1. Chapter23
The French Revolution
And Napoleon
(1789–1815) .

2. World History: Connection to Today
Chapter 23 : The French Revolution and Napoleon
(1789–1815)
Section 1: The French Revolution Begins
Section 2: Revolution Brings Reform and Terror
Section 3: Napoleon Forges and Empire
Section 4: Napoleon’s Empire Collapses
Section 5: The Congress of Vienna
Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

3. On the Eve of the Revolution1
On the Eve of the Revolution
What was the social structure of the old regime?
Why did France face economic troubles in 1789?
Why did Louis XVI call the Estates General?
Why did a Paris crowd storm the Bastille?

4. The French Revolution

5. 1
The Old Regime
Under the ancient regime, or old order, everyone in France belonged to one of three classes.
FIRST ESTATE
SECOND ESTATE
THIRD ESTATE
The CLERGY
Enjoyed enormous wealth and privilege
Owned about 10 percent of land, collected tithes, and paid no taxes
Provided some social services
The NOBILITY
Owned land but had little money income
Hated absolutism
Feared losing traditional privilege, especially exemption from taxes
The BOURGEOISIE and PEASANTS
Peasants were 90 percent of French population
Resented privilege of first and second estates
Burdened by taxes
Many earned miserable wages and faced hunger and even starvation

6. French Society in the 1780’s

7. The French Monarchy:
Marie Antoinette & Louis XVI

8. Causes of the French Revolution

9. 1
Economic Trouble
Economic trouble added to the social unrest and heightened tension
For years, the French government used deficit spending that is, a government’s spending more money than it takes in.
Louis XIV had left France deeply in debt. Recent wars, a general rise in costs in the 1700s, and the lavish court were incredibly costly. To bridge the gap between income and expenses, the government borrowed more and more money.
Bad harvests in the late 1780s sent food prices soaring and brought hunger to poorer peasants and city dwellers.

10. The Forces of Change Economic Troubles
• High taxes and rising costs damage economy by
1780s
• King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette
known for extravagance
• Louis doubles nation’s debt; banks refuse to lend
more money
A Weak Leader
• Louis’s poor decisions and lack of patience add to
France’s problems
• He calls Estates-General—meeting of
representatives from all three estates
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11. Convening the Estates General May, 1789
Last time it was called into session was 1614!

12. Dawn of the Revolution The National Assembly
• Third Estate has little power under old rules
• Sieyès persuades them to make major changes in
French government
• Third Estate sets up National Assembly—new
legislature to make reforms
• Tennis Court Oath—delegates decide to write new
constitution for France
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13. “The Tennis Court Oath” by Jacques Louis David
June 20, 1789

14. Storming of the Bastille1
On July 14, 1789, more than 800 Parisians gathered outside the Bastille, a medieval fortress used as a prison. They demanded weapons believed to be stored there.
The commander of the Bastille opened fire on the crowd, and a battle started, in which many people were killed.
The storming of the Bastille quickly became a symbol of the French Revolution, a blow to tyranny. Today, the French still celebrate July 14 as Bastille Day.

15. The Meeting of the Estates General1
France’s economic crisis worsened, bread riots spread, and nobles denounced royal tyranny.
Louis XVI summoned the Estates General.
The Third Estate declared themselves to be the National Assembly and invited delegates from the other two estates to help them write a constitution.
After the Tennis Court Oath, reform-minded clergy and nobles joined the Assembly, Louis accepted it.

16. Storming the Bastille, July 14, 1789
A rumor that the king was planning a military coup against the National Assembly.
18 died.
73 wounded.
7 guards killed.
It held 7 prisoners [5 ordinary criminals & 2 madmen].

