Kenneth Li

Euro Hist.
6th Period
11-29-07
Ch 25 pg. 699-708

V. The Reign of Terror and Its Aftermath

1) Reign of Terror is time of many judicial executions and murders.
i) Can be understood of internal and external wars, and revolutionary
expectations of convention and sans-culottes.
A. Committee of Public Safety
1) In 1793, Convention made Committee of General Security and Public
Safety.
i) Needed to perform executive duties of government.
ii) Latter committee enjoyed almost dictatorial power.
iii) Conceived of task as saving revolution from mortal enemies.
2) Major problem was to secure domestic power for war.
i) Parisian sans-culottes secured expulsion of Girondist members.
ii) Gave Mountain complete power.
iii) June 22, Convention approved fully democratic constitution, but
suspended it until after war.
3) August 23 saw levee en masse, or general military requisition of population,
which drafted men into armies.
i) During same months, armies of revolution crushed counterrevolutionary
disturbances.
B. The Society of Revolutionary Republican Women
1) Revolutionary women established own groups.
i) In 1793, Society of Revolutionary Republican Women was founded.
ii) Society became increasingly radical; members controlled food prices.
iii) October 1793, Jacobins feared Society of gaining too much power.
iv) Banned all women organizations.
2) Olympe de Gouges opposed the Terror and accused Jacobins of corruption.
i) Executed on 1793.
ii) Same year, women were excluded from army and galleries of
Convention.
C. The Republic of Virtue
1) Pressures of war made relatively easy to dispense with legal process.
i) Convention and Committee made republic in which civic virtue rather
than aristocratic and monarchical corruption.
D. Dechristianization
1) There was attempt to dechristianize France.
i) In October 1793, the Convention proclaimed new calendar during first
day of French Revolution.
2) In 1793, convention decreed Cathedral of Notre Dame be Temple of Reason
i) Legislature sent trusted members known as deputies to dechristianize.
ii) Roused much opposition in France.
 E. Progress of the Terror
1) Maximilien Robespierre seen as chief figure of Committee of Public Safety.
i) Jacobin club provided his primary forum and base or power.
ii) Depended on support of sans-culottes of Paris.
iii) Opposed dechristianization as political blunder.
iv) Republic of virtue meant wholehearted support for republicans.
2) Reign of Terror consisted of tribunals that tried the enemies of the republic.
i) Executed many members of royal families.
ii) Others had been Girondist politicians; were prominent with the
Legislative Assembly.
3) The Terror had moved to the provinces by early 1794.
i) On March 24, he secured execution of extreme sans-culottes.
ii) Executed the leaders that might be a threat to his position.
4) On the peak of his power, he considered worship of reason too abstract for
most citizens.
i) Made mad speech about other leaders leading conspiracy against him.
ii) Accusations were made unnamed, so he was shouted down and arrested
iii) Executed the next day.
5) Reign of Terror ended, killing 40,000 people.
i) Most victims were peasants and sans-culottes.
ii) Provincial uprisings had been crushed; wars in foreign enemies were
going well.
iii) All led to the fall of the Terror.
F. The Thermidorian Reaction: End of the Terror and Establishment of the
Directory
1) Tempering of revolution, called Thermidorian Reaction, began in July 1794.
i) Middle and upper classmen replaced sans-culottes.
ii) Jacobins Club was closed, and all Jacobins can’t talk with each other.
2) The Reaction was involved with political reconstruction.
i) Convention issued Constitution of the Year III.
ii) Executive body was elected by upper legislative house.
iii) Known as Council of Elders.
3) Treaty of Basel in 1795, Convention made peace with Prussia and Spain.
i) When food riots resulted in repealing ceiling on prices, Convention put
them down to prove the end of sans-culottes journees.
ii) Artillery was turned against Paris when sections rebelled against
Convention.
iii) General named Napoleon Bonaparte commanded cannon.
VI. The Napoleonic Era
1) Napoleon was born into poor family.
i) Took military classes, and got rank of artillery officer.
ii) Was a Jacobin and supported the revolution.
iii) Recovered port from British; received rank of brigadier general.
2) Napoleon was triumphant; now faced only enemy to France: Britain.
i) Wanted to cut off British trade from India.
ii) Invasion was a failure, had fleet destroyed.
 iii) Russia, Austria, and Italy joined forces with Britain.
iv) Napoleon left his army in Egypt, and went to France.
3) His troops overthrew the Directory.
i) Issued Constitution of the Year VII.
ii) This made him First Consul.
iii) Closed revolution in France.
A. The Consulate in France (1799-1804)
1) Napoleon made piece with all his enemies.
