Absolutism and revolution

Absolutism and Revolution
UNIT 2

ABSOLUTE MONARCHS IN
EUROPE
CHAPTER 5

European Absolutism
Absolutism in Europe
● During the 1400’- 1700’s
European rulers claimed
they had the authority to rule
without limits
● Rulers called absolute
monarchs, their goal was to
control every aspect of
society
● Believed in divine right,
God created monarchy and
they were God’s
representative on Earth
● Rulers did not have to
answer to their subjects

European Absolutism
● 1500s and 1600s time of change in Europe
I. Monarchs gained power because of the growth of cities
and the growth of the economy
 Feudalism declined
 need for strong central authority
 Middle class backed monarch because a strong government was
good for business
 Monarchs allowed businessmen to use the wealth of the colonies to
grow the countries economy
II. Religious and territorial conflicts led to continuous
warfare
III. Governments had to build huge armies and increase
taxes to pay for wars
IV. Monarchs had to increase power
➢They regulated religion, social gatherings
➢Created new governments to control the countries economic life

Section 1
SPAIN'S EMPIRE AND
EUROPEAN
ABSOLUTISM

Spain’s Empire and European Absolutism
● 1500’s Spain first modern European power
● Unified country, religion
● Huge New World Empire
● Silver and gold from new world fueled
Spanish economy
● 1519 Charles V (Charles I) ruled Spain and
Hapsburg Empire (HRE, Netherlands)
● 1556 Charles gives empire to son- Phillip II
(Spain, New World colonies, Netherlands)
and brother Ferdinand (Hapsburg Empire)
● Phillip was very religious and very
aggressive
● Took control of Portugal and all of their
territory in the East Indies, Africa and India
● Spanish king now controlled an empire
across the globe

Empire provided Phillip with great wealth
● Gold and silver from the Americas poured into Spain
● It allowed Phillip to keep a huge army
● Phillip was also deeply religious
● Reformation was going on in Europe and Phillip was a
devout Catholic
● He believed it was his duty to defend the Catholic faith from
Protestants and Muslims
● Fought against Ottomans and Protestant armies across
Europe, used wealth to pay for army and navy
● Used Inquisition to enforce religious unity

Golden Age of Spanish Art and Literature
● Wealth allowed Spanish to support the arts
● Two great painters El Greco and Velazquez
● El Greco- paintings reflected Catholic faith
of Spain, his paintings were very emotional
● Velazquez- painting reflected the pride of
the Spanish monarchy, he was the official
painter of the royal family
● Don Quixote called the first modern
European novel
● Written by Miguel de Cervantes
● About a Spanish nobleman who went crazy
after reading too many books
● About a person stuck in the past and
frustrated with the changing world

● The Spanish Empire Weakens
● Netherlands controlled by Spain and
Phillip taxed them and took steps to
crush Protestantism
● Netherlands was Protestant and had a
prosperous middle class involved in
international trade
● Dutch fought them for 11 years and in
1579 they declared independence from
Spain

● Defeat of the Spanish Armada
● 1580’s main rival to Spain was
England
● England Protestant country
● England supported Dutch against
Spain, attacked Spanish treasure
ships
● Philip II builds huge navy to defeat
English (Armada)
● 1588 Armada defeated by English

● 1600’s Spanish power declines
I. Wars drained wealth
➢ Philipp borrowed money to fight wars from Italian and
German bankers, caused country to have a huge debt
II. Treasure from Americas led to neglect of farming,
commerce, caused inflation (too much gold and silver a
problem, money not worth as much)
III. Expulsion of Muslims and Jews deprived economy of
skilled artisans, merchants, scholars
IV. Philips successors not as able
V. Spain’s rulers also taxed the lower classes, nobles did not
have to pay taxes

Independent Dutch Prosper
● United Provinces of the
Netherlands were different than
other European states
● Had an elected governor that
depended on support of
merchants and landholders for
power
● During 1600’s Dutch had best
banks and artists
● Rembrandt greatest artist of
period
● Jan Vermeer painted pictures
of Dutch domestic life

Dutch Trading Empire
● Stability of government allowed Dutch to
focus on economic growth
● Dutch had largest fleet of ships in the world
and used the Dutch East India Company to
control the spice trade in the East Indies
and Asia
● Replaced the Italians as bankers of Europe

Section 2
THE REIGN OF LOUIS
XIV

The Reign of Louis XIV
Religious Wars and Power Struggles
● 1562-1598 Huguenots and Catholics
fought 8 religious wars, during this time
chaos spread through France
● Huguenots were French Protestants
● 1572 St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
sparked 6 week war between Catholics and
Protestants
● 1589 Henry IV (a Protestant king) takes
throne and gives up Protestantism and
becomes Catholic to bring peace
● 1598 Henry issues the Edict of Nantes that
allowed Huguenots to live in peace across
France and set up their own churches
● After a generation of war people
welcomed peace and Henry began to
restore French monarchy and prosperity

