1. The French Revolution and Napoleon 1789-1815
Chapter 23
The French Revolution and Napoleon

2. Section 1 The French Revolution Begins

3. The Estates
1770s – France was divided into three social classes (estates)
Estates
% of population
% of land owned
% of taxes
1st (Clergy)
<1 10 2
2nd (Nobles) 20
3rd
(Everyone else) 98 70 50

4. 3rd Estate Three groups: Highest taxed with the fewest privileges
Bourgeoisie – middle class; could be wealthy; paid very high taxes
Knew and embraced Enlightenment ideals
Workers
Peasants
Highest taxed with the fewest privileges

5. Reasons for Change Huge group made up the lowest class
New ideas of government
Enlightenment ideals + the American Revolution
Economic problems
By the 1780s, France was starting to weaken
Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette nearly double their debt

6. Louis XVI In addition to being extravagant, Louis XVI was indecisive
He waited until they were nearly bankrupt to deal with it
Tried to tax the 2nd estate
A meeting will be called with representatives from each estate (Estates-General) to discuss the tax

7. Beginning Revolution
The first 2 estates traditionally outvoted the 3rd (1 vote per estate)
Angered over the power of the first 2 estates, the 3rd estate created the National Assembly to become the new legislature
Took all the power away from the king
Tennis Court Oath was the first act of “revolt” against the king, promising not to quit until a new Constitution was created

8. Bastille Day
The National Assembly feared Louis using the military to dismiss them
Began collecting weapons
Trying to find more weapons, a mob stormed the Bastille, a Parisian prison
Killed guards and paraded through the streets with heads on pikes
Considered the French “Independence Day” (July 14, 1789)

9. Great Fear
At the beginning of revolution, panic swept out of Paris and through the countryside
Created chaos
Louis and Marie Antoinette were forced to move back to Paris after attempting to flee the country

10. Warm-up #1 – write the number, what’s red, and the answer
What percentage of people belonged to the 3rd estate?
What happened on Bastille Day?
Which group of people in France most embraced the ideas of the Enlightenment? B____________
What prompted the meeting of the Estates-General during the reign of Louis XVI?
What group of people were hurt most by the tax system pre-Revolution in France?
98%
French mob stormed a prison and killed all the guards (French Independence Day)
Bourgeoisie
Louis XVI tried to raise taxes on 2nd estate
3rd estate

11. Section 2 Revolution Brings Reform and Terror

12. The Assembly Reforms France
Out of fear, nobles and clergy began to join the National Assembly
First act was to eliminate the privileges of the 1st and 2nd estates
By the end of the summer of 1789, they had created a set of rights just like the US Constitution
Ignored women

13. Church and King Church was nationalized
Land became “public” and officials were elected
Angered many peasants
Louis XVI and his family tried to escape France
Caught and put under guard
Strengthened his opponents

14. A Government Forms
The National Assembly debated a constitution for 2 years.
The Final Product:
Constitutional monarchy
Created a Legislative Assembly
Could create laws but the monarchy was responsible for enforcing them

15. Factions Develop
After gaining power, the Legislative Assembly quickly divided into 3 groups
Radicals – wanted extreme change (no king)
Moderates – wanted some change
Conservatives – wanted few changes
Other groups sought to change policies from the outside
Emigres - nobles who had fled
San-culottes – commoners who wanted greater changes

16. War
Other nations, fearing the same would happen to them, encouraged Louis XVI to reclaim power
Legislative Assembly declared war
Imprisoned the royal family
September Massacres resulted from mobs storming prisons and killing the imprisoned nobles

17. Jacobins The most radical politicians ended up with control
Became known as Jacobins
Advocated the killing of ANYONE who supported the king
Jan 21, 1793 – they try Louis XVI for treason and execute by guillotine
Continued their war effort against growing enemies

18. Reign of Terror Even the French people feared the Jacobins
Maximilien Robespierre will rise to power and sought to completely wipe out the past
Targeted the Church
Became the dictator and began executing anyone that threatened his power
Nobody was safe
85% were “friends” of the Revolution

19. End of Terror
Fellow revolutionaries finally arrested and executed Robespierre on July 28, 1794
Following the Terror, people abandoned the idea of radical change and put the nobility back in control
Bicameral legislature
5 person executive body (the Directory)

20. Warm-up #2
What kind of government was created by the Constitution the National Assembly created?
Who was safe from the guillotine during the Reign of Terror?
What did the National Assembly do that angered the French peasants?
Who removed Robespierre from power?
Who took control of France following Robespierre’s death?
Constitutional monarchy
Nobody
Took away the Church’s land and ability to elect their own officials
His fellow revolutionaries
The nobles

21. Section 3 Napoleon Forges an Empire

22. Taking Power Born in 1769, Napoleon was raised to be a military leader
Promoted quickly when he protected the government (1795)
Soon after (1799), he seized an opening to take over (coup d’etat)
His resistance to Britain, Austria, and Russia led to him being recognized as the soul leader