17. Storming of the Bastille

18. Section 1 Assessment 1
Which class made up 98 percent of the population of France in 1789?
a) the First Estate
b) the Second Estate
c) the Third Estate
d) the First and Second estates combined
Which of the following was not a cause of France’s economic troubles?
a) deficit spending
b) bad harvests
c) overspending by Louis XIV
d) increased wages for peasant workers
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19. Section 1 Assessment 1
Which class made up 98 percent of the population of France in 1789?
a) the First Estate
b) the Second Estate
c) the Third Estate
d) the First and Second estates combined
Which of the following was not a cause of France’s economic troubles?
a) deficit spending
b) bad harvests
c) overspending by Louis XIV
d) increased wages for peasant workers
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20. A Great Fear Sweeps France
Rebellion
• Rumors and panic spread throughout France
• Great Fear—attacks by peasants taking place across
France
• Peasants destroy legal papers binding them to feudal
system
• In October 1789, Parisian women revolt over rising
price of bread
• They demand action, forcing Louis to return from
Versailles to Paris
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21. March of the Women, October 5-6, 1789
A spontaneous demonstration of Parisian women for bread.
We want the baker, the baker’s wife and the baker’s boy!

22. Summarize
Why were members of the Third Estate dissatisfied with life under the Old Regime?
Answer(s):They had little political power and unfairly taxed

23. Summarize
What was the Bastille and why was the fall of Bastille important to the French people?
Answer(s): French prison built by the Monarchy in the 1300’s. The fall signified the beginning of a new movement for equality.

24. Ch. 23 Sect. II Revolution Brings Reform and Terror Ch. 23 Sect. II

25. Box 1 and 2
August 4, 1789, noblemen made grand speeches declaring their love of liberty and equality.
They agree to end Old Regime Privileges and join other members of the National Assembly in sweeping away the feudal privileges of the First and Second Estates.
Box 2
National Assembly adopts the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
“Men are born and remain free and equal in rights”
“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”

26. Reforms of the National Assembly
Passed the Declaration of the Rights of Man Document that limited the French monarchy and declared all citizens equal before the law

27. Revolution Brings Reform and Terror2
The Rights of Man
• National Assembly adopts Declaration of the Rights
of Man and of the Citizen
• Revolutionary leaders use the slogan, “Liberty,
Equality, Fraternity”
A State-Controlled Church
• National Assembly seizes church lands, turns clergy
into public officials
• This action alarms many peasants, who are devout
Catholics
Continued . . .
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28. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
August 26, 1789
Liberty!
Property!
Resistance to oppression!
Thomas Jefferson was in Paris at this time.

29. Box 3
On June 20, 1791, King Louis XVI attempted to escape revolutionary France and flee in disguise with his family to Austria. However, he was caught at Varennes and returned to Paris. A year later he was executed. This watercolor (Musée Carnavalet, Paris) by Pierre-Antoine and Jean-Baptiste Lesueur depicts Louis’s arrest at Varennes.
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31. Box 4 A Limited Monarchy • In September 1791, Assembly finishes new
constitution
• Legislative Assembly—new body created to
pass laws
This body had the power to create laws and to approve or reject declarations of war.
The King still held the executive power to enforce laws.
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32. Box 5 Factions Split France
• Major problems, including debt, food shortages remain
• Assembly split into Radicals, Moderates,
Conservatives
• Émigrés—nobles who flee country, want Old
Regime back in power
• Sans-culottes—lower class who want more change from the Revolution

33. How to Finance the New Govt.? Confiscate Church Lands (1790)
One of the most controversial decisions of the entire revolutionary period.

34. Box 6 France at War • Prussian forces soon threaten to attack Paris
• Parisian mob jails royal family, kills guards
• Mob breaks into prisons, killing over 1,000, including many who support the king
• Pressured by mob, Legislative Assembly deposes the king
• National Convention takes office in September, forming the French Republic
Continued . . .
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35. Box 7 Page 658 Under Pressure from Radicals ?????
***France abolishes the monarchy and declares France a Republic
It declared the king deposed, dissolved the assembly, and called for the election of a new legislature.
The new governing body, The National Convention took office on September 21, 1791.

36. War and Execution (cont.)2
War and Execution (cont.)
Jacobins Take Control
• Jacobins—radical political organization behind
1792 governmental changes
• After a close vote, Louis XVI is found guilty of
treason and beheaded
• Guillotine—machine designed during the
Revolution to behead people
The War Continues
• French army wins great victory against Prussians
and Austrians
• In 1793 Britain, Spain, Holland join forces against
France
• National Convention orders draft of 300,000 to
reinforce army
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37. Louis XVI’s Head (January 21, 1793)
The trial of the king was hastened by the discovery in a secret cupboard in the Tuilieres of a cache of documents.
They proved conclusively Louis’ knowledge and encouragement of foreign intervention.
The National Convention voted 387 to 334 to execute the monarchs.