● After the death of Henry his son, Louis XIII
took over
● 1624 he appointed Cardinal Richelieu as
his minister
● Richelieu was the real power in France
● Took steps to increase the power of the
Bourbon monarchy in France
A. Took power from Huguenots, dictated
their living conditions
B. Took power from nobles, made them more
dependent on the king for protection
C. Put middle class in more powerful
government positions
D. Richelieu also became involved in wars
with the most powerful European dynasty
the Hapsburgs (the Thirty Years War)

Writers turn toward Skepticism
● New French intellectual movement grew at
this time, they had witnessed the religious
wars
● Many turned to the idea of skepticism
(nothing can be known for certain), and the
began to doubt the teaching of the church
● Montaigne- developed new for of literature,
the essay, to express a writers thoughts and
feelings
● Believed that humans could never have an
absolute knowledge of what is true
● Descartes used observations to determine
that we could never know what was true
● Influenced modern thinkers by developing
the scientific method

Louis XIV Comes to Power
● Louis became king at age 4 in 1642 and ruled
for 72 years
● Believed that he and France were one (“I am
the state”)
● When Louis was young the real power behind
the throne was Cardinal Mazarin
● The nobles hated him because he raised their
taxes and made the central government
stronger
● 1648- 1653 many riots broke out across France
protesting Mazarin’s policies
● Louis felt threatened and he never forgot about
this, he decided to make the monarchy so
strong that this would not happen again
● Rebellions failed because peasants and
townspeople grew tired of the fighting
● Because they were tired of wars they accepted
Louis oppressive laws

● When Mazarin died Louis took control of
the government himself
◦ Weakened power of the nobles by removing
them from his government
◦ Increased the power of government agents
who collected taxes and administered justice
(intendants), they were not part of the nobility
◦ Louis made sure local officials kept in touch
with him regularly

Economic Growth
● Louis used finance minister Jean Baptiste
Colbert to help France attain economic and
political power
● Colbert wanted France to become self
sufficient and used mercantilist policies to
meet his goals
❖Expanded manufacturing
❖ Placed a high tariff on goods from other countries
❖Recognized importance of colonies to help
economy
● After Colbert’s death in 1685 economic
progress slowed
● Louis also canceled Edict of Nantes
● Many Huguenot businessmen and artisans left
France and it took many skilled workers out of
the economy

● Louis surrounded himself with luxury at his palace
Versailles
● Palace became a symbol of wealth, seat of government,
home for nobles
◦ Made nobles dependent on Louis
◦ Kept intendants in power in other parts of the country
◦ By keeping nobles at Versailles it kept them from fighting each
other, they fought for favor of Louis
● Louis was a patron of the arts and he made ballet and
opera more popular
● The purpose of art was to glorify the king and promote
his absolute rule

● Under Louis France was the most powerful country
in the world
● France had the largest, best trained and equipped
army in Europe
● 1667 Louis invades Spanish Netherlands to expand
French boundaries
● Dutch defeat French
● 1680’s European alliance established to stop French
and achieve a balance of power across Europe (no
single country could dominate others)
● Alliance called the League of Augsburg (England,
Spain, Hapsburg Austria, other smaller countries)
they equaled French strength
● Poor harvests and constant warfare and higher taxes
weakened France at this time

War of Spanish Succession
● War fought between Spain and France, the two greatest
European powers
● Other European countries joined in
● War lasted for 14 years, ended by the Treaty of Utrecht
● Big winner was Great Britain
● British took over Gibraltar that controlled the entrance to the
Mediterranean
● Also gave the British French controlled territories in the
Americas

Louis Death and Legacy
● Louis death was good news across
France, they were tired of the Sun King
● Legacy
1. Made France a European power
2. Seen as a military power
3. Led other nations in the promotion of art,
literature
4. Constant warfare left France in debt
5. Tax burden and the abuse of power by
Louis would eventually lead to rebellion
against the monarchy by the end of the
1700’s

Section 3
THE THIRTY YEARS
WAR

The Thirty Years’ War
● 17th century Holy Roman Empire
(HRE) patchwork of small states
● Religion was the original cause
● 1618- Began in Bohemia, Catholic
Hapsburg king tried to suppress
Protestant revolt
● Local conflict became general war
● HRE supported by Catholic states
● Protestant powers sent troops
● Fought all across Germany, led to
1/3 of pop. dying
● Ruined German trade and
agriculture

The Thirty Years’ War
● Ended in 1648 with the Peace of Westphalia
1. Weakened Hapsburg Spain and Austria
2. Made France the most powerful country in
Europe
3. Ended religious wars in Europe
4. Introduced new method of settling disputes,
where participants decide terms of peace
5. Treaty recognized European countries as
equals and was the beginning of the
modern state system

