Unit 5 French Revolution

Causes of the French Revolution

Causes of the French Revolution

Long Term: Debt/Financial Problems/Taxes, American Revolution, The Enlightenment, Absolutism, War

Short Term: Famine

Three Estates / Estates General

• 1st (clergy), 2nd (aristocracy), and 3rd estate ( commoners about 98% of the population) each get one vote

• Estates General: was a legislative and consultative assembly of the different classes of French subjects. It had a separate assembly for each of the three estates, which were called and dismissed by the king.

Abbe Sieyes

Gave the famous “What is the Third Estate?, Everything” Speech - argued that nobility was tiny and privileged, third estate showed true strength of french nation

Tennis Court Oath

June 20th, 1789

• members of third estate pledge not to leave until they have written a constitutions

Storming the Bastille

July 14, 1789

• rumor that the king was planning a military coup against the national assembly

• wanted weapons from bastille

• 18 dies, 73 wounded, 7 guards killed

The Great Fear

July 20, 1789

• peasant revolt

• rumors that the feudal aristocracy were sending hired brigands to attack peasants and pillage their land

National Assembly August 4th Decrees, 1789

• The August 4th Decrees provided the nation with equality under the law (same laws, same taxes), but did not address the issues of land distribution and hunger.

Declaration of the Rights of man and of the Citizen (DRMC)

August 16, 1789

• a written expression of the natural rights of citizens in revolutionary France

• liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression

• Men are born free and remain equal in rights

Olympe De Gouges

• wrote declaration of rights of women as a rebuttal to leaving women out of the DRMC

March of the Women

October 5-6, 1789

• Parisian women wanted bread

The “October Days”

king was thought to be surrounded by evil advisors at Versailles so he was forced to move to Paris and reside at the tuileries palace

The Civil Constitution of the Clergy

July 12, 1790

• catholic clergy had to take an oath to government, divided the catholic population

• roman catholic church became a branch of the state

• church was reorganized, pope had no influence over the french clergy (Pope Pius VI)

The French Constitution of 1791

• national assembly was the legislative branch

• monarch was executive branch, judicial branch would be seated

• many rights of the DRMC

• legislature was much stronger then other two branches

• only citizen who payed taxes could vote

• government in control of bourgeoisie

Louis XVI + Marie Antoinette

The French Monarchy 1775-1793

• royal family attempted to fell june 1791, king was recognized at the border. ACT OF TREASON

The First Coalition 1792-1797

Duke of Brunswick - if royal family was harmed paris will be leveled

• france vs Austria, Prussia, Spain, Portugal, and Britian

• new legislative assembly required to enlist new military made up of citizen, DRAFT

The Bourgeois (middle class) Phase

1789-1792

Cahiers de Doleances

• list of grievances

• it was customary for the 1st and 2nd estate to give the king a list of grievances

• for the first time the 3rd estate brought a list of 60,000 grievances

The Radical Phase

1792-1795

Causes of the Radical Phase

• war

• economic crises

• political divisions

• religious divisions

• fear of counter-revolution

• attitudes and actions of monarchy and court

The Jacobins

• started off as a debating society

• mostly middle class

• The Mountain - power base in paris, main support from the San-Culottes made about the Constitution of 1791, leftist (radical left)

• The Girondin - power base in provinces, feared the influence of sans-culottes, considered moderate left, did not want to kill louis

Maximilien Robespierre

• most important leader in the radical phase

• leader of Jacobins

• head of the CPS

• will become a dictator

Georges Jacques Danton

• Robespierre’s right hand man

• sort of a mayor

• great public speaker

• Robespierre used his abilities to gain support in Paris

Jean-Paul Marat

1744-1793

• parisian newspaper owner

• very supportive of Robespierre and hated on critics of

  Robespierre

• used ideology instead of facts

• was assassinated

The San-Culottes

• the parisian working class

• small shopkeepers, tradesmen, aritsans

• very angered at their exclusion of their vote in the 1791 constitution

The “Second” French Revolution

National Convetion made up of Girondins and the Mountain

• Girondin Rule - 1792-1793 (moderates)

• Mountain Rule - 1793-1794 Robespierre “Reign of Terror”

• Their job is to agree on a new Republican constitution

September Massacres in Paris

• anger about Constitution of 1791 and fear about Brunswick Manifesto

• Summer 1792 radicals called San-Culottes took control of the city government

• San-Culottes rounded up over 1000 royalists, refractory priests, bourgeoisie and aristocrats and executed them

The National Convention

September 1792

• first act was the formal aboltition of the monarchy on September 22, 1792

• France is officially a republic, no king

• Jacobins dominate National Convention

Louis XVI + Marian Antoinette Death

• documents found in kings possession showed he encouraged foreign invasion

• National Convention voted 387 to 334 to execute monarchs

• He died January 21, 1793

• She died October 16, 1793

Causes of the Reign of Terror

1. rural revolts - Vendee Rvolt 1793, drowning the traitors

2. Robespierre’s desire to create a “Republic of Virtue”

3. Approaching/ Invading Coalition Army (BAP), rising tensions in Paris (Brunswick Manifesto Threat)

4. Influence of San- Culottes on National Convention

5. Assassination of Marat

Committee for Public Safety

Branch of National Convetion established to defend France from internal and domestic threats

• led by Robespierre

Reign of Terror

The period from 1793 to 1794 was during which Robespierre's Committee of Public Safety tried and executed thousands suspected of treason