23. Ruling France
Using a plebiscite, or vote of the people, Napoleon became the sole leader under a new constitution
Kept many of the reforms of the revolution
Rebuilt the economy through fair taxes
Ended much of the corruption in government
Established government run schools (lycees) to train government employees

24. Napoleonic Reforms
Responding to the people, he re-established a relationship with the Church (concordat)
Kept the Church out of political affairs
Created the Napoleonic Code
Uniform set of laws
Promoted order over liberty
His popularity led to him being crowned emperor in 1804 (symbolism of crowning himself)

25. Napoleon’s Empire Sought to expand Needed Haiti
All of Europe and take back the Americas
Needed Haiti
A civil war fought by slaves had liberated Haiti 10 years earlier
France lost (disease)
After losing Haiti, Napoleon abandoned the West and sold Louisiana to the US in 1803
Money, cut losses, anger/weaken Britain

26. Focusing on Europe
Having had early successes, Britain, Russia, Austria, and Sweden joined against Napoleon
His bold/unpredictable strategy gave Napoleon the advantages initially
Britain will be the only enemy left when Russia, Austria, and Prussia sign treaties

27. Ruler of Europe Initially Napoleon seemed unstoppable
In 1805, at the Battle of Trafalgar, the British navy destroyed Napoleon’s fleet at the Strait of Gibraltar
Granted the British naval supremacy for the 1800s
Napoleon had to give up on England
By 1812, Napoleon controlled nearly all of Europe
The size was also the reason it was so difficult to maintain

28. Warm-up #3 What were some of Napoleon’s reforms?
What were the reasons for Napoleon selling Louisiana?
What were the consequences of the Battle of Trafalgar?
What word describes a vote of the people?
What institution did Napoleon compromise with after coming to power?
Government run schools, legal code, fairer taxes
Raise money, cut losses in America, anger/reduce the power of Britain
Napoleon gave up conquering Britain and naval supremacy
Plebiscite
The Church

29. Section 4 Napoleon’s Empire Collapses

30. Mistake #1: Continental System
Napoleon tried to “starve” Britain by closing (blockade) all continental ports
Britain responded by creating its own blockade
Worked better because of their navy
Caused the US to declare war (War of 1812)

31. Mistake #2: Peninsular War
Trying to control Portugal, Napoleon angered Spain into a 6 year war against peasant fighters (guerillas)
Used ambush tactics, which Napoleon could not fight
Britain joined Spain
Napoleon’s actions renewed nationalist feelings

32. Mistake #3 (the big one): Russian Invasion
In 1812, Napoleon, angry at Russia’s refusal to obey the blockade against Britain, invaded Russia
Russian Czar, Alexander I, used a scorched-earth policy to prevent the French from getting anything (including Moscow)
When they started their retreat, the Russians picked them off
The French army went from 420,000 to 10,000

33. Napoleon’s Downfall Napoleon’s enemies seized their opening
He was able to raise an army again but they were untrained and lost easily
April 1814, Napoleon surrendered and was exiled to Elba

34. 100 Days Napoleon was replaced by the unpopular Louis XVIII
After escaping Elba and returning to France, Napoleon was welcomed by the people, who quickly joined his army
He was emperor again within days of landing
His final defeat came at Waterloo in June of This period of rule was known as the Hundred Days
He was exiled (for good) to St. Helena

35. Warm-up #4 What did Britain do in response to the Continental System?
What strategy did Czar Alexander I use to defeat Napoleon?
Name of the period where Napoleon returned to power in France.
Name of the conflict between Spain/Portugal and France during the reign of Napoleon.
They organized their own blockade
Scorched-earth policy
100 days
Peninsular War

36. Section 5 Congress of Vienna

37. Origins
Following Napoleon’s domination of Europe, leaders wanted peace and stability.
A series of meetings will be held in Vienna, Austria
Most decisions will be made behind closed doors by the 5 “great powers”
Russia, Prussia, Austria, Great Britain, and France

38. Klemens von Metternich
Most influential person at the Congress
Prince of Austria
Felt that Napoleon’s example showed all the problems of democracy
Had 3 goals
Prevent French aggression by weakening France and strengthening its neighbors
Balance the power of all nations
Restore the monarchies
Legitimacy was a principle that restored to power all the people removed by Napoleon

39. Other Political Changes
While governments reverted to pre-Napoleon era, those governments were different from each other
Britain and France – Constitutional Monarchies
Central/East – conservative
Russia, Prussia, and Austria – absolute monarchs

40. Conservative Europe Many European leaders agreed to protect each other
Holy Alliance and Concert of Europe both protected member nations in the event of a revolution
Sought to turn back the French Revolution but it was too late

41. Legacy of the Revolution
Latin American nations who had tasted democracy were unwilling to surrender it back
The Congress of Vienna established a balance of power in European nations
Nationalism had become a driving force for future revolutions across Europe and the Americas