Section 4
ABSOLUTE RULERS OF
RUSSIA

Absolute Rulers of Russia
● 1463-1505 Ivan III first
strong ruler of Russia
1. Conquered territory
around Moscow
2. Centralized the
government
3. Liberated Russia from
Mongol rule
● 1554 Ivan’s grandson
Ivan IV became Russia’s
first czar

● Ivan became czar when he was 3
years old
● Early life he competed for power with
the boyars (Russia’s landowning
nobles)
● When he was 16 he seized power for
good
● 1560 his wife dies and Ivan accused
the boyars of poisoning her
● Became known as Ivan the Terrible
● He organized a secret police force to
hunt down and murder people that did
not agree with him
● He took the boyars estates and gave
them to people that were loyal to him

● 1581 Ivan kills his son and heir in an
argument
● Ivan died three years later that left his
younger less competent son as ruler of
Russia
● After his son died there was a period of
turmoil in Russia
● Boyars struggled for power
● 1613 representatives from many Russian
cities chose the next czar, Michael Romanov
(who was related to Ivan’s wife)
● Began the Romanov dynasty that ruled
Russia for the next three hundred years

Absolute rulers of Russia
Russia Contrasts with the Rest of Europe
● Russia was a land of boyars and serfs
◦ Landowners needed serfs to work on the lad to
produce harvests
◦ Serfs were seen as property, they were sold
when the land was sold
◦ Serfs were also given as presents and to pay
debts
● Most boyars looked to Constantinople not
to Rome for religious guidance
◦ Most Russians were Eastern Orthodox not
Catholic or Protestants
● Mongol rule had cut off Russia from the
Age of Exploration and the Renaissance
● Geographic barriers isolated Russia, its
only seaport was frozen in ice most of the
year

Peter the Great comes to Power
● Romanov’s restored order to Russia
● Passed new law codes and put down
revolts
● 1696 Peter I becomes ruler of Russia
(known as Peter the Great), he
continued the trend of increasing the
czars power
● Peter believed the future of Russia
depended on the country having a
warm water port to compete with the
rest of Europe
● 1697 Peter leaves to tour Western
Europe to learn European customs
and manufacturing techniques (he
traveled in disguise to keep his
identity secret)

● Peter came back from his trip to
“westernize” Russia (adoption of
Western European ideas,
technology, culture)
● Russia would compete military
and commercially with other
European countries
● To bring changes to Russia Peter
became an absolute ruler
◦ He reduced the power of the boyars
◦ Gave power to lower ranking families,
and gave them grants of land
◦ Modernized army, hired officers, used
weapons and tactics from other
European countries

● Other attempts to “westernize” Russia
included:
1. Introduction of potatoes, became a
staple of the Russian diet
2. Raised the status of women
3. Ordered nobles to give up traditional
styles of clothing and dress for
European fashions
4. Opened universities to promote arts,
sciences and navigation
• Peter thought that education was the key
to advance Russia
5. Promoted mercantilist policies
6. Improved waterways, roads,
developed industry
Had no mercy for those that resisted
his orders

● Peter wanted a seaport to open trade with the
west
● Fought a 21 year war with Sweden to gain port on
Baltic Sea
● Before war was over Peter began to construct the
city of St. Petersburg
● Built on a desolate swamp used the labor and lives
of 50,000 serfs
● Ordered nobles to move to capital from Moscow
● 1725 Peter dies and leaves Russia as European
power

Section5
PARLIAMENT LIMITS
THE ENGLISH
MONARCHY

Parliament Limits the English
Monarchy
● Parliament in England had the
power to control money and kept
English rulers from becoming
absolute monarchs
● The struggle between Parliament
and the monarchy had serious
consequences for England in the
1600’s
● Tradition of limits on monarchs
power
◦ Magna Charta, Parliament
● Elizabeth dies without heir, James
I of Scotland becomes king
● James I (Catholic) disagreed with
Parliament about finances, fought
against Puritans
● Dissolved Parliament, collected
taxes on his own

Monarchy
● 1625 Charles I becomes king of England
● Charles always needed money because of constant
war with France and Spain
● When Parliament refused to give him money he
dissolved it
● 1628 Charles needed Parliament to grant him money
● Parliament forced him to sign Petition of Right
◦ did not allow king to raise taxes without vote,
◦ could not jail people without legal justification
● Petition put the law above the king
● Ignored petition, ruled England without Parliament for
11 years
● Charles imposed fess and fines on English people and
his popularity decreased year after year

Monarchy
● 1640 Charles needs money to fight a rebellion
against the Presbyterian Scots
● He could only get money by calling
Parliament into session gave Parliament a
chance to oppose Charles
● 1642 Charles had Puritan leaders arrested
and the English people began to rebel against
the king
● Charles fled to the north of England to raise
an army

