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    French Revolution Unit

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    3. The French Revolution This chapter In the last chapter we saw how the American Revolution created a republic based on the ideas of the Enlightenment. This chapter is about the French Revolution, which follawed soon after the American Revolution, and is closely related to it. In this chapter we will learn about: 22 + the causes and main phases of the French Revolution * Napoleon, including his reforms in France, and his wars with the rest of Europe * the French occupation of Spain, the Spanish War of Independence and the Spanish constitution of 1812 * why the French Revolution was so important, and how it has influenced the world we live in today * In France, many people believed in the ideas of the Enlightenment, so they thought that all men were ‘equal, and deserved the same rights. They also believed in the division of powers and popular sovereignty, so they opposed absolute monarchy. * The American Revolution created the first republic based on Enlightenment ideas. It showed that it was possible to create a fairer society. Europeans who fought in the American Revolution also brought the ideas of the revolution back to Europe. * France had massive debts, partly due to the cost of helping the American Patriots. King Louis XVI needed to raise taxes, which was unpopular, because the tax system was extremely unfair. * The bourgeoisie had become richer in the 18" century, but they were unhappy that the nobles had more privileges than them. They wanted political power, so most of them supported the revolution, * In 1788-89, there was a famine. The cost of bread rose, and there were bread riots in many towns. The King and his nobles, who lived in luxury at Versailles, didn’t realise how bad these problems were, Questions e600 1. Was life in France in 1789 worse than in most other European countries? 2. Why were people who believed in the Enlightenment against absolute monarchy? 3. Howare the American and French revolutions connected? Think of at least two ways. 4 Give atleast thre reasons why many French people were unhappy with the King in 1789, Causes of the French Revolution (One of the main causes of the French Revolution was that French society in the 18" century was very unjust. A.small group of privileged people lived in luxury, while the vast majority of the population struggled to survive. However, this was nothing new, and the situation was just as bad elsewhere in Europe. Nevertheless, most monarchs maintained their power. So why was there a revolution in France in 1789? ‘THE MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE People from all over the world supported the American and French revolutions. They believed that the revolutionaries were fighting for universal values like freedom and equality, and against tyranny and privilege. One of those people was the Marquis de Lafayette. He was French, but he volunteered to fight in the American Revolution ‘when he was just 20 years old. In his frst battle, he was shot in the leg, but he showed great bravery. He became friends with George Washington, and is considered a hero in America Lafayette brought many of the ideas of the American Revolution back to France. eee Here is an extract from a pamphlet written by the Abbé Sieyés during the French Revolution: What is the Third Estate? Everything. What has it been until now in the political order? Nothing. What does it desire to be? Something, Work in pairs. What does each of the three lines mean? Statue of Lafayette in Boltimore, United States Exercise 1 Chapter 3 - The French Revolution The start of the French Revolution In 1789 Louis XVI needed to completely reform the tax system in order to repay France's debts. For the first time since 1604, he summoned the Estates General (see below). This demonstrated that the absolute monarchy was in crisis: Louis could not solve France's problems by himself. THE ESTATES GENERAL OF 1789 The Estates General was an assembly that represented the three estates. Each estate elected delegates (representatives) from all over France. Let’s look at who they elected in 1789: + First estate: three quarters of delegates were parish priests from the low clergy. * Second estate: both high-ranking nobles at the court and lower-ranking nobles from the provinces. * Third estate: mainly people from the bourgeoisie, including many lawyers. They were chosen by all male taxpayers over the age of twenty-five, Each estate had one vote, so the first and second estate could vote tagether to keep their privileges. However, the delegates of the third estate wanted more power, because they represented over 95% of the population. THE TENNIS COURT OATH (20 JUNE 1789) When the Estates General met in Versailles, the three estates were unable to agree on anything. Finally the third estate created a new National Assembly to write a new constitution for France. It invited the other two estates to join the assembly, and the first estate accepted, One day soldiers stopped the assembly from meeting in its normal room, so the delegates went to a nearby tennis court instead. There they promised to continue meeting until they had agreed a new constitution. This is called the Tennis Court Oath STORMING OF THE BASTILLE (14 JULY 1789) Louis XVI realised that he was losing control of the situation, so he decided to cooperate with the National Assembly. The ordinary people of Paris celebrated, but the situation remained very tense: * Food prices were still rising, and there were frequent riots. Some people stole food and weapons. * Louis brought more