The French Revolution

1. Pre test
• What were the causes of the
French Revolution?
• Who were some important people in
the French Revolution?
• Who was Napoleon Bonaparte
• What do YOU want to know about
the French Revolution and Napoleon
• Prediction: What do you think this
will be about?

2. THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

3. Estates or Social classes:
•First Estate: the church (aka
clergy) owns 65% land, is .5%
of pop & is tax exempt
*Second Estate: Nobles who
hold govt & military
positions. Own
25% of land,
but 1.5% of pop.
Tax exempt

4. *Third Estate: 98% of pop,
pay all taxes, own no land
Includes peasants &
Bourgeoisie –who were
middle class (drs Merchants,
lawyers,
writers
upset w/
nobles)

6. • Don’t write!
• What do you see
in the image
• Who does each
person
represent?
• What does this
image tell you
about the Three
estates in
France?

8. First Estate Second
Estate
Third Estate
*Had little to no land *peasants
*Sought to expand powers *Clergy
* Shopkeepers & skilled *Bourgeoisie
craftspeople *Some aristocrat & some
*Nobility commoners
*Exempt from taille *Held many leading
*Many had feudal Obligations government positions

9. •Many problems:
*Social-social classes,
*Economic: Bad harvests,
rising food prices, taxes on
3rd
estate, Louis XVI
spending money on wars,
luxuries.
*Political- no rights, voting,
absolute monarch

10. •Louis XVI
meets w/
Estates General
(a gathering of
representatives
from all three
estates) to
raise taxes.

11. • Each estate gets ONE vote so
3rd
asks for a vote from each
person.
• 3rd
wants to get rid of tax
exempt.
• King says no & locks palaces
so 3rd
Estate
can’t
meet.

13. •3rd
Estate meets 6/17/1789
& calls itself National
Assembly
• Swear TENNIS COURT OATH
to write new Fr constitution

14. •July 14th
, 1789 mob storms
Bastille, (prison in Paris)
after Louis XVI uses troops
against National Assembly.

15. National Assembly met on
Aug. 4th
, 1789 & abolish
rights of landlords, tax
exemptions, Church
tithes
(after rebellions
broke out)

17. •Aug 26, 1789, adopt
Declaration of the Rights of
Man which gave basic
liberties for MEN such as:
equal rights,
freedom of press,
speech & no tax
exempt.
(enlightenment
ideas)

18. Philosophe Key Works Key Ideas
Montesquieu Spirit of
Laws
Principle of separation of
powers helps a govt operate
without oppressive power
No one person is too strong
Voltaire Treatise on
Toleration
“All men are brothers”
Religious toleration
Freedom of thought and
speech
Rousseau The Social
Contract
Society should be governed
by the general will of its
citizens

19. •Louis XVI says
no.
•Armed women
march & force
family to Paris
to accept
Declaration of
Man & National
Assembly

20. •New constitution
written 1791
•Creates
Legislative
Assembly &
limited king
•Men who paid
certain amt in
taxes could vote
(2/3 of pop).

21. •Lower classes say no b/c
they can’t vote
•King flees, is caught &
arrested.
•Aus & Prussia want Louis
back in power,
so Leg Assembly
declares
war (big losses).

22. •Communes were
radical political
groups
•Paris Commune
wants Leg
Assembly to call
for National
Convention w/
universal suffrage
(they arrest the
king & run Paris!)

23. •Commune members
nickname themselves
SANS-COULOTTES
(had no fine clothes, wore
pants & were mostly poor
working class)

24. •At National
Convention,,
Georges
Danton (leader
of PC) chosen
as Minister of
Justice. Went
after royal
supporters,
murdering
1000s.

25. • DO NOT WRITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Sept 1792: National
Convention is the ruling body.
• Mostly lawyers & property
owners who distrust king.
• Spilt into 2 groups over what
to do w/ king.
• Both part of JACOBINS- a
network of political groups.
GIRONDINS- keep king alive.
MOUNTAIN- Kill king

26. • King guillotined 1793
• Other nations go to war
against France (Aus, Pru, SP,
Br, Port, Rus)

27. • DON’T WRITE!
• Also killed Louis’
wife, Marie
Antoinette.
• Famous for her
excess & for
saying “let
them eat cake”

28. •Nat Convention gives the
COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC
SAFETY (Danton) broad
powers to do anything to
protect France from
enemies of the Revolution
•Prosecuted enemies of rev
& 40,000 die, 16,000 by
guillotine alone)

29. •MAXIMILLAIN
ROBESPIERRE
took over CPS
after Danton
was arrested &
guillotined
Pity is
treason

30. •1793-1794 was called
the Reign of Terror when
people feared being
arrested or killed for
little reason

33. Why did the guillotine come to symbolize
the French Revolution? Don’t write!
• Joseph-Ignace Guillion helped push
through a law to require executions be by
the machine because it was quick &
painless

34. • This report was written by a Dr. Beaurieux, who experimented with the head of a
condemned prisoner by the name of Henri Languille, on 28 June 1905:
• Here, then, is what I was able to note immediately after the decapitation: the
eyelids and lips of the guillotined man worked in irregularly rhythmic
contractions for about five or six seconds. This phenomenon has been remarked
by all those finding themselves in the same conditions as myself for observing
what happens after the severing of the neck ...I waited for several seconds. The
spasmodic movements ceased. It was then that I called in a strong, sharp voice:
"Languille!" I saw the eyelids slowly lift up, without any spasmodic contractions
– I insist advisedly on this peculiarity – but with an even movement, quite
distinct and normal, such as happens in everyday life, with people awakened or
torn from their thoughts. Next his eyes very definitely fixed themselves on mine
and the pupils focused themselves. I was not, then, dealing with the sort of vague
dull look without any expression, that can be observed any day in dying people
to whom one speaks: I was dealing with undeniably living eyes which were
looking at me. After several seconds, the eyelids closed again . It was at that
point that I called out again and, once more, without any spasm, slowly, the
eyelids lifted and undeniably living eyes fixed themselves on mine with perhaps
even more penetration than the first time. Then there was a further closing of the
eyelids, but now less complete. I attempted the effect of a third call; there was no
further movement & the eyes took on the glazed look which they have in the

35. • France built a huge army & pushed
back its enemies.
• National Convention guillotined
Robespierre in 1794.
• Middle class took over & reduce
power of CPS. They set up
new Constitution of 1795
w/ a new leg
assembly of
2 houses.