• 2,639 victims in 15 months

• 20k killed nationwide

• killed its own, 28% peasants/farmers, 31% working class, 25% middle class

De- Christianization

• Catholic church was linked with counter-revolution, superstitious

• radicals thought religion had no place in a rational, secular republic

• new adoption of Republican Calendar (abolished Sundays/religious holidays, 10 say “decades”, calendar was dated from creation of Republic Sept. 22, 1792, months named after seasonal features) ** JULY - THERMIDOR

• restrictions places on priests

• public exercise of religion was banned

• Cathedral of Notre Dame was turned into “Temple of Reason”

• Deportation of priests denounced by six citizens

Festival of Supreme being - new secular holiday

• National Convention with the “Decree of Liberty of Cults” December 8, 1793 granted religious freedom

French Victory of Fleurs

June 26, 1794

• france defeated austria

• major morale boost for fance

• opened the way to reoccupation of Belguim

The “Thermidorian Reaction”

july 26 - Robespierre gives speech illustrating new plots and conspiracies. threatened many

july 27 - the convention arrests him

july 28 - Robespierre is tried and guillotined

• closed Jacobins clubs

• churches responded 1795- freedom of worship granted

• economic restrictions lifted

• august 1795 a new constitution is written (more conservative republicanism)

• curtailed power of the CPS

“Cultural Revolution”

• brought by national convention

• metric system

• abolition of slavery within france 1791 and throughout french colonies in 1794

• women given the right to divorce and inherit property (WOULD BE TAKEN AWAY BY NAPOLEON)

Directory 1795-1799

• new government called the directory

• people involved in Reign of Terror were attacked “white terror”

• self- indulgence

• politically corrupt

• 5 executive committee

• Legislature - Council of 500, Council of Elders (married or widowed men over 40)

• electors were elected by all males over 21 who were taxpayers

18 Brumaire

Nov 9, 1799

• secretly few members of directory asked Napoleon to take control of the government

• Abbe Sieyes was one of them

Napoleon’s Military Beginnings

• 1796-1797

• he conquered most of northern italy

• brought french revolutionary ideas to italy

• ended serfdom, limited noble privileges, suppresses religious authorities

Egyptian Compaign

1789 - he was defeated by British navy under Admiral Horatio Nelson who destroyed them at the Battle of the Nile

• he abandoned his troops there and received the heros welcome in France

“First Consul”

• Napoleon proclaimed himself “first consul” and then “consul for life”

• Napoleon’s popularity rose

• grateful voters endorsed Napoleon’s rule

• destroyed democracy

Concordat of 1801

Napoleon wanted to heal divisions within the Catholic Church that developed after the confiscation of church lands and the CCC

• His clear intent was to use the clergy to support his regime

• pope had to accept loos of lands but regained control over all ranks of people

The Lycee System of Education

established by Napoleon in 1801

• the educational reform of meritocracy and morality

• enrolled the nation’s most talented students

• trained nations future bureaucrats

The legion of Honor, 1802

created to rewards to achievements of the nation

• everyday common citizens were awarded for achievements in medicine, science, arts, military, engineering

Code of Napoleon, 1804

• equality before law

• freedom of religion

• ended all aristocratic privileges

• protected property rights

• women can no longer divorce

• women could not buy or sell property without consent of father or husband

Haitian Independence

1792-1804

• L’ Ouverture led the largest successful slave in rebellion in Haiti

• Established himself as a governor general for life

• Napoleon’s troops will reconquer Haiti and capture him and he will die in France

• Napoleon will reestablish slavery.

• L’ Ouverture lieutenants will successfully defeat the French and gain independence in 1804

Loss of Liberty in France

• press was censored

• freedom of speech limited

• political opposition was outlawed and suppressed by intimidation, secret police and death

• most french were still fearful of the Reign of Terror and grateful, so they saw their loss of liberties as necessary to enjoy security and stability

Napoleonic Europe

• Napoleon conquered Europe and would forever change Europe.

• installed Napoleonic code

• ended feudalism

• embraced meritocracy

• abolished aristocratic privileges

• nationalism

• 19th century was defined by Napoleon’s rule

Battle of Trafalgar

• 1805 Napoleon will lose at sea to Lord Horatio Nelson

• navy destroyed

• Napoleon was prevented from controlling the seas and invading Great Britian

Battle of Austerlitz

• solidified Napoleon as a military genius and HRE was under his control

Continental System

• goal was to isolate Britian and promote Napoleon’s mastery over Europe by barring trade with England

• Peninsular Campaign: Portugal did not comply to the system and continued trade with Britian. France wanted Spain support but they refused, French will brutalize the spanish

Spanish Ulcer

• Napeloen tricked king and prince of Spain and then imprisoned him

• His brother Joseph became king of Spain

• Stationed over 100,000 French troops in Madrid

• May 2, 1808 - spanish rose up in rebellion

• May 3, 1808 - French troops fired on crowd in Madrid

• Napoleon spent 500,00 troops. Gueriall warfare. French troops were pushed back into France

The Big Blunder

• July 1012 Napeloen lied his army of 614, 00 men into Russia

• russian burned crops - so no food

• and russian winter was too cold

• napeoloen watched moscow burn September 14, 1812

Napoleon Abdicates

• napoleon abdicates on April 6 and named his son Napoleon II King of France allies did not agree

• Napeleon abdicated again on April 11

Treaty of Foutainebleau

exiles Napoleon to Elba with an annual income of 2,000,000 francs

Napoleons Return “The 100 Days”

Napoleon escaped Elba and landed in France

March 1, 1815

• France vs. Britian, Russia, Prussia, Austria, Sweden

Congress of Vienna

• Tsar Alexander 1

• King Frederick William III

• Prince Klemes von Metternich

• Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

• Viscount Castlereagh

balance of power

establish the “concert system”

liberalism and nationalism will lead to more revolutions

diplomacy to create peace