soldiers to Paris tg maintain order. This made the people more angry: they were afraid that he would use the army to stop the National ‘Assembly from writing a new constitution. On 14 July 1789 a crowd of people attacked the Bastille, a prison that symbolised the abuses of the absolute monarchy. Soldiers who deserted from the army joined the crowd, Questions e60 and together they managed to enter the Bastille. They freed 5, Why did Louis XVI summon the Estates the prisoners and killed the prison governor. The storming General in 1789? of the Bastille showed that the people were becoming 6. Why did the third estate want more power? ‘more powerful than the King, The revolution had begun! ‘7 Wha ieee Faves cnlebrans Wstiadohal day, THE END OF FEUDALISM ‘What event does it commemorate? Meanwhile, peasants in the countryside were starving, due 8 Think about the storming of the Bastille: to poor harvests. There were rumours that the nobles a) Why do you think itis considered the start Planned to attack them, so the peasants formed militia to of the French Revolution? Protect themselves, and burned down some manor houses. b} What emotions do you think it caused In order to calm the situation down, the National Assembly amongst ordinary people? abolished the feudal privileges of the nobles and clergy. 9. Why were feudal privileges abolished? Chapter 3 - The French Revolution 23 The constitutional monarchy THE WOMEN’S MARCH ON VERSAILLES After the storming of the Bastille, power was shared between Louis and the National Assembly. The Assembly wanted to create a constitutional monarchy (see box). However, this did not improve people's day-to-day lives, In October 1789 a big group of Parisian women walked twenty Kilometres to Versailles to complain to the King about the price of bread. Thousands of people joined them, including part of the National Guard. The crowd told the King to come to Paris, so he would understand their difficulties. There was a confrontation between the crowd and Louis’ guards, and a few guards were killed. The royal family had to accompany the crowd to Paris. When they reached Paris, they were forced to remain in the Tuileries Palace. THE FLIGHT TO VARENNES In June 1791 Lo tried to escape from Paris, so that he could form an army to take back power. He expected help from loyal French soldiers and his brother-in-law, Leopold Il of Austria. The whole royal family escaped at night in disguise. They almost succeeded, but someone recognised Louis, and they were stopped at a town called Varennes. They were sent back to Paris as prisoners. This is called the Flight to Varennes. By trying to escape, Louis showed that he didn’t support the revolution. Instead of a constitutional monarchy, many people now wanted a republic. They accused the King of treason Louis is brought back to Paris JACOBINS AND GIRONDINS ——_SANS-CULOTTES During the revolution, many During the people joined political clubs. 18 century, The Jacobin Club gave its nobles wore ‘name to 2 radical political short group called the Jacobins. The _ trousers most radical Jacobins were made of silk called Montagnards, because called they satin the highest benches _eulottes. in the National Assembly, Ordinary which was called the people in Mountain. The main rivals of the Jacobins were the Girondins, who were more moderate, Paris couldn't afford culottes, so they were known as sans- eulottes (without culottes). ‘THE FRENCH CONSTITUTION OF 1791 In 1789, the Marquis de Lafayette wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen for the National Assembly. The Declaration, which was inspired by the Enlightenment, set out the rights of French people. Although Lafayette was a noble, he believed that all men ~ nobles and peasants, rich and poor ~ deserved the same basic rights: ‘Men are born free and they are equal in rights. The principle of all sovereignty resides essentially in the nation Liberty is the power to do anything that does not injure other people. Every man shall be presumed innocent until he és found guilty. No one may be disturbed for his opinions, even religious ones, Taxes should be paid by all citizens according to their means. ‘Adapted extracts from the Declaration The declaration was included in the new constitution of 30 September 1791, which created a constitutional monarchy based on popular sovereignty and the separation of powers. However, it gave citizens with property more rights than those without property, and it gave women very few rights. USEFUL WORDS Treason: the crime of acting against your country, particularly in a war. Questions 10. Why did the women of Paris march to Versailles? 11. Why did Louis try to escape from Paris? 12, Did Louis try to escape on his own? 13. Why did the Flight to Varennes increase support for a republic? 14, Which intellectual movement inspired the constitution of 17917 15. Did the constitution give everyone the same rights? Explain your answer. 16. What was the main difference between the Jacobins and Girondins? 