37. New govt had 5 directors
act as executive committee
& was called DIRECTORY.
Very Corrupt

38. governments
Legislative
Assembly
Estates General
National Assembly
National Convention
Ruling body of France est by
French Republic in 1792
Governmental body est by
Constitution of 1791 to
make laws
Body est by the 3rd
Estate
to draft Constitution of
1791
Formal deputies from the
1st
, 2nd
and 3rd
estates

39. NAPOLEON Dynamite

40. NAPOLEON BONAPARTE

41. Napoleon led COUP DE TAT
(or sudden overthrow) in
1799 of Directory

42. •Set up new govt called
CONSULATE so Nap
controls army, foreign
affairs & legislature He
crowns self Emperor in
1804, but
called France
a republic

45. •Made
agreement w/
Catholic church
where he
recognized it as
church of France
& in return pope
did not ask for
stolen lands
back.

46. •The Napoleonic Code
created 7 codes of law.
•CIVIL CODE most important.
– equality of citizens,
religious toleration,
abolish serfdom,
choose profession.
(ideas of liberty)

47. Despotism:
1. hurt women’s rights &
divorce.
2. Censored newspapers, govt
opened mail
3. New nobles mostly military &
middle class.
4. Secret police

48. •DO NOT WRITE!!!!
•When Nap became
Consul, he signed peace
•War begins again in 1803
•Btw 1805-1807, Nap
beats Aus, Prus, & Rus
armies.

49. •Built GRAND
EMPIRE btw
1807-1812
which
included Fr &
Italy, Holland,
Swiss
Republic, SP,
Rhine
Confederation
& Warsaw

52. DON”T WRITE!!!!
• Nap tries to invade GB, butloses
• Tries to block Brit trade &
weaken them through
CONTINENTAL SYSTEM
(can’t buy
Br goods)
• Others
ignore it

53. Napoleons
Accomplish
-ments

54. •Invades Russia in 1812
•Grand Army of
600,000 march in.
• Rus army retreats
100s of miles,
burning own villages
as, so French can’t
get supplies.

55. •Find Moscow in flames in
Winter. Nap retreats & only
40,000 men live.

57. NAPOLEON RETREATS

58. Stop
throwing
snowballs
at my men!

59. •DO NOT WRITE!!!
• Nations rise against a
weakened France.
• Paris taken in Mar
1814
• Napoleon exiled to
Elba & monarchy restored
• Louis XVIII weak.
• Nap escapes & troops join his
side despite being sent to
capture him

60. • Don’t write!!!
• “Soldiers of the 5th
regiment, I am
your Emperor ….If there is a man
among you who would kill his
emperor, here I am”,
• With troops on his side claims self
emperor again & goes to Paris Mar
20, 1815.
• Nations
(Br, Pru, )rise
again to get
rid of Nap

61. At Battle of Waterloo in Belgium,
combined Br & Pru forces
under Duke Wellington
deafeat him on June 18th
, 1815
& exiled to St Helena (dies
there)

62. • The Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon and the Coronation of The Empress
Josephine (Jacque-Louis David 1806) 20 by 32 feet
• Hired by Napoleon. David made “changes” to what happened. Shows him crowning
his wife, made her younger & prettier & added Napoleon’s mother who did not come

63. • Maniac ravings or Little Boney in a Striog fit. James Gillray
• Gilray, Brit cartoonist. Scattered on florr are documents from his desk (List of Future
Conquests & Plan for invading Britain)
• Brits saw him as power hungry, maybe insane, a tyrant.
• What does name tell you?

65. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=otnADq4Y0-A
• napoleon
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=8gC00avITj0

66. Groups of 2-3 (do all on back on Dec paper)
1. Decide how rights of an individual (man) differ from
rights of a citizen (write it down)
2. Draw a chart
Come up with 3
rights each! (using your descriptions)
3. Compare with the real Dec of Rights of Man. What
is similar? Different?
4. What are the TOP 3 most important in your
opinion? Why?
5. Last, follow directions at top of Dec of Rights
handout! Note where you see the beliefs of the
philosophes as well! Name drop!
Rights of Man Rights of Citizen
life right to vote

67. Get in Groups of 4
1. One person represents the 1st
Estate, 1
the 2nd
Estate& 2 the Third Estate (1
peasant, 1 Bourgeoisie)
2. Together, fill out notes on the meeting
what each estate would want at this
meeting to create a new constitution (for
ex: voting right: who would get to vote)
3. Now, create a an outline for a new
constitution. (fill out the outline sheet)
Let’s see how close you got to the ideas of
the philosophes!

68. Write a Poe-like story about the
Reign of Terror! Use your knowledge (&
notes) of this terrible time period &
write as story as someone or something
that lived/died during this time!
Keep in mind some Poe-like elements
a narrator death revenge
Mood tone Vague setting
Trying to convince the reader
you are not crazy!