. The Age of Napoleon
“He was like an expert chess
player with the human race
as an opponent, which he
proposed to checkmate” –
Madame Germaine de Staël
“Nothing has been simpler
than my elevation (in power);
it is owing to the peculiarities
of the time”
IV. The Age of Napoleon
A. Napoleon’s Rise to Power
1. born on island of Corsica to minor nobles
2. entered military school at age 9
3. age 20 when the revolution begins
○ a. rank of Lieutenant
4. favored republican rule over monarchy
○ a. despite its contradictions
“Since one must take sides, one might as well choose
the side that is victorious…”
Question: What does this quote by a young
Napoleon tell us about his values/goals?
Concerned less with ideals and more with power/glory
IV. The Age of Napoleon
B. Early Successes
1. drove the British out of the port city of Toulon
2. defeated the Austrians; gained northern Italian
states
3. defeated in Egypt by the British
○ a. attempted to disrupt British trade with India
○ b. successfully hid the severity of the defeat
IV. The Age of Napoleon
C. Political Career
1. Napoleon used plebiscites:
○ a simple yes or no vote
2. helped overthrow the Directory; a 5-man
governing body that was weak and divided
○ a. became one of three members of the
Consulate
3. elected First Consul
4. elected First Consul for Life in 1802
5. elected as Emperor of the French in 1804
○ a. invites pope as a spectator only (huge diss)
IV. The Age of Napoleon
D. France Under Napoleon's Leadership
1. consolidated France and strengthened the
central government
○ a. “Order, Security & Efficiency” became new motto
2. reforms:
○ a. controlled inflation and prices
○ b. encouraged industry, roads and canals
○ c. public school system
○ d. made peace with Catholic Church
IV. The Age of Napoleon
D. France Under Napoleon's Leadership
3. won support from ALL classes
○ a. encouraged émigré to return home to France
○ b. made jobs meritocratic
i. open to all talent / based on ability
4. Napoleonic Code
○ a. new legal / law code
○ b. contained Enlightened ideals of the revolution
○ c. undid some changes from revolution (women voting)
"My true glory is not to have won 40 battles...Waterloo
will erase the memory of so many victories. ... But...
what will live forever, is my Civil Code.” - Napoleon
○ d. still has importance today in a quarter of the world's
jurisdictions including in Europe, the Americas and Africa
IV. The Age of Napoleon
E. Building an Empire
“I grew up on the field of battle, and a man such as I
care little for the life of a million men” – Napoleon
Question: What does this quote lead you to
believe about Napoleon’s military techniques?
1. France’s Grande Empire reaches its greatest extent
in 1810
2. invented new strategies with new plans for invasion
and defense
IV. The Age of Napoleon
E. Building an Empire
3. annexed territories
○ a. annexed = to add
outright
(unconditionally)
i. Netherlands, Belgium,
German and Italian states
○ b. abolished the Holy
Roman Empire
i. established the
Confederation of the
Rhine (38 member states)
IV. The Age of Napoleon
E. Building an Empire
4. Napoleon utilized nepotism and cronyism
○ a. placed his family and friends in high gov’t positions
○ b. his brother became King of Spain!
5. created a system of alliances among powerful
European nations
IV. The Age of Napoleon
E. Building an Empire
6. France v. Britain
○ a. French lose naval battle of Trafalgar
i. makes invasion of Britain impossible
○ b. installs the Continental System to prevent Britain from
trading with the continent of Europe; fails
○ c. Britain blockades French-held ports
i. causes inflation and resentment toward France
V. The End of an Era
A. Challenges to Napoleon's Empire
1. introduces nationalism to conquered territories
○ a. nationalism = pride in one’s country
Question: List one positive and one negative way
nationalism affects a nation.
○ b. revolts began throughout France’s Grand Empire
2. Spain and other conquered territories use guerrilla
warfare against Napoleon’s occupational troops
○ a. guerrilla warfare = “little war” / hit and run tactics
V. The End of an Era
A. Challenges to Napoleon's Empire
3. Invasion of Russia
○ a. many issues caused Russia to withdraw from
Napoleon’s Continental System
○ b. in 1812, Napoleon invades Russia with 400,000 troops
○ c. Russians retreat using their “scorched Earth” policy
i. Russians destroyed their own livestock and fields, burned their
own villages and purposefully refused to meet Napoleon’s army on
open ground
V. The End of an Era
A. Challenges to Napoleon's Empire
3. Invasion of Russia
Question: Why would Russia pursue a scorched Earth
policy? (What is their advantage of doing this?) Russians are waiting for their advantage…WINTER
○ d. only 10,000 of Napoleon’s troops complete the 1,000+
mile retreat from Moscow during the harsh Russian winter
V. The End of an Era
B. Downfall of Napoleon
1. Austria, Prussia, Russia and Great
Britain declare war on France after
Napoleon’s loss in Russia
2. Napoleon defeated at the Battle of
the Nations at Leipzig
3. Napoleon abdicates throne in
1814
○ a. abdicates = to willingly step down
4. Napoleon exiled to island of Elba
in Mediterranean
V. The End of an Era
B. Downfall of Napoleon
5. Napoleon escapes exile
and reconquers France
6. 1815 – Napoleon defeated
at Battle of Waterloo by the
combined forces of the Duke
of Wellington and General
Blucher of Prussia
7. Napoleon exiled, again, to
island of St. Helena
○ a. he did not escape this time
V. The End of an Era
C. Legacy of Napoleon
1. left a strong, centralized and efficient gov’t
2. however, many citizens lost some of their new “rights”
3. introduces nationalism to other nations (BIG DEAL!)
4. abolishes the Holy Roman Empire
5. Napoleon sold the Louisiana Purchases to the United
States
○ a. he needed cash for his European wars
○ b. doubled the size of the United States
V. The End of an Era
D. Congress of Vienna
1. 1815, national leaders met to restore stability and
order in Europe
2. Goals of Congress:
○ a. to create a lasting peace by establishing a balance of
power and protecting the system of monarchy
○ b. redrew the borders of European nations
i. made the countries next to France stronger (containment)
○ c. promoted legitimacy – restoring hereditary monarchs
i. France, Spain, Portugal and Italian states
○ 3. creates the Quadruple Alliance
a. Prussia, Russia, Austria and Britain
b. pledged to “act together and to suppress future rebellions”
V. The End of an Era
D. Congress of Vienna
4. Remaining Issues
○ a. new borders drawn without concerns for national/ethnic
concerns
○ b. last “big” European war until 1914 (The Great War)
○ c. though revolutions cease in Europe, the Enlightened
ideals of the French Revolution spread to colonies and
their fight for independence
Causes and Effects of the French
Revolution
Immediate Effects
Long Term Causes
Long-Term Effects
Immediate Causes
Causes and Effects of the French
Revolution
Long Term Causes
spread of Enlightenment ideas
insensitive monarchy (bad)
members of the 3rd Estate resent privileges of
the 1st & 2nd Estate
Immediate Causes
government debt (deficit spending)
bread prices (inflation) & famine
no government action
formation of the National Assembly
Storming of the Bastille
Causes and Effects of the French
Revolution
Immediate Effects
Declaration of the Rights of Man and the
Citizen
first written constitution in French history
monarchy abolished
Reign of Terror
Long-Term Effects
Napoleon becomes Emperor
Napoleonic Code established
French conquests spread nationalism
Revolutions begin in Europe and Latin America