24 Chapter 3 - The French Revolution End of the monarchy and the Reign of Terror FROM MONARCHY TO REPUBLIC USEFUL WORDS Initially, the French Revolution was led by the bourgeoisie. They wanted @ Suffrage: the right to vote. new constitution and an end to the privileges of the nobles and the Gaillotine’a device ised to erecta Church. However, in 1792 the revolution became much more radical. people by cutting off their heads. This was partly because France was now at war with the European monarchies, who were afraid that the revolution would spread to their countries. In August 1792, Prussia invaded France to defend Louis XVI's rights. In response, angry Parisians demanded that Louis abdicate. They attacked the Tuileries Palace and killed hundreds of Louis’ guards, Louis was not harmed, but the National Assembly took away his powers. The sans-culottes suspected that there was a secret plan to restore the absolute monarchy. They blamed the National Assembly, which was led by the Girondins. With the support of the sans-culottes, the Jacobins now took control of the situation: + They gave weapons to ordinary people, so that they could defend the revolution and the country. + People who were suspected of opposing the revolution or of supporting the King were arrested or murdered in the September massacres, Many aristocrats and priests were killed. + Universal suffrage was introduced for men, but not for women, + On 22 September 1792 the monarchy was abolished, and France became a democratic republic. Louis was found guilty of treason, and was guillotined on 21 January 1793 (see picture). THE DEATH OF MARAT AND THE REIGN OF TERROR (1793-1794) The Jacobins wanted to eliminate thei i s, 50 they accused them of conspiring against the French Republic and of murdering the Jacobin leader Jean-Paul Marat. In October 1793 the leading Girondins were put on trial for treason. They were found guilty and executed. This started the Reign of Terror. The leader of the Jacobins, Maximilien Robespierre, said that the revolutionary government should show no mercy to its enemies” He called this the "despotism of liberty against tyranny’ Over the next year, around 40,000 people were executed without a proper trial Some were suspected of opposing the revolution, or had criticised its leaders. Others were ordinary people accused of hoarding food, Even Gearge Danton, who had been a close ally of Robespierre, was executed for being too moderate. By July 1794 most of the leaders of the revolution thought that Robespierre was behaving The Death of Marat by David ike a tyrant. He was arrested and guillotined, which ended the Reign of Terror. REVOLUTIONARY TIME Questions e6e The Jacobins wanted to reform almost all areas of life. In 1793, 47, What were the main aims of the the French Revolutionary Time and Calendar were introduced: bourgecisie? + Years were counted from the beginning of the “Republican Era” in 1792. ‘+ Months were given names from nature, and each month was split into three the Jacobins against the Girondins? weeks of 10 days. y 20. Why was Louis executed? + Each day was split into 10 hours of 100 minutes. 21. Why is the period October 1793-July 1794 known as the Reign of Terror? 18. Give one reason why the revolution became more radical in 1792. 19. Why did many ordinary people support ‘These changes were very unpopular, and they gave no practical advantage, After just 17 months people returned to using the 22. Why was Robespierre executed? old calendar and system of counting time. Chapter 3 - The French Revolution 25 Napoleon’s rise to power THE DIRECTORY After Robespierre was executed in 1794, a new government was formed. There was a parliament, but five Directors had most of the power. This period is therefore known as the Directory. Only men with property could vote, so France became a bourgeois republic. The Directors brought some stability to France, and the French army defeated the European monarchies invading the country. Nevertheless, the government was very unpopular, due to corruption and food shortages. THE CONSULATE AND FIRST EMPIRE In 1799, there was a coup d'état led by a very popular and successful general called Napoleon Bonaparte. He made himself t Consul, so this period is called the Consulate, but it was really a military dictatorship. Napoleon gradually took more and more power, and in 1804 he won a referendum to make him Emperor of the French, which created the First French Empire ‘As Emperor, Napoleon had almost absolute power. NAPOLEON’S REFORMS IN FRANCE 7 Napoleon was a very energetic and skilful leader, who participated actively in all areas of government. He introduced many reforms, in order to modernise France, and to keep all groups in society happy: ECONOMIC REFORMS LEGAL REFORMS RELIGIOUS REFORMS Napoleon established the Bank of ‘The Napoleonic Code made the law ——_In 1801 Napoleon signed France, which helped to end very high «the same in all of France. It gave all Concordat (agreement) inflation, Roads, bridges and canals men the same rights, so people from _with the Catholic Church, were repaired, in order to make trade different social backgrounds could get_ which gave it a special ‘easier, and loans were given to important government jobs. However, _status. However, there industry. He provided cheap bread, ‘the Code also increased men’s control. —_was still freedom of and made the tax system fairer, which _over their wives, and brought back jion, and the Church increased the income of peasants. slavery in French colonies. had no political power. As well as these reforms, Napoleon allowed aristocrats who had emigrated to return to France. They had no political privileges, but they were able to keep some of their wealth. REFORMS IN OTHER COUNTRIES i Under Napoleon, France established a huge empire Questions. eee (see next page). In the whole empire, Napoleon 23, When did the following periods start and end? introduced reforms based on the French system. a) the Directory b) the Consulate Most people in the conquered countries disliked being 24. Why was the Directory unpopular? ruled by foreigners, but the reforms made Napoleon _25, How did Napoleon take power initially? How did popular with some members of the bourgeoisie he become Emperor? Initially they considered him as a liberator from their tyrannical monarchs. However, Napoleon's popularity : outside France soon fell: eee? i 860 + Napoleon installed members of his family as rulers Work in paits. Which of Napoleon's reforms made him of the other European states. They ruled for the Pepa ee one benefit of France, rather than for the local people, @) Peasants ‘b) Bourgeoisie) © ¢) Catholics * France tried to stop its allies trading with Britain, 4) Atheists ey Aristoctats: which increased the price of textiles, sugar, coffee Do you think that any groups of French society were said iobaror ‘unhappy with Napoleon's reforms? Why? ‘Asa result, the sense of nationalism in the conquered Why did Napoleon become unpopular in other count increased. European countries? 