Bicol University

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Daraga, Albay

Student : Gutlay, Cyryhl B.

Course : BSEd 3 Social Studies
Subject : World History 2 (Modern and Contemporary Era)
Term : 1st SEM. S.Y 2021-2022
Teacher : Maribel M. Naz

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND NAPOLEON

1. What character traits of Napoleon do you think contributed to his

success? His downfall? Cite examples.

Napoleon Bonaparte, simply known by many just Napoleon was the greatest general of
his day. Napoleon was a great statesman, very tactical, and passionate smart military leader,
dedicating himself to making France a modern state. He is very successful in creating a system
of civil government that gave more power and opportunity to the citizens of France and provided
them, for the first time, with a code of laws that protected their rights and of the common people.
Napoleon planned a bombardment that help the French forces to recapture the important
French Naval base in the Mediterranean. With this he was promoted to brigadier general at the
very young age of 24.
Napoleon brought stability to France after the hardships of revolution and civil war. He
is also a superb reformer and social transformer, He overthrew the Directory of France, the
body that rule the country then, and established the Consulate. He helped draw up the Code of
Napoleon which to this day, remains the basis of civil law in France and more than 25 other
countries. He sponsored a major program of intellectual and archeological study in Egypt and
then sought to introduce social reforms. He also reorganized France’s financial, local, and
judicial administration. Napoleon devoted most of his energies to foreign policy and war and
won brilliant victories all over Europe. At his hometown, he restored order and guaranteed
peasants title of their lands confiscated from the church, which from then on was firmly
regulated, and adopted an elaborate system of public education. Napoleon is also very
admirable and charismatic that the French people admired him so much that they named him
Consul for Life, with the overwhelming support of the people, Napoleon crowned himself
emperor.
Another character trait that helped him become a legendary and successful hero of
France was his personality of being proud, example of this was when he was mocked by his
fellow students at military school and yet he refused to satiate the grace of his tormentor's
behavior and chose to ignore their acts. The next is being bold, example of which was when he
and his gunners greeted thousands of royalists with a cannonade bringing them to panic and
confusion. He was also a determined, skilled, wise and unpredictable army and leader.
 However, it is the same characteristics of ambition, eagerness and desperation to
conquer and expand his imperial reach that contributed to his downfall. When Napoleon decided
to invade Russia because, among other reasons, the Russians refused to cooperate with his
blockade of Great Britain. This character of Napoleon leads him to this decision and the worst
mistake of his career. He defeated but failed to destroy the Russians at a battle in Borodino, a
battle in which he lost about a quarter of his army. Napoleon’s capture of Mosco failed to bring
victory, and he decided to retreat. But Russians attacks, and the collapse of the French supply
system devastated Napoleon’s Grand Army. After his failure of the Russian campaign, his
dominance of Europe rapidly unraveled. Because of even more desperation, he gathered and
recruited a new but unexperienced army and fought very desperate battles to hold back
Prussians and Austrians, who were invading from the north, but the allies advanced steadily
and captured Paris. Napoleon was forced to give up his throne and was exiled to the island of
Corsica.
Because of his fear of appearing weak, as well as his desire to obtain as much money
as possible from the victory of conquest, every pact he ever struck left the opposing side
yearning for vengeance. He became too arrogant, ambitious, indecisive and discontented that
he did not stop even if he knew the advantage of situations wasn’t in his side. Proving that there
are really leaders who became blinded by fame and glory that even themselves don’t know any
more when and where to stop their desires.

2. Why was the Congress of Vienna considered significant? How did it

affect Europe? Explain your answer.

During Napoleon’s first period of exile, representatives of the great European powers
gathered in the Austrian capital of Vienna to reorganize the governments of the continent and
restore the balance of power. The leading figures at the Congress were its host Emperor Francis
I of Austria and his foreign minister Prince Klemens von Metternich; Viscount Castlereagh of
Great Britain; Czar Alexander I and Count Karl Robert Nesselrode of Russia; King Frederick
William III and Prince Karl August von Hardenberg of Prussia; and Charles Maurice De
Talleyrand-Périgord of France.
The Congress restored many of the monarchies that had been toppled by Napoleon and
his relatives. A Kingdom of the Netherlands was created, and a new confederation of German
states was formed to replace the old Holy Roman Empire. Switzerland was re-established as
an independent nation. Part of Poland – the former Grand Duchy of Warsaw, became a kingdom
under the rule of the Russian czar, while other Polish territories went to Prussia and Austria.
Prussia also received Saxony, the Rhineland, and Westphalia, while Austria acquired Lombardy
and Venetia in northern Italy. Norway, formerly a part of Denmark, was given to Sweden. Most
important, the Congress succeeded in establishing relative peace and stability in Europe for the
next one hundred years.
The Congress of Vienna was a turning point in European history since it signaled the
beginning of a new era. A new age of peaceful and balanced inter-state interactions has begun.
The Congress was a political success in many ways because it permitted countries to work
together and no one was left with a grievance against whom to pursue war. No European
country could invade another because of the Congress of Vienna, and France was not left
helpless and defenseless. The influential elites have pushed for the restoration of the ruling
families who were banished during Napoleon’s rule. This is due to the Congress delegate’s
belief that the return of the previous monarch would aid in the stabilization of inter-state political
relations. As a result, the Congress had ushered in a long period of global peace, with no one
fighting each other. The Congress of Vienna was a victory for conservatives, as the Kings of
Princes reclaimed their powers in order to achieve Metternich’s goal.
Political changes occurred due to the congregation, the United Kingdom and France
became constitutional monarchies, Eastern and Western European governments became more
conservative, and the rulers of Russia, Prussia, and Austria became absolute monarchs.

