AP Euro Chapter 19: A Revolution in Politics: The Era of the French Revolution and Napoleon
What was the cahiers de doleances?
Directly translated, means "lists of grievances", petitions of reforms written by Estates General in 1789 to the crown to solve issues so that drastic measures would not have to be taken
Describe the importance of the Battle of Austerlitz.
Even though the tsar had more forces, Napoleon decimated them. Because of this battle, the russians were pushed back and forced to retreat, and the prussians having seen the french's strength attempted to fight back, but was ultimately powerless. He defeated Austria, Prussia, and Russia.
The French social order was divided into three orders, or estates (classes). Describe IN DETAIL each of the classes below:
First Estate: The first class of French society made up of the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church., made up of clergy less than 1 % of France's population, 2 percent income to government owned 10 percent of land scorned enlightenment ideas Second Estate: 2% of population, rich nobles, owned 20-25% of land, no taxes-hated enlightenment Third Estate: 97% of the population (the rest of France) They consisted of the bourgeoisie, the san-culottes and the peasants; they paid high taxes and had no special privileges Bourgeoisie: The middle class, including merchants, industrialists, and professional people Peasantry: They were the rural poor; they were the farmers who paid about half of their income in taxes to the nobles, the church and other agents of the king Urban Workers: includes San-Culottes, urban poor; they were the cooks/servants who were paid low wages and were often out of work
Who were France's enemies in the early part of Napoleon's consulate? What did he do early on in his reign at Amiens? How successful was this?
French enemies were: Russia Great Britain Austria He sought peace and this was achieved in Amiens in 1802 briefly, but was unsuccessful as the war was renewed in 1803 by Great Britain initially, then later joined by Russia and Austria.
Spielvogel says that the causes of the French Revolution can be attributed to both immediate causes and long term causes. Below, list a few of each. Generally speaking, (think premises of an argument in a thesis statement) what kinds of ideas could you say were either long-term versus immediate causes of the French Revolution?
Immediate Causes: Neglecting the economy and the people in exchange for the nobles and higher ups to become wealthier Cost of bread rose up and there was little motivation to change it economy about to collapse debt increasing and the poor would have taxes raised lavish spending Long term issues: unfair treatment of the poor- taxed heavily, abused from rulers denied rights and had the odds stacked against them in legislative decisions
What role did women play in the French Rev? Why weren't men of the revolution receptive to female participation?
In the early stages of the war, it was the women that finally brought out the king and queen from their palace and into the arms of the people. In the later stages, they were extremely important to the war effort, but were still disrespected and pushed aside when it came to trying to become involved in politics or try to help each other out. Sexism was still a large issue that plagued women.
What was the womens' march to Versailles all about? How did it end? What were their demands? How did Louis XVI respond?
It started with women (with pikes!) marching to confront the king and National Assembly to demand bread because their children were starving, so Louis XVI promised to give them grain supplies, but the protest did not end; the women demanded that the royal family not only provide bread but return with them to Paris. The next day, the Parisian women marched back with the royal family alongside the royal family essentially as prisoners.
When the new constitution of 1795 was established, how was it different from the preceding one? How was the government to be structured and what was it called?
It was different from the preceding constitution because (essentially) it was more fair. The government was structured into two entities: the Council of 500 and the Council of Elders (250 members). The 500 wrote the laws and the 250 voted on whether or not they would be passed.
Who was the king of France at the outset of the Revolution? Describe his qualities and how he responded to the economic crises France faced.
King Louis the 16th was the leader during the outset of the Revolution. He was horribly underprepared and unskilled to handle the mounting economic depression that was plaguing the country. Even when he called the Estates General, he threatened to dissolve it if the 3rd Estate did not stay in its place and listen to him. He never sought to make to create major legislative decisions, and wanted only the consent of the country to raise taxes to pay off the mountain of debt that it had accumulated. The parlements feared that their taxes would be raised, and so declined any legislation to raise taxes. Regardless, as with any country, it was the poor or average people that bared the brunt of the taxes.