38. During the French Revolution ( ), King Louis XVI of France was tried as a traitor and condemned to death. His execution by guillotine, which took place in a crowded plaza in Paris, was a public spectacle

39. Marie Antoinette on the Way to the Guillotine

40. Different Social Classes Executed7% 8%
28%
25%
31%

41. The “Monster” Guillotine
The last guillotine execution in France was in 1939!

42. The Terror Grips France
Divided Country
• Not all people in France support all changes of the
Revolution
Robespierre Assumes Control
• Maximilien Robespierre—Jacobin leader rules
France for a year
• Becomes leader of the Committee for Public Safety,
a dictator
• Reign of Terror—Robespierre’s rule, which
includes killing many opponents
• Thousands die during the Terror, including former
allies and Marie Antoinette
• 85 percent of those who die during the Terror are
middle or lower class
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43. Terror

44. Maximilien Robespierre was one of the most controversial figures in the French Revolution. In the cause of fostering democracy, Robespierre helped bring about the Reign of Terror, in which thousands were executed by the guillotine. He eventually met the same fate •

45. End of the Terror • In July 1794, Robespierre arrested, executed
• Terror results in public opinion shifting away from
radicals
• Moderate leaders write new constitution
• Two-house legislature and five-man Directory
restore order
• New government makes Napoleon Bonaparte
commander of armies
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46. 3
Section 3 Assessment
1. In reaction to the Reign of Terror, moderates set up the
a) Convention.
b) Directory.
c) National Assembly.
d) “Great Fear.”
2. Which of the following was true of women in the French Revolution?
a) The rights of women increased under Napoleon.
b) Women were granted equal citizenship under the Declaration of the Rights of Man.
c) Peasant women were confined to the home and did not participate at all.
d) Women of all classes participated from the very beginning.
Click Here.

47. 3
Section 2 Assessment
1. In reaction to the Reign of Terror, moderates set up the
a) Convention.
b) Directory.
c) National Assembly.
d) “Great Fear.”
2. Which of the following was true of women in the French Revolution?
a) The rights of women increased under Napoleon.
b) Women were granted equal citizenship under the Declaration of the Rights of Man.
c) Peasant women were confined to the home and did not participate at all.
d) Women of all classes participated from the very beginning.
Click Here.

48. Napoleon Forges an Empire
Section 3
Napoleon Forges an Empire
Napoleon Bonaparte, a military genius, seizes power in France and makes himself emperor.
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49. Napoleon I
( )
Ch. 23 Sect. IV

50. Napoleon-the little man that could

51. The Rise of Napoleon 1769 Born on island of Corsica4
The Rise of Napoleon
1769 Born on island of Corsica
1793 Helps capture Toulon from British; promoted to brigadier general
1795 Crushes rebels opposed to the National Convention
1796–1797 Becomes commander in chief of the army of Italy; wins victories against Austria
1798–1799 Loses to the British in Egypt and Syria
1799 Overthrows Directory and becomes First Consul of France
1804 Crowns himself emperor of France

52. Napoleon Forges an Empire
Early Life
• Napoleon Bonaparte—born in Corsica, attends
military school, joins army
Hero of the Hour
• In 1795, Napoleon defeats royalist rebels attacking
National Convention
• Napoleon wins stunning victories in Italy, gaining
popularity
• News of his defeats in Egypt is suppressed
Coup d’État
• In November 1799, he carries out coup d’état—
seizure of power
• Napoleon defeats British, Russians, Austrians who
join forces against him
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53. Napoleon Rules France Vote of Approval
• New constitution is approved through
plebiscite—vote of the people
Restoring Order at Home
• To fix economy, he sets up national banking
system, efficient tax collection
• Establishes lycées—government-run public
schools to train officials
• Signs concordat—agreement—with pope
restoring Catholicism in France
• Creates Napoleonic Code—uniform system of laws
Napoleon Crowned as Emperor
• In December 1804, Napoleon crowns himself
emperor of France
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54. Napoleon’s Throne