Monarchy
English Civil War
o 1642-1649 supporters and
opponents of the English
monarchy fought against each
other for seven years
o Cavilers- supporters of king
o Roundheads- supporters of
Parliament
o Roundheads led by Oliver
Cromwell defeated Charles’
army
o Charles put on trial and
executed
o First time a monarch was
publicly executed

Monarchy
● Cromwell became ruler of England
● He established a commonwealth
and republican form of government
● Cromwell soon became a military
dictator
● 1649 Cromwell took over Ireland
and gave the land to English
soldiers
● Cromwell was a Puritan and wanted
to reform society to promote
Puritan morality
● Abolished activities such as theatre,
dancing, sporting events
● After Cromwell's death in 1658
England returned to rule by a king

Monarchy
The Restoration
● English wanted king because
they were sick of military rule
● 1659 Charles II becomes king of
England
● Popular king, reopened theatres
and taverns
● During his reign Parliament
passed a guarantee of freedom
known as habeas corpus
● Gave prisoners the right to
know why they were arrested,
could not be held indefinitely
without a trial or for simply
opposing the king

Monarchy
● After the death of Charles II his
Catholic brother James II
became king
● Offended English because he
displayed his Catholicism and he
appointed many Catholics to
government positions
● 1688 English asked his
Protestant sister, Mary and her
husband William, to overthrow
the James II
● William led an army into England
and James left for France
● The was no war or bloodshed,
this event was known as the
Glorious Revolution

Monarchy
● William and Mary recognized Parliament as their partner in
government
● England became a constitutional monarchy (where laws
limit the ruler’s power)
● 1689 The English Bill of Rights set limits on the monarchs
power in England
◦ Monarch could not suspend laws
◦ Could not tax without approval of Parliament
◦ Could not interfere with freedom of speech
◦ They could petition the king with their grievances without fear of
punishment
● After 1688 monarchs could not rule without a group of
advisers known as their cabinet
● Cabinet acted in the rulers name but they were represented
by the majority party in Parliament
● Over time the cabinet became the center of power and
policymaking
● The head of the cabinet is the prime minister

Enlightenment and
Revolution
1550-1789
Chapter 6

Section 1
THE SCIENTIFIC
REVOLUTION

The Scientific Revolution
● Renaissance, Reformation broke down medieval
world view, traditional beliefs
● Shift in scientific thinking
● By early 1600’s new approach based on
hypothesis, observation and experimentation
(scientific method)
● Mathematics key to understanding truths, used
to convert data into information and scientific
laws
● Earth- centered view (geocentric) idea came
from Aristotle
● Christianity taught that God had placed the earth
at the center of the universe
● Beginning in mid-1500’s ideas were challenged
by scientists
● Change was called the scientific revolution
● It was a new way of thinking based on
observation and willingness to question accepted
beliefs
● Combination of discoveries and inventions led to
Scientific Revolution
◦ Discovery of new lands challenged old truths, led to
new observations that questioned world around
them

● First challenge came in
astronomy
● 1543 Polish scientist Nicolaus
Copernicus- theory of
heliocentric universe (sun
centered)
● Earth one of several planets to
revolve around sun
● Did not publish his findings for
25 years because he knew they
would be rejected
● Other scientists built on his
foundations
● Late 1500’s Tycho Brahe
found evidence to support
heliocentric theory
● Johannes Keppler- supported

● Early 1600’s Italian Scientist Galileo
Galilei used a telescope to observe
the planets
● 1610 published a book, Starry
Messenger, to describe his
observations
● He supported theories of Copernicus
● His ideas went against church teaching
and authority
● 1616 Catholic Church warned him not
to defend his ideas
● 1633 Galileo called before the pope to
sign a confession saying he was wrong
● Lived under house arrest for the rest of
his life
● However his ideas spread across the
rest of Europe

● Ideas in astronomy were the beginning of a
new approach to science (scientific
method) that was a logical procedure of
collecting information and testing ideas
● Gather data to analyze and interpret to reach
a new conclusion to confirm or disprove
hypothesis
● 1600’s Rene Descartes and Francis Bacon
helped advance the new approach
◦ Bacon, an Englishman, believed that scientists
would create practical knowledge to improve
people’s daily lives
◦ Urged scientists to use experimentation to draw
conclusions (empiricism)
◦ Descartes developed analytical geometry as a
tool for scientific research
● Both believed that scientists needed to reject
old methods and rely on math and logic

● Isaac Newton brought together ideas of astronomy
and physics in a single theory of motion
◦ Came up with universal law of gravitation that all
objects were affected equally by the same forces
◦ Every object attracts every other object
◦ Attraction depends on the mass of objects and distance
between them
● 1687 published The Mathematical Principles of
Natural Philosophy one of the most important
scientific book ever published
◦ Describe the universe as a giant clock
◦ All parts worked together perfectly in ways that could be
expressed mathematically
◦ God was creator of universe and set everything in
motion
● Dominant theory until early 1900’s (Einstein,
Heisenberg)