26 Chapter 3 - The French Revolution eee — | NAPOLEON'S CONQUESTS, After the French Revolution, there was almost constant, war between France and the European monarchies for | 20 years. Between 1795 and 1812, Napoleon led the | French army to victory after victory. As a result, the | French Empire gradually expanded. In 1805 there were | two very important battles: | + Austertitz: Napoleon destroyed the Austrian and | Russian armies, This made France the dominant | power on the European continent. + Trafalgar: The British navy, commanded by Lord Nelson, defeated the French and Spanish navies. This made Britain the dominant power at sea. By 1809, France controlled almost all of western eluding Spain and most of the areas that are Italy and Germany today. Also, many countries in | eastern and northern Europe, including Russia and Austria, were forced to form alliances with Napoleon | (see map). | NAPOLEON ’S FIRST EXILE In) 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia with around half | a million men, including most of his best soldiers. The | Russian army retreated without fighting, and burned | the countryside behind it, so that there would be no food for the French, Finally, the two armies met at the Battle at Borodino, near Moscow. The French won, | but many of their soldiers were killed or wounded, and | they didn’t destroy the Russian army. The Russians | evacuated Moscow, taking all of the food with them. | Without food for his huge army, Napoleon had to | return home. | Winter was approaching, and temperatures fell below | minus 30 degrees Celsius. The French arnty suffered | terribly: from the cold, from starvation and because | the Russian army constantly attacked them. Very few French soldiers returned to France alive. | Napoleon's army was badly weakened, and in 1813 he | lost the Battle of Leipzig against Russia, Austria and | Prussia. He was forced into exile on the island of Elba, | and the Bourbon monarchy was restored in France, Which armies fought in the Battle of Austerlitz? ‘Why couldn't Napoleon invade Britain? Give two reasons why Napoleon was successful in battle. Why did the Russian army burn the Russian countryside when France invaded? Give three reasons why the French army lost so many soldiers during the retreat from Russia. ‘Questions 26. 27. 28, 29, 30, |The rise and fall of Napoleon's empire French Empire in around 1812 Bi French Empire - Bij Areas occupied by or controlled by France ABRILLIANT GENERAL Napoleon trained as an army officer, and during the French Revolution he supported the Jacobins. He became a general when he was only 24 years old, because he was such a good leader. After he defeated a royalist rebellio Paris in 1795, he was put in charge of the French army in Italy, which was fighting against Austria. He was an inspirational and successful leader, which made him very popular with his soldiers, and with the people of France. After he became First Consul and later Emperor, his ‘armies continued to defeat France's enemies all over Europe. He planned his battles extremely carefully, and his tactics were usually brilliant. However, he was also good at taking quick decisions during battles, and changing his tactics if necessary. Exercise 3 Se060e Use the internet to find out about the Arc de Triomphe: + Where is it? ‘+ Who was it built for, and what battle was it built to, ‘commemorate? + When was it completed? Chapter 3 - The French Revolution 2 The Congress of Vienna After Napoleon was exiled to Elba, the European monarchies held the Congress of Vienna (1814-181 5) to agr ‘on the future of Europe. The important decisions were taken by the four Great Powers that defeated Napole Russia, Prussia, Austria and Britain. Their priorities were to prevent revolutions against hereditary monarchs ar avoid future wars. The main principles of the treaty that they signed at the end of the Congress we * legitimacy: monarchs overthrown by Napoleon were considered the legitimate rulers of their countries, so they were restored to power + balance of power: no single country should be so powerful that it could dominate Europe * compensation: the countries that had fought Napoleon were rewarded with land taken from smaller states France was restored to its borders in 1790, as the Great Powers thought that taking away territory from France would lead to wars in the future. In some ways, the Congress was quite successful: for the next 100 years ther were relatively few major wars in Europe. However, liberals who believed in the Enlightenment were deeply unhappy, because they saw this as a return to the Ancien Régime. This led to numerous revolutions and internal conflicts in European countries during the rest of the 19 century. Sweden received Norway from Denmark, which was punished for supporting France — GERMAN ‘CONFEDERATION Britain gained : overseas é [ae colonies: Mat | russia gained mos esciaacaea ae and Ceylon. .

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