55. Napoleon Creates an Empire
Loss of American Territories
• In 1801, Napoleon attempts to retake colony of
Saint Domingue but fails
• Gives up on the Americas and concentrates on
Europe
• Sells the Louisiana Territory to United States for
$15 million in 1803
Conquering Europe
• Britain, Russia, Austria, Sweden join forces against
Napoleon
• Napoleon crushes enemy forces in several brilliant
battles
• Napoleon forces Austria, Russia, Sweden to sign
peace treaties
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56. Louisiana Purchase, 1803
$15,000,000

57. The Battle of Trafalgar
• In 1805, British win Battle of Trafalgar—ensures
British naval superiority
• This defeat forces Napoleon to give up plan of
invading Britain
• Looks for another way to control Britain
The French Empire
• Napoleon controls Europe except for Britain,
Portugal, Sweden, Ottomans
• Has puppet rulers in some countries, alliances with
others
• French Empire reaches largest extent from 1807 to
1812
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59. Napoleon’s Empire Collapses
Section 4
Napoleon’s Empire Collapses
Napoleon’s conquests aroused nationalistic feelings across Europe and contributed to his downfall.
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60. Napoleon’s Costly Mistakes
The Continental System
• Napoleon strikes Britain through blockade—forced
closing of ports
• Continental System—economic plan to strengthen
Europe, weaken Britain
• Smugglers and uncooperative allies make France’s
blockade fail
• Britain responds with blockade of its own, led by its
stronger navy
• Americans fight Britain in War of 1812; war does no
major damage to Britain
Continued . . .
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61. The Continental System

62. The Peninsular War Portugal, causing protest
• Napoleon sends troops across Spain to attack
Portugal, causing protest
• Napoleon makes his brother king of Spain,
making things worse
• Spanish fight as guerrillas—small groups that
attacked and then disappear
• British aid Spanish guerrillas
• Napoleon loses 300,000 soldiers during this
Peninsular War
• Nationalist rebels fight the French in other
conquered territories
Continued . . .
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63. Peninsular Campaign: 1807-1810
1806:
France 
Continental System
 Spain Portugal
Portugal did not comply with the Continental System.
France wanted Spain’s support to invade Portugal.
Spain refused, so Napoleon invaded Spain as well!

64. The Invasion of Russia • Relations with Russia break down, Napoleon
decides to invade
• In June 1812, Napoleon’s army marches into
Russia with 420,000 men
• Russians use scorched-earth policy—
destroying crops, livestock
• In September 1812, Russians retreat from
Moscow after Battle of Borodino
• Napoleon finds Moscow abandoned and burning
• Napoleon retreats, losing thousands of soldiers to
raids, cold weather
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65. Napoleon’s Troops at the Gates of Moscow
September 14, 1812  Napoleon reached Moscow, but the city had largely been abandoned.
The Russians had set fire to the city.

66. Retreat from Russia

67. Napoleon’s Power in Europe, 18124
Napoleon’s Power in Europe, 1812

68. Napoleon’s Family Rules!
Jerome Bonaparte  King of Westphalia.
Joseph Bonaparte  King of Spain
Louise Bonaparte  King of Holland
Pauline Bonaparte  Princess of Italy
Napoléon Francis Joseph Charles (son) King of Rome
Elisa Bonaparte  Grand Duchess of Tuscany
Caroline Bonaparte  Queen of Naples

69. Challenges to Napoleon’s Empire5
The impact of nationalism
Many Europeans who had welcomed the ideas of the French Revolution nevertheless saw Napoleon and his armies as foreign oppressors.
Resistance in Spain
Napoleon had replaced the king of Spain with his own brother, but many Spaniards remained loyal to their former king. Spanish patriots conducted a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the French. It drained France’s resources.
War with Austria
Spanish resistance encouraged Austria to resume hostilities against the French.
Defeat in Russia
Nearly all of Napoleon’s 400,000 troops sent on a campaign in Russia died, most from hunger and the cold of the Russian winter.

