Chapter 18: The French Revolution

sans-culottes

"those without pants". they were a group of radical peasants. they demanded a republic. they would find suppot amongst an group of middle class intellectual revolutionaries called the jacobins (bourgeiosie)

moderate phase

(1789-1791) france becomes a constitutional monarchy

radical phase

(1792-1794) escalating violence leading to the reign of terror

thermidorian Reaction or directory phase

(1795-1799) period of reaction against extremism

age of napoleon

(1799-1815) a time of consolidation of the changes brought by the revolution.

emigres

(they leave the country). clergy and nobles from france who fled. they would tell horror stories of the violence of the french revolution. these stories would turn leaders like catherine the great and edmund burke (england) against the enlightenment.

changes in daily of life

-by 1799 the monarch had been overthrown -the church under state control -practical clothing was now popular -nationalism emerged: an agressive feeling of pride in and devotion to ones country -state schools established -slavery in the colonies abolished -the arts would later expand and produce art depicting the french revolution as a glorious event

Napoleon's Legacy

-spread of revolutionary ideals -stabilized french government -rights extended to some, taken from others (extended to men, taken from women). -sparks nationalist feelings throughout europe -sells territory to americans, allowing for the strengtheing of the us (lousiana purchase).

legislature

1. estates general (old regime) 2. national assembly (constitutional) 3. convention (radical)

the third estate

1789: the ---- numbers 27 million people (98% of the total population). a diverse group at the top were the Bourgeoise (only ones with representation). middle class usually skilled workers (bankers, doctors, lawyers, etc.) the bulk of the ---- were rural farmers. the poorest group were the city workers. very bottom were homeless and criminals. ---- was burdened with: -heavy taxes -forced service (carvee- unpaid road repair) -forbidden to hunt the enlightenment encouraged the ---- to question their situation.

tennis court oath

June 20th 1789 the national assembly was locked out of their meeting place by the king. the locked out delegates took the ---- which stated that the group would not disband until they had created a constitution for France.

Marie Antoinette

Louis XVI wife. was a source of much scandal. she had a reputation of being frivolous and extravagent . "let them eat cake" the people of france hate her so they said she said it but she didnt. this drives more people to hate her.

the clergy

Remained the first estate during the middle ages and continuing into the 1700's. most of them were wealthy, were able to collect tithe (taxes that were used to pay them) and paid no taxes (class privilege). although they provided social services, they had been targeted by the enlightenment to reform. in response the church condemned the Enlightenment.

people were tired of the reign of terror

a new constitution (france's third since 1789) set up a 5 man directory and a two house legislature. the directory would hold power from 1795-1799. the directory was known as being weak, corrupt and dictorial. they also did not make any changes for the lower classes.

challenges to napoleons empire

as napoleon conquered europe the french revolutionary ideals spread to the conquered territories. french nationalism would be seen as foreign oppression by conquered nations and their own nationalsim would spread. in spain napoleon faced resistance to his liberal reforms. spanish patriots waged guerrilla warfare or hit and run raids against the french.

subduing and empire

between 1804-1814 napoleon expanded his empire through force. he faced off against and won major battles with the greatest of european empires. napoleon was a military genius, he was able to adapt his strategy to every single encounter, never allowing a rival to anticipate his next move. napoleon redrew the european map. he annexed some areas to france; abolished the HRE. he put his own family on the thrown in conquered countries. napoleon was not able to conquer great britain. he attempted a naval invasion in 1805 but was repelled by the british navy (horatio nelson). napoleon responded by waging economic warfare.

Civil Constitution of the Clergy: 1790

bishops and preists became elected salaried officials ends papal authority in france.

revolts in paris and the provinces

during the famine peasants reacted to rumors of government seizures and marauding scavengers by attacking the homes of nobles and stealing grain from storehouses. in paris, various political factions competed for dominance. one such faction was lead by Marquis de lafayette

reign of terror

during this time an estimated 40,000 (also soldiers who died at war) people died including nobles, middle class as well as peasants who threatened the republic. beheading was done through the guillotin (considered more humane). the convention would turn against Robespierre and he himself would be beheaded.

reaction outside of france

european rulers feared the french revolution and the possibility of it spreading to their country. emigre stories. august 1791- the king of prussia (marie antoniette's brother) issued the declaration of pilnitz- which threatened to intervene militarily to protect the french royal family. the effect of this was that it would encourage the revolutionaries to arm themselves leading a more violent phase.

