French Revolution

Maximilien Robespierre

(1758 to 1794) He was a radical-Jacobin leader who seized control of National Convention and Committee of Public Safety in Paris, France. He later instituted Reign of Terror, targeting those whose philosophies differed from his own. He participated in writing the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, the foundation of the French constitution. After becoming Paris delegation to the new National Convention, He had the king executed and encouraged the crowds to rise up against the aristocracy. Robespierre and many of his allies were arrested and taken to prison. He and 21 of his allies were executed by the National Convention at the guillotine.

Napoleon Bonaparte

(1769-1821), Young military genius who had great successes in military campaigns in Italy before returning to France in October 1799 and becoming military dictator for fifteen years as well as french emperor. Sieyès, enlisted the aid of Napoleon, and began to plan a military coup to topple the Directory. Napoleon first action was to overthrow the Directory. Then Napoleon dissolved the legislature and instituted himself as first consul, the leader of a military dictatorship. Napoleon effectively ended the French Revolution.

Waterloo

(June 18, 1815) Napoleon led his army of some 72,000 troops against the 68,000-man British army, near the village of Waterloo. Napoleon waited until midday to give the command when to attack. The delay gave Blucher's remaining troops time to march to Waterloo and join the battle later that day. The French emperor's outnumbered army retreated in chaos. He was blamed for appointing inadequate commanders and tactical errors. Ultimately, the Battle of Waterloo marked the end of Napoleon's storied military career. He reportedly rode away from the battle in tears.

Grand Empire

Around 1805, the French expansion on the Continent led to Grand Empire. Napoleon faced opposition primarily from Great Britain. Napoleon's empire resembled Roman Empire. Core of Grand Empire was France and western half of Italy. Had a Reliance on allies (Russia, Austria, and Prussia) and dependent states. French success aroused feelings of nationalism that undermined the Empire.

Reign of Terror

In the autumn of 1793, Robespierre and the Jacobins focused on addressing economic and political threats within France. Under the Committee of Public Safety, Robespierre began pointing an accusing finger at anyone whose beliefs seemed to be counterrevolutionary and those who shared many Jacobin views but were slightly too radical or conservative. A vast amount of executions ensued in Paris and to smaller towns and rural area. Nearly 15,000 to 50,000 French citizens were beheaded at the guillotine. Even longtime associates of Robespierre such as Georges Danton, who had helped orchestrate the Jacobin rise to power, was beheaded.

Continental System

One of the poor decisions that set up Napoleon's defeat was the Establishment of the Continental System (1806). The Continental System began in 1806 with Napoleon's Berlin Decree, which banned British ships from entering European ports. Napoleon next issued the Milan Decree in December 1807. Britain's retaliated through sea power, creating a blockade of all European ships. If Europe wouldn't allow British ships to dock at European ports, Britain wouldn't allow European ships to sail on what was then Britain's ocean.

Committee of Public Safety

The Committee of Public Safety was named by the National Convention in 1793. The purpose of the committee was to provide the defense of France during the Revolution and to supervise food distribution. In France, this group was led by Maximilian Robespierre and Georges Danton who set prices, rationed food, and raised an army to fight off invasion. Maximilien Robespierre became the leader of the committee in 1758, after Georges Danton and his followers failed to deal with the war situation. After Robespierre created a "republic of virtue" forcing citizens to be reeducated, conflict arose leaving the committee weakened and his own down fall in 1794.

Civil Code (of Napoleon)

The civil code gave post-revolutionary France its first coherent set of laws concerning property, colonial affairs, the family, and individual rights. The Napoleonic Code made the authority of men over their families stronger, deprived women of any individual rights, and reduced the rights of illegitimate children. All male citizens were also granted equal rights under the law and the right to religious dissent, but colonial slavery was reintroduced. The laws were applied to all territories under Napoleon's control and were influential in several other European countries and in South America.

Directory

The constitution of 1795 stipulated that the executive body of the new government would be a group of five officers called the Directory. Council of Elders elected the Directory. Military (army) kept the Directory in power. Directory faced enemies on the Left (radicals) and Right (royalists). Directory exaggerated the threat of foreign invasion. Civil liberties restricted to freedom of religion, press, and labor. Directory began to abuse its power which pushed a group of Jacobins to plan a secret military coup against the constitution of 1793.