71. 1. Why did France willingly accept the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte?
Napoleon was a popular war hero
Napoleon was a fair leader who spread the ideas of the Enlightenment and French Revolution
After 10 years of revolution and chaos the French needed a stable government
All of the above

72. Downfall of Napoleon 1812—Napoleon’s forces were defeated in Russia.5
1812—Napoleon’s forces were defeated in Russia.
Russia, Britain, Austria, and Prussia form a new alliance against a weakened France.
1813—Napoleon was defeated in the Battle of Nations in Leipzig.
1814—Napoleon abdicated, or stepped down from power, and was exiled to Elba, an island in the Mediterranean Sea.
1815—Napoleon escaped his exile and returned to France.
Napoleon’s last battle where he was defeated by the Duke of Wellington was at Waterloo.
Napoleon was forced to abdicate again, and was this time exiled to St. Helena, an island in the South Atlantic.
1821—Napoleon died in exile. .

73. Napoleon in Exile on Elba

74. “The War of the 7th Coalition”
Napoleon’s “100 Days”
1815:
France 
 Britain, Russia Prussia, Austria, Sweden, smaller German states
Napoléon escaped Elba and landed in France on March 1, 1815  the beginning of his 100 Days.
Marie Louise & his son were in the hands of the Austrians.

75. Napoleon on His Way to His Final Exile on St. Helena

76. 5
Legacy of Napoleon
The Napoleonic Code consolidated many changes of the revolution.
Napoleon turned France into a centralized state with a constitution.
Elections were held with expanded, though limited, suffrage.
Many more citizens had rights to property and access to education.
French citizens lost many rights promised to them during the Convention.
On the world stage, Napoleon’s conquests spread the ideas of the revolution and nationalism.
Napoleon failed to make Europe into a French empire.
The abolition of the Holy Roman Empire would eventually contribute to the creation of a new Germany.
Napoleon’s decision to sell France’s Louisiana Territory to America doubled the size of the United States and ushered in an age of American expansion.

77. Code Napoleon, 1804 It divides civil law into: Personal status.
Property.
The acquisition of property.
Its purpose was to reform the French legal code to reflect the principles of the Fr. Revolution.
Create one law code for France.

78. Hitler Visits Napoleon’s Tomb
June 28, 1940

79. The Congress of Vienna (September 1, 1814 – June 9, 1815)

80. Main Objectives
It’s job was to undo everything that Napoléon had done:
Reduce France to its old boundaries  her frontiers were pushed back to 1790 level.
Restore as many of the old monarchies as possible that had lost their thrones during the Napoléonic era.
Supported the resolution: There is always an alternative to conflict.

81. Key Players at Vienna Foreign Minister, Viscount Castlereagh (Br.)
Tsar Alexander I (Rus.)
The “Host” Prince Klemens von Metternich (Aus.)
King Frederick William III (Prus.)
Foreign Minister, Charles Maurice de Tallyrand (Fr.)

82. Changes Made at Vienna (1)
France was deprived of all territory conquered by Napoléon.
Russia was given most of Duchy of Warsaw (Poland).
Prussia was given half of Saxony, parts of Poland, and other German territories.
A Germanic Confederation of 30+ states (including Prussia) was created from the previous 300, under Austrian rule.
Austria was given back territory it had lost recently, plus more in Germany and Italy.
The House of Orange was given the Dutch Republic and the Austrian Netherlands to rule.

83. Legitimacy • Legitimacy—monarchs deposed by Napoleon
are returned to thrones
• Leaders hope to restore order through these
changes
• Congress of Vienna succeeds in getting all
European governments together
• Fair deals are worked out so that the meeting
does not lead to more war
• European nations agree to preserve peace,
which lasts almost 40 years
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84. Political Changes Beyond Vienna
Conservative Europe
• Holy Alliance—Russia, Prussia, Austria pledge
to fight revolution
• Concert of Europe—European nations pledge to
help fight revolutions
• Conservative governments rule across Europe,
but new ideas have impact
Revolutions in Latin America
• Napoleon’s replacing king of Spain set off rebellions
in Spanish America
• Many former colonies of Spain and Portugal gain
independence
Long-Term Legacy
• Britain, Prussia gain power; spreading nationalism
leads to revolutions
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