continetal system

europes borders were closed to british trade ships. if napoleon couldnt invade britain than they cant have trades.

the congress of vienna

held from september of 1814 until june of 1815. i was a gathering of leaders dignitaries and representatives from all over the europe.

the king tries to flee

in june of 1791 the king urged by marie antoniette attempted to flee paris in disguise. they were stopped by a former soldier who recognized the king by holding a new currency with the kings face on it. this was a major embarrassment for the king.

a time of reform

in order to help paay off the countrys debt the assembly voted to sell church lands. the church in france was also put under state control.

storming the bastille

july 14th 1789: rumors were spreading throughout france that the king would send soldiers to paris to occupy it. 800 citizens assembled outside the Bastille, a huge medieval fortress and demand weapons and ammo. the fortress was also used as a prison for political prisoners. the commander of the Bastille refused to open the gates to the crowd and fired on the. the crowd responded by breaking into the Bastille by force, killing the commander and guards and releasing some of the prisoners. this became a symbol of the french revolution. it is celebrated as a national holiday in modern times.

Maximilien Robespierre

leader of the committee of public safety he was responsible for orchestrating the reign of terror which lasted from july 1793- july 1794

Marquis de Lafayette

led a political faction for dominance. an aristocrat who fought besides washington in the revolution. controlled a middle class malitia and fought against royal troops. their colors would eventually become adopted as the french national colors.

Phases of the French Revolution

moderate phase radical phase thermidorian reaction or directory phase age of napolean

napoleon attempts to invade russia

napoleon attempted an invasion of russia in 1812. this event would eventually bring his downfall and the end of the french revolution. the russians knew they could not outright beat napoleons army over 60,000 soldiers, but they did use "scorched earth policy". as the russians retreated they would burn their own farmland so the french could not use it. napoleon knew he could not survive a brutal russian winter without a food supply, so he retreated. the march home in the brutal winter was devastating to his army and reputation. only 100,000 troops survived.

France under Napoleon

napoleon made a number of reforms that stablized france. he regulated the economy, repaired the damaged french infrastructure (roads, biuldings) and created public schools. he made peace with the catholic church in 1801. the concordat of 1801 kept the church under the state control but recognized the independence of catholics. he encouraged emigres to return to france and made the jobs available based on talent.

Downfall of Napoleon

napoleons defeat in russia created an alliance between russia, GB, Austria and prussia. in 1813 they defeated napoleon in the battle of the nations. the follwoing year napoleon addicated the thrown. he was exiled to elba, an island in the mediterranean. louis XIV (bourban restoration) is made king of france. Louis XIV (constitutional monarchy) was forced to accept the napoleonic code and honor the reforms made by naoleon. howver people still feared a return to the old rigime. in march of 1815 napoleon escaped from prison and with the support of the french people is made emperor again. Louis XIV flees france. victory is short lived. on june 18 1815 he was defeated at the battle of waterloo by british forces under the control of duke wellington and a prussian commander general blutcher. napoleon once again abdicates the thrown and goes into exile on st helena a lonely island in the south atlantic. he dies in 1821.

war at home and abroad

october 1791 the legislative assembly took office. they would not stay in office longer than a year. within the legislature faction emerged. members with similar viwes tended to sit together (left, center, right). april 1792 the french legislature declares was on prussia austria and britain. this would begin conflict ranging from 1792-1815

Women March on Versailles

october 5th 1789: thousands of lower class women marched on Versailles and demanded that the king and his family be brought back to paris to witness the suffering of the middle and lower classes. they would not leave versailles until the king met their demands. the next day Louis XVI and his family moved to the Tuileries palace in paris. the king remained a prisoner in his own capital for the next three years.

the four main players in the congress of vienna

prince clemon von metternich of austria czar alexander I of russia lord castlereigh of england prince maurice talleyrand of france their goal was to establish a lasting peace in europe.

the old regime

refers to the old order or the old way of government in europe. the old way began during the middle ages and basically placed people into 3 categories: 1. the clergy (church) 2. the nobility 3. third estate: (majority of the population)

constitution of 1791

set up limited monarchy in france, a legislative assembly now had the power to create laws in france; the law makers would be elected by tax paying male citizens. this was seen as a sucess to the moderate reformers; the papal domination of the govt. had ended, made all tax payers equal in the eyes of the law and reigned in the power of the king.