● Scientists developed tools and instruments to
make precise observations
● 1590 first microscope invented
● 1670’s Anton Van Leeuwenhoek used
microscope to observe bacteria
● 1643 first barometer
● 1714 first thermometer invented by Gabriel
Fahrenheit
● 1600’s Robert Boyle-chemicals basic building
blocks, distinguished between individual
elements and chemical compounds
● Challenged Aristotle's idea that earth was made
up of four elements – air, fire, water, earth-

Changing Thought
Medieval
● Earth centered solar
system
● Limits set by the
Church and
theology, faith
● Destiny is already
set from birth
● Time, society, world
seen as natural and
organic
● Scientific Revolution
● Sun centered solar
system
● Limits set by rational,
logical thought and
experiments
● Everything can be
explained and
improved- engineered
● Time, society and the
world seen as a
machine, mechanical,
a clock

Section 2
THE ENLIGHTENMENT IN
EUROPE

The Enlightenment in Europe
● Philosophers and scholars also began to
question reason and order and began to
question long held beliefs about the
human condition
A. Wanted to change the ideas of rights and
liberties of ordinary citizens
B. Challenged relationship between
government and people
C. Brought new insights in government,
religion, economics and education
D. Stressed using reason and thought to solve
human problems

● Key ideas about Enlightenment from
two English thinkers of the 1600’s,
Thomas Hobbes and John Locke
● Thomas Hobbes- Expressed views
in book called Leviathan (1651)
● English Civil War convinced him that
humans were selfish and needed
strong government to keep law and
order
● Called idea by which people created
a government the social contract
● In social contract society give up
freedom for law and order

● John Locke- had a more positive
view of human nature
● Believed people were basically
reasonable
● People had natural rights- life,
liberty, property
● People form governments to
protect rights
● Best government had limited
power, accepted by all citizens
● Government has obligation to
people and if it violates natural
rights people could overthrow
government
● Influenced modern democracy

● Enlightenment reached height in France in mid-1700’s
● Paris was center of Enlightenment ideas
● Social critics were known as philosophes
● Characteristics
◦ Used methods of science to understand and improve society
◦ Believed reason could reform government, law and society
◦ Wanted social justice, equality
● Met in salons, informal gatherings, brought together
writers, artists, thinkers to discuss and spread ideas

● Voltaire
◦ Most famous of philosophes, best known book
Candide
◦ Wrote criticisms of Christianity, aristocracy, and
government
◦ Promoted religious toleration, freedom of speech,
freedom of expression
◦ “I do not agree with a word you say but will
defend to the death your right to say it”
● Montesquieu
◦ Believed in political liberty, critic of absolute
monarchy
◦ 1748 Spirit of Laws discussed governments through
history
◦ Best way to protect liberty was to divide powers of
government through three branches (executive,
judicial, legislative) called separation of powers
◦ Each branch a check on the other two (checks and
balances)

● Rousseau
◦ Committed to personal liberty
◦ Argued that civilization corrupted
our natural goodness
◦ Believed that government should
be guided by the goodwill of
society, people had to give up
some freedom for the common
good
◦ Wrote a book called the Social
Contract
◦ Difference between Rousseau and
Hobbes:
⚫Rousseau believed that government
was an agreement of free individuals
to create government

● Beccaria
● Italian philosophe
● Wrote about the justice system
● Laws existed to preserve social
order and should be for the
greatest good for the greatest
number of people
● Argued accused should have a
speedy trial and that the
punishment should fit the crime
● Fought to abolish torture and
capital punishment

Women and the Enlightenment
● Philosphes thought women had
natural rights, but limited (home,
family)
● Women looked to improve their
status
● Mary Wollstonecraft
● Wollstonecraft argued women should
not be excluded from social contract
● 1792- A Vindication of the Rights of
Woman
● Argued that women needed
education to be virtuous and useful ,
urged women to enter male
dominated fields like medicine and

Legacy of the Enlightenment
● Enlightenment thinkers challenged long held ideas
about society from religion to the role of
government
● Theories inspired the American and French
Revolutions
● Three other long term effects of the Enlightenment
1. Belief in progress- idea that human thought, logic
and reason could solve social problems
2. More secular outlook- more non-religious viewpoint,
questioned the ideas of the church and promoted
religious tolerance
3. Importance of the individual- people looked to
themselves to solve problems, not government, or
church

Section3
THE ENLIGHTENMENT
SPREADS

The Enlightenment Spreads
● Spread across Europe
through books,
magazines and word of
mouth
● Influenced everything
from artistic world to
royal courts across
continent
● 1700’s Paris was
cultural and intellectual
capital of Europe,
center of