What did Louis XVI try to do in the midst of all this dissent in June of 1791? What was the result of this?
Louie the 16th attempted to flee France in June 1791 and almost succeeded but he was recognized in Varennes (near Austrian border) and captured to be brought back to Paris and held in custody while they decided what to do with him.
What was the response of foreign monarchs to the French Revolution? In particular, explain the reactions of Leopold II of Austria and King Frederick Wilhelm II of Prussia. How well did the two get along? What was the Declaration of Pillnitz? How did the French Legislative Assembly respond? (this should be a substantial answer)
Many foreign monarchs feared the outcome of the Revolution because they wondered if their own people would revolt against them. In order to combat this, Austria and Prussia formed the Declaration of Pillnitz, which mission was to bring the king back to power so he may be able to restore peace. Of course, being suspicious of one another stopped them from working together to fight France. The FLA responded by declaring war on Austria, and when they were being beaten, asked for 20,000 more volunteers.
How did Napoleon go about making peace with the Roman Catholic Church?
Napoleon attempted to make peace with the Roman Catholic Church by both signing the Concordat and essentially being in cahoots with the church, recognizing catholicism as the religion of the majority of the French people.
Explain a little bit about the early background of "Napoleone Buonaparte." How did Napoleon come to be an artillery commander?
Napoleon was born in 1769 to lesser nobles on the island of Corsica. In 1785 he became a French artillery officer because his military education led to him becoming a lieutenant, and then he moved swiftly through the ranks.
What happened when Napoleon was first exiled? Where did he go? What was the "100 Days"? How did it end? Then what happened?
Napoleon was first exiled to Elba and he was technically banned for 300 days, but only left for the famously known "100 days" until his return to France to lose the Battle at Waterloo. All in all it was a tough day for the poor guy. He was then exiled AGAIN to St. Helena.
What is the significance of the Declaration of the Rights of man and Citizen? What principles did it suggest?
New constitution written by National Assembly in 1789, closely resembled Declaration of Independence and gave all citizens free expression of thoughts and opinions and guaranteed equality before the law. It reflected the ideas of the major philosophies of the French Enlightenment & American Declaration of Independence, and it suggested that specific human rights included liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression as well as proclaiming an end to exemption from taxation, access to public office, outlawing arbitrary arrests (press and speech) citizens had right in to take part in legislative process.
Who was Josephine Beauharnais? What events defined Napoleon's career from 1795 to 1797?
She was Napoleon's wife. He protected the National Convention from the Parisian mob and promoted to major general. he married. became commander of the french army in italy.
Who is Olympe de Gouges? Why is she such a critical figure of the French Revolution?
She was a feminist that fought for the rights of women to be included in the new constitution dubbed The Declaration of the Rights of Men. She is a critical figure because she insisted that women should have the same rights as men, and that they also do aspire to exercise their political rights.
Who was Emmanuel Joseph Sieyes? From which estate did he emerge? What role did he play at the start of the Revolution?
Sieyes was from the Third Estate and was a representative of it. He wanted the Third Estate to become meaningful and help change the country. Thought not all of his sentiments were felt the same way throughout the country, it was the spirit of his words that the Revolution believed in.
Describe the Tennis Court Oath. Why did it happen? What did the Third Estate do at this particular event?
Tennis Court Oath called that because the meeting took place at a tennis court as the National Assembly was locked out of their traditional meeting place (by a janitor?), at this meeting the National Assembly (which consisted of the Third Estate made an oath to never disband until their class had ample representation in government.
Describe in detail the impact that the American Revolution had on Europe. What role did Marquis de Lafayette have when he returned to France?
The American Revolution heavily influenced Europe when the soldiers that had fought in the war returned home. Most notably, it was the French men who returned from war that had the most influence in Europe because they fought on the side of the Americans to hurt their rival, England. When Marquis de Lafayette returned to France, he preached the ideas of individual liberties, popular sovereignty, and republicanism. In the early stages of the Revolution, he became a member of the Society of Thirty, which was a club composed of people from the paris salons.
