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Terms:

• Napoleon Bonaparte: A French general who became emperor. He led France through many wars and made important changes to laws and government, but his ambition led to his downfall.

• Plebiscite: A vote where people directly choose whether to accept a law or decision, instead of electing leaders.

• Napoleonic Code: A set of laws created by Napoleon that organized the legal system and protected property rights, influencing many countries' laws.

• Battle of Trafalgar: A sea battle where the British navy defeated Napoleon’s fleet, stopping his plans to invade Britain.

• Continental System: Napoleon’s plan to block trade with Britain, hoping to weaken its economy, but it ended up causing problems for other countries.

• Battle of Waterloo: The battle where Napoleon was defeated for the last time, ending his rule and the Napoleonic Wars.

• Congress of Vienna: A meeting where European leaders worked to restore peace and balance of power after Napoleon’s defeat, reshaping Europe’s borders.

• Klemens von Metternich: An Austrian diplomat who helped organize the Congress of Vienna and sought to prevent revolutions in Europe.

• Toussaint L’Ouverture: A leader of the Haitian Revolution who fought for Haiti’s independence and ended slavery in the country.

• Simón Bolívar: A South American leader who helped countries like Venezuela and Colombia gain independence from Spain.

• Nationalism: A belief that people with shared culture, language, and history should form their own nation, often leading to independence movements.

• Nation-State: A country where the people share a common identity, language, and culture, and the government represents that group.

• Otto von Bismarck: A German leader who united Germany through wars and diplomacy, turning it into a powerful nation.

• Giuseppe Garibaldi: An Italian nationalist who helped unite Italy through military campaigns, making it a single country.

Questions: 

1. What three steps did Napoleon take to seize and solidify his power in France?

Used military power: Napoleon was a strong leader in the army, and after a successful campaign, he took control of France.

Plebiscites: He held votes where the people could choose whether they agreed with his plans, which helped him gain support.

Made himself emperor: Napoleon declared himself emperor of France, giving him full control over the government

2. Identify and explain three changes that Napoleon made to French society.

Napoleonic Code: Napoleon made a new set of laws that made the legal system clearer and fairer for everyone.

Reformed education: He improved schools in France to teach young people skills that would help them in the government and military.

Built new roads and bridges: Napoleon improved France’s infrastructure, making travel and trade easier for everyone.

3. Identify and explain Napoleon’s three major mistakes that led to his downfall. 

Invading Russia: Napoleon invaded Russia, but his army got stuck in the cold, and many soldiers died. This weakened his power.

The Continental System: Napoleon tried to stop trade with Britain, but it hurt the economies of other European countries, leading to anger against him.

Battle of Waterloo: Napoleon lost the Battle of Waterloo, which led to his final defeat and exile to an island.

4. What was the goal of the Congress of Vienna? What three steps did they take to accomplish this goal?

Goal: The goal of the Congress of Vienna was to bring peace and stability to Europe after Napoleon’s wars.

Restored monarchs: They brought back kings and queens to rule countries, instead of allowing revolutions to continue.

Redrew borders: They changed the borders of countries to make sure no one country was too powerful.

Formed alliances: They created alliances between countries to make sure that if a war happened, they could work together to stop it.

5. What were the three major causes of independence revolutions in North and South America? Pick one of the revolutions and explain how each of the causes influenced it.

• Unfair treatment: People in the colonies were treated unfairly by their European rulers.

• Enlightenment ideas: Many people believed in the ideas of freedom and equality, which inspired them to fight for independence.

• Economic struggles: The colonies were not allowed to trade freely, and they wanted control over their own economies.

Example - The Haitian Revolution:

• Unfair treatment: Enslaved people in Haiti were treated terribly and worked on plantations for no pay. They wanted freedom and equal rights.

• Enlightenment ideas: The ideas of freedom and equality, especially from the French Revolution, inspired enslaved people to fight for their independence.

• Economic struggles: The French controlled the economy in Haiti, forcing enslaved people to produce goods that only benefited France. The people wanted control over their own resources and economy.

6. What role did war play in the unification of Germany? Explain how each of the three major wars helped Germany unify.

War with Denmark: In 1864, Prussia and Austria defeated Denmark. This gave them control over two territories, helping them grow stronger.

Austro-Prussian War: In 1866, Prussia defeated Austria, which helped remove Austria’s influence in Germany and allowed Prussia to control more states.

Franco-Prussian War: In 1870, Prussia fought France and won. This united the German states against a common enemy and helped create the German Empir

7. How can nationalism serve as both a unifying and divisive force? Provide an example of each. 

Unifying force: Nationalism can bring people together when they feel proud of their country. For example, during the unification of Italy, people were united by their shared identity and desire to create one nation.

Divisive force: Nationalism can divide people if different groups within a country feel strongly about their own identity and want independence. For example, in Spain, Catalonia has used nationalism to push for independence from the rest of Spain.