i) Russia was not in Second Coalition.
ii) Italy won victory over Austria in 1800.
iii) Britain was alone for now, which concluded Treaty of Amiens.
2) He bribed most of his enemies to give him alliances, but was ruthless in
public oppositions.
i) Put in prefects to guard central government.
ii) Employed secret police.
3) Made peace with French Catholics.
i) Concluded a concordat with Pope Pius VII.
ii) Said Roman Catholicism is religion of the majority of French citizens.
iii) Had a deal: Church must swear an oath to obey state, while Church has
control over religious preferences.
4) Napoleon was granted consul for life.
i) Transformed basic laws and institutions on basis of Enlightenment and
the Old Regime.
ii) Was especially true of Civil Code of 1804, usually called Napoleonic
Code.
iii) Still didn’t give away full rights.
5) Napoleon wanted to become emperor of France since he said no one would
dare attempt to take his life again.
i) Called on the pope to crown him.
ii) At the last moment, pope said to crown yourself.
iii) Now known as Napoleon I.
B. Napoleon’s Empire (1804-1814)
1) Had stunning victories of taking over world, despite final defeat at Waterloo
i) France’s victories changed map of Europe.
2) Britain issued ultimatum. Napoleon ignored it, therefore leading to war.
i) William Pitt the Younger convinced Russia and Austria to join Third
Coalition.
ii) Lord Nelson took sea control and destroyed French and Spanish fleets.
iii) Nelson died, but lost no British ships.
3) On land, Napoleon defeated Austrian, Prussian, and Russian armies.
i) Most famous was December 2, 1805: Battle of Austerlitz.
ii) Campaign made Austria retreat from northern Italy.
iii) Napoleon was recognized king in there.
iv) Napoleon and Alexander I concluded Treaty of Tilsit.
4) Napoleon couldn’t defeat British at sea, so tried to cut off trade.
i) Issued Berlin Decrees; forbids allies to import goods to Britain.
 ii) British economy still survived because of trade in North and South
America.
C. The Wars of Liberation
1) In 1807, French army invaded Iberian Peninsula to hurt British trade.
i) Army stayed in Spain, until a revolt broke out.
ii) Napoleon deposed the Bourbons and placed his brother Joseph on
Spanish throne.
2) Napoleon soon faced army with less vulnerabilities than the rest.
i) British landed army under Sir Arthur Wellesley.
3) Austrians renewed the war in 1809.
i) French army marched into Austria, and won battle quickly.
ii) A spoil of victory was Marie Louise, whom Napoleon married.
4) Franco Russian Alliance wasn’t holding up.
i) Economy was hurt by French’s actions.
ii) Napoleon organized Polish state in Russian’s doorstep, which angered
him.
iii) Marrying an Austrian princess also angered the tsar.
iv) In 1810, Russia withdrew from Continental System and went to war.
5) Napoleon brought over 600,000 troops with him.
i) Russian can’t defeat such massive numbers; only have 160,000.
ii) Retreated and destroyed all food and water supplies on the way.
iii) Fierce weather and hunger lowered morale of French army.
6) Russian public opinion forced Russian army to stand and fight.
i) At Borodino in 1812, French lost 30,000; Russian lost almost twice as
much.
ii) Russian army occupied Moscow.
iii) Fiasco would convince Napoleon’s men to go against him in Paris.
iv) Put down oppositions and recruited 350,000 more men.
7) In 1813, British, Prussia, Austria, and Russia joined together at once.
i) 4 large armies marched against Napoleon.
ii) He was defeated at Leipzig.
iii) Called the Battle of the Nations.
iv) Returned to Paris and went into exile.
VII. The Congress of Vienna and the European Settlement
1) Once Napoleon was dealt with, the countries followed own ambitions.
i) Robert Stewart received Treaty of Chaumont to restore Bourbons to
French throne.
ii) The four winning countries kept their alliance for whatever else
supplies needed.
2) Congress of Vienna assembled in September 1814.
i) Didn’t conclude work until November 1815.
ii) Agreed that no single state can conquer Europe.
iii) Formed states that formed as barriers to other conquerors.
iv) Made rule of valid monarchs and rejected all republican and
democratic politics that came from French Revolution.
3) Settlement of who’s getting what land divided victors.
 i) Polish-Saxon question enabled France to rejoin great powers.
ii) French Foreign Minister thought weight of France might bring
Alexander to his senses.
iii) Secret of having these 3 countries united made others settle for what
they have.
4) Victors declared Napoleon an outlaw, and crushed his armies.
i) Sent him to exile.
ii) Died in 1821.
5) Quadruple Alliance made to be sure of France to never try to overpower.
i) Certain European powers were used to prevent wars.
ii) Main goals were to stop wars like these from coming up again.
iii) Had prevented much of Europe’s wars.