the convention under seige

the committee of republic safety was created to help deal with these issues. the committee had almost absolute power in france.

the vienna settlement

the decisions at the conference would set the stage for european politics for the next 100 years. the map of europe was redrawn. france was held in check by strong countries; the kingdoms of the netherlands were created. austria and prussia gained territory in centeral europe. the congress restored power to the "legitamate" monarchs. louis XVII was again put on the trown.

the king takes action

the king met with the estates general in may of 1789 at the palace of Versailles. louis asked that all three estates to prepare cahires or notebooks listing their grievances. delegates were elected from the third estate by they were heavily restricted (must own property; the first and second estate would often work together to sabotage their moves- voting was done by the state). the third estate delegates would form the national assembly (voting by individual), a rival version of the estates general.

liberty equality and fraternity

the peasant uprisings and the storming of Bastille spurred the nobility into action. on august 4th 1789 the nobility voted to end privleges (official end of the old regime). (most of these privileges however were lost to them before the vote.

blockade

the shutting if a port. this would turn other nations against napoleon. they continue to trade with britain.

downfall of the monarchy

the wars with prussia austria and britain created tension in paris. there were those who believed that the king was somehow involved with the invading forces. on august 10 1792 peasants stormed the kings palace in Tuileries and slaughtered the kings guards. the royal family however was able to escape to the legislative assembly. in september 1792 (september massacre) peasants attacked prisons which held nobles and preists accused of going agains the revolution. the prisoners were killed.

the nobles

they had wealth through land. they had lost most of their power during the 1600's and 1700's under Cardinal Richelieu and Louis XIV. they owned land but often had a low income. it was difficult for them to maintain their status with the economy's inflation. they feared loosing their privileges (pay no taxes, gets govt. stipends- money).

radicals took control

they took control of the general assembly and called for the election of a new legislative body, the national convention (controlled by the jacobins). suffrage was extended to all male citizens (universal male suffrage). the convention voted to abolish the monarchy and declare france a republic. they would strip the nobility of their titles. Louis XIV was arrested and put to death by beheading as was marie antoniette. their son died in a prison cell of unknown causes

the court of europe

this was a peace keeping organization which promised to keep the balance of power in europe. strong feelings of nationalism were created.

france's economic problems in 1789

this was due to in large part to: -years of defecit spending (a government spending more money than it takes in) -wars (7 years war, american revolution) -debts from borrowed money in spite of this massive debt, the nobles still refused to pay taxes. these problems were compounded by a famine during the 1780's. Louis XIV's heirs did not fix the problems (Louis XV, partied just as hard as XIV). Louis XIV attempted some reform but was not very forceful. he appointed Jaques Necker, a financial wizard as an advisor. however ignored him when he said to tax the first and second estate. the king was forced to summon the estates general (parliament) to deal with the economic crisis.

Napoleonic Code

treated all men as equals regardless of status. most lasting reform, a new code of law. did the above, but removed rights from women. napoleon valued order over individual rights.

promblems in the convention

war royalist rebellion preasant demands for food division within the convention (girondins)

Napoleon Bonaparte

was born on the french controlled island of corsia in the mediterranean. during the height of the french revolution he was a 20 year old lieutenant (artillery) who sided with the jacobins. he experienced early military success against the british and austrians. by 1799 he helped over throw the directory and set up a three man governing board the consulate. he helped create. a 4th french constitution and appointed himself first consul. this position was made permanent in 1802. by 1804 napoleon gained enough power to take the title of emperor. during his rise to power, or ballot which voters could say yes or no to an issue. he was always supported.

women in the revolution

women breifly gained ome rights during the revolution. however they were often granted as ulterior motives. (divorce granted to undermine the church property allowed to stop willed land). many of the women of the revolution also lost their heads. whatever reforms were made were lost when napoleon came to power.

the declaration of the rights of man

written by thomas jefferson. this document was modeled after the declaration of independence. "all men were born and remain free and equal in rights". "enjoyed natural rights to "life, liberty and security". the govt. exists to protect the rights of the people. the document granted religious freedom and established a tax rate based on wealth. unfortunately were not strong enough.