How did the Committee of Public Safety go about defending Paris, the newly formed republic, and the overall revolutionary effort? What did Spielvogel mean when he called it a "Nation in arms"? In what way have historians described the French revolutionary army as fundamentally different from those that fought in previous wars?
The CPS went about defending Paris and the rest of the country by calling upon the citizens of the country to defend it. The men went to war to defend the country, and the women worked to supply the men with whatever they needed. It was truly a nation at arms in the fact that it was a country wide effort to support the war on multiple fronts and keep the revolution alive. In just about a year, there were more than 1,000,000 volunteers in the Revolutionary army. This united army and effort is one of the first instances of nationalism as the whole people worked together and were involved, and it became the people's war.
What was the Civil Code, aka the Napoleonic Code? How well did it represent the revolutionary ideals the French fought for during the previous decade?
The Civil Code contained a sort of unified legal system, and represented revolutionary ideals the French fought for because it contained freedoms that inspired the revolution and kept them in place. It also contained religious toleration and voting for someone to hold a position of power.
How well did the Directory function? What were its weaknesses? What is a coup d'etat?
The Directory was very moderate, and its main weakness was being unable to defend itself, and seeking the aid of the army to survive. A coup /d'etat is a sudden overthrow of the government through force.
After the start of war, how did the French perform initially? Explain how fears of an invasion stoked some dissent in Paris. What did they have to do in September of 1792? Why did this happen?
The French initially fared badly at the beginning of the war because Paris feared invasion. other European monarchs became involved in the revolution because they feared revolution in their own States, So they made effort to reestablish the French King's power. As fear of invasion by the austrians grew, scapegoats were pursued to blame and crises both economically and domestically occurred with in France end result. in September of 1792, The Legislative Assembly suspended the monarchy and called for a National Convention to decide on a future form of government.
Who are the Girondins? What did they stand for? Who were the Mountain? Why were they called this? And what did the Girondins and the Mountain have in common?
The Girondins were one of the most important political factions during the revolution. They were the more moderate revolutionaries, whereas the Mountain were more radical. Girondins were called this because the leaders came from the department of Gironde. Mountain because the seats of the members were supposedly slanting upwards in the convention hall.
What was the Great Fear? Who was most responsible for these uprisings?
The Great Fear was a panic that took place in France in 1789. The source of fear was that foreign troops would invade and attack French citizens in support of the French monarchy. This led to more peasant rebellions and the development of peasant militias.
What was the Paris Commune? Who were the Sans-Culotte? Who was their leader? And how long did it last?
The Paris Commune was comprised of people who called themselves Sans-Culottes, ordinary people without fine clothes. Georges Danton led them. It ended in 1795.
How did the most radical stage of the French Revolution (the Reign of Terror) end? What happened to Robespierre?
The Reign of Terror ended with the death of Robespierre. He was executed with the same blade that killed so many before him.
What was the biggest problem Napoleon faced with regards to Great Britain? What happened at the Battle of Trafalgar?
The biggest problem was that britain had too much seapower and could not be contested with as long as it ruled the seas. At the Battle of trafalgar, the french and spanish navy were defeated by britain, ending their hopes of ever having a real war with them that would be enough to topple the country .
What happened to the Roman Catholic Church in France after the start of the Revolution? How did the role of the clergy change at this time?
The clergy changed drastically at the start of the Revolution. Money was confiscated by the people from the Church its power was also stripped from it. Clergymen and priests were also voted in and paid by the people. All clergy were forced to swear under oath to the Civil Constitution, and if that did not happen, they became enemies of the Revolution.
What was the Committee of Public Safety? Who was Maximilien Robespierre?
The committee of public safety was an executive committee that solved domestic and foreign crises in 1783 for a whole year. Maximillion Robespierre was you member of the estates general and use his power to benefit the people.
With respect to the fate of Louis XVI, what was the major difference between the Girondins and the Mountain? What ended up happening to the King?
The girondins and Mountain could not agree on the fate of the king, as we know the King was eventually executed by beheading.
