FRENCH REVOLUTIONand the

ERA of EMPEROR NAPOLEON(1789-1815)

Lesson #9

French Revolution1789 - 1815

• French people rose up against King and Nobles

• Chaos and death• Bloody Reign of Terror• Napoleon restored order• Napoleon then went on to

take over Europe• All of Europe ganged up and

defeated Napoleon• Europe restored to “old” ways

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FRENCH SOCIETYon the “eve”

of the French Revolution

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(1789)

French Society prior to Rev

Divided into “Estates”First Estate: “clergy” (Church People)

Second Estate: “nobles”(born with a “title”)

Third Estate: Everyone else

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Royalty – THE KING

~10% of landPaid no taxesEducatedLived a “clean” lifeTrustedLived in amazing luxury at Versailles

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King Louis XVI

Queen Marie Antoinette

First Estate – THE CLERGY

1% of population10% of landPaid no taxesEducatedLived a “clean” liferespected

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Second Estate – THE NOBILITY

1% of population30% of landRented land to PeasantsPaid almost no taxesEducatedLived a “clean” lifeHated by Third Estate

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Typical home for Nobles

Château de Chenonceau

Typical home for Nobles

Château of Dampierre-en-Yvelines

Third Estate – EVERYONE ELSE

98% of population50% of landPaid MOST taxesNOT educatedLived a hard and dirty life

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Recap:1. What are the three estates?

2. What people are IN the three named estates?

3. What conflict can you see causing a rebellion?

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CAUSES of the FRENCH REVOLUTION

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#1 PROBLEM: $$$

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FRANCE WAS BROKEFLAT BROKEFROM WARSAND FROM BAD GOVERNMENT DECISIONS

BUT… SOME FRENCH PEOPLE WERE NOT SOME WERE FILTHY RICH!

AND THAT MADE PEOPLE MAD!

That led to rebellion

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Which led to revolution (massive change)

Issue #1: warsRivalries in Europe

Each European nation was like an individual battling for existence.

They made friends only to become more powerful.

One example is France vs. Austria.

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Wars are expensive!

So, how do you stop them from happening?

Solution to RivalryAnswer: use marriage to create friendshipsAustrian government forced Austrian princess to marry the French prince (who would be king – “DAUPHIN”).

Marie Antoinette of Austria… and…Louis August of France.(will be Louis XVI)

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Issue #2 - Inequities in French Society• First Estate – 1%

– CLERGY– Owned 10% of the land (wealth)

• Second Estate – 1%– NOBLES– Owned 30% of the land

• Third Estate – 98%– EVERYONE ELSE– Bourgeoisie (MIDDLE CLASS)– Peasants – 85% of society (very poor farmers)– Owned what was left… 17

Issue #3: Impact of Enlightenment• Educated bourgeois demanded change• Wanted a “rational” government

– Like Voltaire, Montesquieu and Rousseau said• Wanted to talk with the king• Respected BRITISH government

– Parliament (a voice of the people)

– Free speech

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Issue #4: Financial Crisis

• France had been going into Huge DEBT from wars,

from cost to maintain Versailles, support of American Revolution

BUT…• King and NOBLES kept living

well and extravagantly – Parties– Fancy clothes and food

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Marie Antoinette • Some blamed her• She was from AUSTRIA

(traditional enemy of France)• She spent a LOT• But not enough to matter• She was just out of touch• Rumor: when she was told on one had bread &

were starving: • “LET THEM EAT CAKE”

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Weak Leadership

• King Louis XVI wanted to tax the all ESTATES• First Estate said it was not legal• Claimed only a meeting of the ESTATES GENERAL could change national policy

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Louis Called Estates General

• King Louis XVI planned the meeting• All three Estates would meet together• The hope: solve the debt problem• Their debt was TEN TIMES worse than ours now(ours now is $17 trillion; about $55,000 for every American

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Guess the expectations”

1. What do you think the FIRST and SECOND ESTATES might want to happen at this meeting?

2. What do you think the THIRD ESTATE might want from this meeting?

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Expectations and hopes for France– First Estate

• PROTECT PRIVILEGES AND POWER

– Second Estate• PROTECT PRIVILEGES

– Third Estate – Bourgeois• LOWER TAX BURDEN• BECOME A PART OF GOVERNMENT

– Third Estate – Peasants• LOWER TAX BURDEN

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THE START of the FRENCH REVOLUTION

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1789

Meeting of the Estates General

• Summer 1789• Purpose of meeting:

RESTRUCTURE TAX SYSTEM

• All three estates sent representatives

Meeting of the Estates General• First and Second

Estates– Planned to work

together to block any changes that would increase their taxes

• Louis XVI planned to DOUBLE THE THIRD ESTATE and give them as much voting power as the first two states combined

National Assembly• Nothing got accomplished• Third estate pulled away and formed a new

group • THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

• They swore to change the government, to include a CONSTITUTION

• King Louis agreed(reluctantly)

Storming of the Bastille • King Louis brought troops to defend VERSAILLES

Why would he do this?How should the “common people” respond?

• Paris commoners attacked the BASTILLE to get guns for protection

• Bastille had been a prison; represented the KING’S TYRANNY

The Great Fear

• In the COUNTRYSIDE • Peasants attacked houses of NOBLES

– Destroyed records of their debts• Nobles ran in fear

– Left country: EMEGREES

Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen

• Feudal rights of first two estates abolished by NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

• Debts of peasants totally forgiven• New document – Declaration:

– Basic idea of “liberty, equality, brotherhood” for all citizens

– Read p. 589; analyze document– Guaranteed rights of free SPEECH and RELIGION

March on Versailles

• Louis called in MORE TROOPS again• Sans Culottes marched to Versailles (12 mi)

– (mostly women, around 7000)• Broke into PALACE of VERSAILLES • Louis agreed to move to Paris with wife, Marie

Antoinette and face the problems in Paris

FRENCH REVOLUTION

THE REIGN of TERROR

Lesson #5

Violent phase of French Revolution

1. Execution of the King (The Republic) (602)

King Louis put on trial for treasonFOUND GUILTYEXECUTED JANUARY, 1793

Execution of Louis XVI

Violent phase of French Revolution

2. Reign of Terror (604)

40,000 people executedMostly poor peasantsThe remaining Nobles

Reign of Terror

Violent phase of French Revolution

3. Death by Guillotine (605)

EqualEfficient Public

The Guillotine

Violence of Terror

FRENCH REVOLUTIONand the

ERA of EMPEROR NAPOLEON(1789-1815)

Lesson #9

The Era of Napoleon: 1799-1815

1. Napoleon saved France from corruption2. Was a military dictator3. Declared himself Emperor of France4. Conquered most of Europe for France5. Most of Europe ganged up against him6. In the end, Napoleon was defeatedSOME SAY HE WAS THE GREATEST MILITARY GENIUS EVER, AND THE GREATEST RULER EUROPE EVER KNEW

The Era of Napoleon: 1799-1815

Napoleon saved France from corruption

Born in Corsica (not France)

The Era of Napoleon: 1799-1815

Was a military dictator

(like Oliver Cromwell)

The Era of Napoleon: 1799-1815

Declared himself Emperor of France

The Era of Napoleon: 1799-1815

He conquered most of Europe for France

The Era of Napoleon: 1799-1815

Most of Europe ganged up against him

The Era of Napoleon: 1799-1815

In the end, Napoleon was defeated

Evaluate Napoleon:1. Was he good for France?

2. Why?

3. Was he good for the rest of Europe?

4. Why?

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