3. What political reforms resulted from the French Revolution?

When the National Assembly was proclaimed they had able to gain powers to pass laws
and policies, thus members of the clergy and nobles supported several political reforms.
First the National Assembly draw up a written constitution in which the machinery of
government and the rights of individuals would be clearly stated. The deputies outlined the
principles on which the new constitution would be based, they adopted and approved the
Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. It is inspired by the English Bill of Rights and by
the American Declaration of Independence and Constitution, which charter of basic liberties
began with the natural and imprescriptible rights of man to liberty, property, security, speech,
religion and resistance to oppression. Reflecting Enlightenment thought, the declaration
proclaimed that all men were free and equal before the law, that appointment to public office
should be based on talent, and that no group should be exempt from taxation. It also declared
that power to govern belonged not to a divinely appointed king but to the people, who would
exercise it through elected representatives. The declaration also raised an important issue. Where
equal rights include women provided that women do not hope to exercise political rights and
functions.
Moreover, throughout this era the Catholic Church had been an important pillar of the
social and political system. The revolutionaries felt they had to reform it too. The new revolutionary
government had another serious motivation, the need for money. By seizing and selling off Church
lands, the National Assembly was able to increase the state’s revenues. In addition, the Assembly
issued interest-earning treasury bonds designed to stimulate the economy. Finally, the Church
was formally brought under the control of the state. A law was passed called the Civil Constitution
of the Clergy. It said that bishops and priests were to be elected by the people, not appointed by
the pope and the Church hierarchy. The state would also pay the salaries of the bishops and
priests. Because of these changes, many Catholics became enemies of the revolution.
Lastly, the deputies continued drawing up a new constitution. The new Constitution of
1791 set up a limited monarchy. There was still a king, but a Legislative Assembly would make
the laws. This is due to the king reluctantly signed a document providing a single lawmaking
body. The new body was designed to be conservative. First, only the so-called active citizens—
men over 25 who paid a certain amount of taxes—could vote. All others were considered
passive citizens with equal rights but no vote. Second, the method of choosing its 745 deputies
meant that only relatively wealthy people would serve. Not only the clergy, but also government
officials and judges, would be elected. Local governments were put in charge of taxation. The
influence of the new government began to spread throughout France. It established a
constitutional monarchy, depriving the king of his absolute power, many of his powers is
creating the Legislative Assembly, which has the jurisdiction to pass legislation as well as war
declarations and Long-standing issues in France, such as food shortages and the country's
large debt, have remained despite the newly established administration. As a result, the
legislative assembly was split into three groups: radicals, who were anti-monarchy and wanted
extreme changes; moderates, who wanted changes but not as forceful as the radicals; and
conservatives, who backed a limited monarchy and only sought small changes.

4. What was the Reign of terror? How did it end? Explain.

For roughly a year during 1793 and 1794, the Committee of Public Safety took control of
the government. To defend France from domestic threats, the Committee adopted policies that
became known as the Reign of Terror.
During the French Revolution, the Reign of Terror was an era of darkness and violence.
The revolutionary administration was taken over by the radicals. They captured and executed
everyone suspected of being anti-revolutionary. It was Maximilien Robespierre’s rule and
included killing of numerous opponents. During the terror, tens of thousands of people perish
and jailed including his former allies. It began on September 5,1793 when Robespierre declared
that terror would be the rule of the day. People of all classes has grown weary of the Terror.
They were also tired of the sky rocketing prices for bread, salt, and other necessities in life.
By the summer of 1794, the French had largely defeated their foreign foes. There was
less need for the Reign of Terror, but it continued nonetheless. Robespierre was obsessed with
ridding France of all the corrupt elements. Only then could the Republic of Virtue follow. In June
1794, the Law of 22 Prairial was passed, which gave Robespierre more power to arrest and
execute enemies of the revolution. Deputies in the National Convention who feared Robespierre
decided to act, lest they be the next victims. They gathered enough votes to condemn him, and
Robespierre was guillotined on July 28, 1794. After the death of Robespierre, the Jacobins lost
power and more moderate middle-class leaders took control. The Reign of Terror came to a
halt. In August 1794, the Law of 22 Prairial was repealed and the release of prisoners began.