When did the National Assembly complete the constitution? What kind of government did it establish and how was it structured? What was the new name of the body that replaced the National Assembly?
The new constitution was completed by 1791 and it established a limited constitutional monarchy; it was structured to allow them on our to enjoy a few powers that were not subject to review by the new Legislative Assembly. This was the assembly that replaced the National Assembly End it was structured to consist of 745 Representatives chosen through indirect election and to represent the citizens.
After the dissolution of the Legislative Assembly, what was the brand new legislature called? What was the primary social makeup of this new law-making body? What new form of government did they establish?
The new legislature was called the National Convention and the primary social makeup was lawyers, professionals, and property owners as well as artisans. Additionally, most were under the age of 45 and had prior political experience and were distrustful of the king. They Polish the monarchy and established a republic.
How did the ideas of the philosophes play a role in the French Revolution?
The philosophes preached the ways of the Enlightenment, and used its' ideas to craft a new society in which monarchs did not rule absolutely, and power was distributed to the people. They called for self rule and democracy, and heavily criticized the monarchs at the time.
The National Convention did not control all of France, what were some places that remained outside their control?
The places outside of National Convention control were Vendee, Lyons, and Marseilles Who broke away from central authority.
Describe the "Reign of Terror"? Who were some of the casualties of this movement? What kinds of activities, behaviors, or sentiments were targeted as threats during this time?
The reign of terror affected royalist revolutionary girondins, in presence, specifically people who oppose the radical activities of The sans-culottes. this learn to executions and open your billions in friends. Women, priest, monks in children were all put to death along side the men. simply not supporting the revolution was a great threat because they had the mindset of "if you aren't with us, with us you're against".
What is the "Republic of Virtue"? What kinds of measures did they attempt to put into place? Was it success or failure? Why?
The republic of virtue was a new Republican order new Republican citizens created by spring of 1783. They attempted to provide some economic controls, such as establishing a system of requisitioning food supplies and setting price controls. They failed to work because the government like to machinery to enforce them.
What did the Paris Commune (and Sans-Culottes) end up doing to the Girondins? What effect did this have?
They ended up killing the Girondins, which added more cause to anti revolutionaries to keep fighting but also strike fear into the people.
What was the Jacobin Club (aka, the Jacobins)? What kinds of people were part of the Jacobins and what was their stance?
They were the radicals of the French Revolution that held the most power and influence and were led by Maximilien Robespierre. They believed in using force and terror to keep the Revolution alive and sought radical social and political changes. The type of people came from elites in their own classes, but also included ordinary individuals.
Describe the social/demographic breakdown of the victims of the Terror? Who was most affected by it?
Victims ranged from loyalists to revolutionaries as well. It had no bias. It only had paranoia. Most victims, however, were either poor or were against the revolution.
Explain the situation in Saint-Domingue (now known as Haiti). Who was Toussaint L'Ouverture and what role did he play in the events?
Women played an active role in the radical phase of the French revolution because they made members and deputies of the national convention aware of their demands. They appealed to the national convention for lower bread prices and were a great part of the working class and source of patriotism.
What major foreign threat did France face by the start of 1793? How did the National Convention respond to this crisis?
in 1793, a coalition of European nations fought to defeat france and restore the old establishment. The NC responded by giving the Committee of Public Safety that gave them powers to make domestic and foreign decisions.
What was the financial crisis happening in France? (hint: you may want to explain with specifics, in the event it comes up on a future LEQ/DBQ)
multiple sources raises taxes to meet expenses of war of Austrian, succession, 7 years war forced to finance enormous expenditures during American war with borrowed money soar of national debt bc of king and queen wasting money on luxurious jewels, clothes and hairdos
What 3 parts comprised Napoleon's Grand Empire? How did Napoleon administer such a vast territory? What role did his family play in this?
the three parts include: the French empire a series of dependent states allied states he administered this territory through invasion and taking control (imperialism) and then being a fair(ish) leader so the people in the territories did no tmind his family was involved because they influenced him to destroy the social order (nobility vs commoners) and treat all equal, which he attempted to do.