Diderot's Encyclopedia
● Diderot was a leading philosophe
● 1751 he began to publish a set of
books that contained essays and
articles by leading Enlightenment
thinkers
● Called it the Encyclopedia
● Angered the French government
and the Catholic Church, said it
undermined authority and
encouraged a spirit of revolt
● Book helped spread the ideas of
the Enlightenment to people all
over Europe

● European art in 1600’s and early
1700’s was dominated by a style
known a baroque (had grand,
ornate, design)
● Enlightenment influenced change
● Simple, elegant style influence by
classical Greece and Rome called
neo-classical developed by late
1700’s
● Simple structure and decoration
reflected order and reason
● Music styles changed lighter,
elegant style of music developed
known as classical music
● Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven were
classical composers

● Many philosophes thought the best form of
government was a monarchy
● They wanted rulers to respect individuals
rights
● Some monarchs made reforms that reflected
the Enlightenment (known as enlightened
despots)
● They did not want to give up power, but made
changes for two reasons:
1. To make their country stronger
2. An to make their own rule more effective
● Best examples of enlightened despots were
Fredrick the Great of Prussia, Joseph II of
Austria and Catherine the Great of Russia

● Fredrick the Great of Prussia
◦ Invited intellectuals to Prussia
◦ Allowed free press, relig. toleration,
reduced use of torture
● Joseph II of Austria
◦ Most radical reformer
◦ Traveled among peasants to learn
problems
◦ Supported religious equality, freedom of
the press
◦ Diminished power of Catholic Church
◦ Promoted education
◦ Abolished serfdom,
◦ Serfs had to be paid for labor
◦ All reforms were cancelled after his death

● Catherine the Great of Russia
◦ Based her reforms on the ideas of
Montesquieu and Beccaria
◦ Believed in enlightenment ideas of
equality, liberty (not for all, only
middle and upper classes)
◦ Made limited reforms, but did little to
improve lives of peasants
◦ Gave nobles absolute power over the
serfs
◦ She did expand Russian power and
size through wars with the Ottomans
and Poles
◦ Helped make Russia an international
power

Section 4
THE AMERICAN
REVOLUTION

The American Revolution
● 1700’s Britain dominant world power
● Controlled world trade- navy and colonies
around world
● Government favorable to business and trade
● Politically united
● Many Enlightenment thinkers viewed Britain's
government as the most progressive in
Europe

● War with France in
1750’s (French and
Indian War) drained
treasury of England
● 1760’s to pay for war in
North America England
taxes colonists (Stamp
Act, Sugar Act)
● Colonists felt they had
rights of English
citizens
● Had no representation
in Parliament, unfair to
tax them

● Series of violent clashes
escalate tension with
British
● 1770- Boston Massacre
● 1773- Boston Tea Party
● 1774- representatives meet
in Philadelphia (Continental
Congress) to decide action
against British
● 1775- War begins against
British

● 1776- declare independence from
Great Britain, colonists wanted same
political rights as all British citizens
● Declaration of Independence- based
on Locke’s ideas
1. Gov’t responsibility to protect rights of
citizens (natural rights)
2. Right to rebel against an unjust ruler
3. Principle of popular sovereignty (power
comes from people)

● British had larger army, more resources
● British were overconfident
● Americans lacked resources, strategic plan
● Advantage of being on home soil, determination to
fight for ideals of liberty
● 1777- France provide supports for Americans (troops,
supplies), changes war
● 1781- Yorktown, VA British defeated
● 1783- Treaty of Paris ends war

● First plan for government was called the
Articles of Confederation
● It established a national government of
the 13 colonies, where citizens elected
representatives
● Created a weak national government that
could not raise money or change laws
very easily
● Wanted a weak national government
because of fear of developing a
monarchy
● Leaders soon realized the need for a
stronger central authority

● 1787- American leaders gatherer in Philadelphia to write a
new plan of government (the U.S. Constitution)
● Ideas of Enlightenment thinkers in new constitution, put
ideas into practice
A. Constitution set up a federal system where power was divided
between the states and the federal government
B. Separation of powers- national and state government, three
branches of government (shared power between the legislative,
judicial and executive branches of government)
C. Bill of Rights protects individuals liberties (freedom of speech,
press, religion, protection under the law)
▪ American republic was a symbol of freedom to European reformers

The French Revolution and
Napoleon
1789-1815
Chapter 7

Section 1
THE FRENCH
REVOLUTION BEGINS

The French Revolution
Begins
● 1700’s France considered to be the
most advanced country in Europe
● Large population, worldwide trade
and the center of the
Enlightenment
● Late 1700’s-France’s social system
stuck in Middle Ages (ancient
regime)
● Three social classes (estates)
● First Estate- clergy
● Second Estate- nobles
● Third Estate- merchants,
professionals, peasants (majority
of population)

Begins
● FIRST ESTATE
◦ Clergy
◦ Enormous wealth and
privilege
◦ Owned 10% of land
◦ Pay no taxes
◦ Provided some social
services- hospitals,
schools
◦ Target of philosophers
reform
◦ Thought Enlightenment
undermined moral order
● SECOND ESTATE
◦ Nobility
◦ 2 % of population,
owned 20% of land
◦ Owned land had little
income
◦ They thought
Enlightenment ideas
threatened their status
◦ Did not pay taxes

Begins
● Third Estate
● Most diverse- the rest of
society (97%)
● Urban professionals to rural
peasants
● Poorest members urban
workers
● Third Estate resented the
other classes
● Burdened by heavy taxes
● Influenced by Enlightenment
ideas, began to question old
ways, thought privileged
should pay share

Begins
Forces of Change
A. Enlightenment ideas and the success of the American
Revolution inspired those that wanted change in France
▪ Quoting Rousseau and Voltaire lower classes demanded equality,
liberty and democracy
B. Economic problems- high taxes made it hard to conduct
business, cost of living was going up
C. Years of deficit spending by monarchs led to economic
trouble
▪ Wars, lifestyle of monarchs drained money
▪ Government borrowed money
D. Late 1780’s bad harvests caused food prices to go up,
famine among lower classes

Begins
● Louis XV, Louis XVI weak kings
● 1789-All classes demand reform, Louis
XVI calls meeting of Estates General
(meeting of representatives from all three
estates)
● Nobles hoped to gain privileges, control
king
● Each group prepared list of grievances
● Demands show class resentment
● Third Estate demanded Enlightenment
reform, wanted changes in government

Begins
● May 1789- Meet at Versailles
● Third Estate tired of being dominated
by 1st and 2nd estates
● Third Estate breaks away and
becomes National Assembly
◦ Represent people of France, proclaimed
the end of the monarchy and the
beginning of a representative
government
● Locked out by Louis, meet on tennis
court at Versailles
● Tennis Court Oath taken by Third
Estate, vow to meet until reforms
passed
● Many from clergy and nobility join
National Assembly
● Seen as threat to Louis XVI power

Begins
Storming the Bastille
● July 14, 1789 – Rumors royal
troops were going to take over city
(Paris), king was going to use force
to get rid of National Assembly
● 800 march to Bastille (prison in
Paris), to get gunpowder that was
stored there
● Bastille seen as symbol of
monarchy and abuses
● Commander refused to open gate,
mob stormed in
● Killed guards, released prisoners,
found no gunpowder
● Challenged regime of Louis XVI
● Day is now a national holiday in
France

Begins
The Great Fear
● Fall 1789- Rebellions spread from
Paris into the country side.
● Senseless panic called the Great
Fear rolled through France
◦ Peasants broke into Nobles’ manor
houses.
◦ Parisian women rioted over the rising
price of bread
◦ Women marched on Versailles, broke
into the palace and demanded that Louis
and Marie Antoinette return to Paris.
◦ The king , his family and servants left
Versailles
● Signaled the change of power and
radical reforms about to take over
France.

Section 2
REVOLUTION BRINGS
REFORM AND TERROR

Revolution Brings Reform and
Terror
● Great Fear caused many nobles to
support revolution out of fear
● National Assembly took away any of
their privileges
● Made commoners equal to the clergy
● August of 1789 National Assembly
issues the Declaration of the Rights
of Man and Citizen (based on the
Declaration of Independence)
◦ Rights guaranteed life, liberty and
freedom from oppression
◦ Gave citizens equal justice under the
law, freedom of speech and religion
● Olympe de Gouges wanted these
rights of women as well, they were
rejected and she was later executed

Terror
● National Assembly reforms also
focused on the Catholic Church
◦ Took over church lands and used money
to pay off French debt
◦ Many French peasants were devout
Catholics and these actions turned them
against the Revolution
● 1791 Louis XVI and his family tried to
escape from France but were caught at
the border and returned to Paris to face
trial

Terror
● September 1791 National Assembly created
a constitutional monarchy that stripped the
king of most of his authority
● Created the Legislative Assembly to create
laws
● Legislative Assembly had to handle problems
of food shortages and government debt
● Assembly split into three different groups
◦ Radicals that wanted the most change
◦ Moderates wanted some changes
◦ Conservatives- wanted a limited monarchy with
few changes
● Groups outside of the government wanted to
control the direction of France
◦ Émigrés were nobles and others that left France
and wanted to restore the Old Régime
◦ Sans-culottes- workers and shopkeepers that
wanted the Revolution to bring greater change

Terror
● European leaders saw
revolution as threat
● Did not want similar revolts
in their own countries
● Leaders denounced the
Enlightenment, condemned
revolutionaries
● Threatened to intervene to
protect French monarchy
● April 1792 Austria and
Prussia declare war on
France

Terror
● August 1792 French mob attacks
palace and imprisons Marie
Antoinette and her children
● September 1791 Rumors that the
king was going to be freed from
prison caused mobs to attack
prisons and kill royal
sympathizers (known as
September Massacres)
● New government is dissolved and
a new government founded
known as the National
Convention takes over
◦ They abolish the monarchy and
declare France a republic
◦ Gave all men the right to vote and
hold office

Terror
● Jacobins were a radical political
organization that were involved in the
governmental changes
● Newspaper editor Jean Paul Marat called
for death to all who supported the king
● Georges Danton was a lawyer and
member of the Jacobins
◦ He was devoted to the rights of the poor
people of Paris
● Louis XVI was declared a common citizen
by the National Assembly
● Louis was tried for treason and found guilty
● January of 1793 Louis was beheaded by
the guillotine
● February 1793 Britain, Holland and Spain
declared war against France
● National Convention drafts 300,000 men
between 18-40 to join army and defend
France

Terror
● Jacobins created enemies within
France
◦ Church was not under their control,
peasants were shocked at the death of the
king and rival leaders were stirring up
trouble outside of Paris
● Maximillen Robespierre (a leader of
the Jacobins)seized control of the
government
● Wanted to build a “republic of virtue”
by erasing France’s past
● Closed churches, changed the calendar
(renamed each month, and took out
Sundays), all people referred to each
other as citizen
● July 1793 Robespierre became a
dictator and this phase of the
Revolution became known as the
Reign of Terror

Revolution Brings Reform and Terror
● Reign of Terror
● Robespierre created the Committee of Public Safety to protect the
revolution from its enemies
◦ 12 member committee had complete control over the French government
◦ Justified use of terror to make citizens remain true to the ideals of the
revolution
● To control mobs and those that disagreed with government 300,000
arrested
● 17,000 executed by guillotine
● Most that were executed came from the peasant and urban middle class
(those who called for revolution in the first place)
● 1794 Georges Danton was tried and executed
● Marie Antoinette was executed
● By July 1794 many tired of executions and feared for own lives

Terror
● July 1794 many members of the National
Convention feared for their own safety
and turned on Robespierre
● He was arrested, tried and executed
● Public opinion had shifted after the death
of Robespierre, people were tired of the
revolution
● 1795 new plan of government drafted that
put power in the hands of the moderates
◦ There was a new legislative body and an
executive body of five men known as the
Directory

Terror
● Ten year revolution- changed
old social order, dissolved the
monarchy, brought Church
under state control
◦ Gave French sense of national
identity (nationalism)
◦ Provided education to all
◦ Systems put into place to help
poor, old soldiers, war widows
◦ French flag- tricolor symbol of
revolution,
◦ La Marseillaise became national
anthem

Section 4
NAPOLEON FORGES AN
EMPIRE

Napoleon Forges and Empire
● In four years Napoleon rose from an unknown army
officer to the ruler of France
● 1796 the Directory appoints him to lead the French
army against the Austrians and the Kingdom of
Sardinia
● Napoleon defeats them in Italy and is seen as a
national hero
● Napoleon is sent to Egypt to disrupt British trade
● He is unable to repeat his success, but he manages to
keep his defeat out of the newspapers in France, he
returns to France as a national hero

Napoleon Forges an Empire
● 1799 the Directory had lost control and confidence of the French people
● Napoleon forces the National Legislature to dissolve the Directory and change the
government
● He had the army behind his attempt to take power
● Government was a group of three consuls
● Napoleon was the first consul and he assumed the power of a dictator
● At the time of Napoleons takeover France was still at war
● Britain, Russia and Austria wanted to remove Napoleon from power
● Napoleon used war and diplomacy to sign peace agreements with all three
countries
● 1802 Europe was at peace for the first time in 10 years

● Napoleon kept many of the changes from the
Revolution
● Wanted to bring order and stability to France
● Economy- set up an efficient method of tax collection,
established a national banking system
◦ Dismissed corrupt government officials and trained new
officials in government run schools called lycees
◦ Graduates were appointed to public office based on merit
● Religion- Napoleon wanted to restore position of
Catholic Church in France
◦ Signed a Concordant (agreement) that gained the support
of the church and many French people
● Laws- Napoleon developed a system of uniform laws
known as the Napoleonic Code
◦ It limited liberty, and promoted order and authority over
individual rights
◦ Freedom of speech and the press was restricted

● 1804 Napoleon has himself crowned
emperor of France
● Napoleon wanted to control the rest of
Europe and reassert French power in the
Americas
● 1801 A slave revolt on the island of Saint
Domingue resulted in loss of French
control
● Napoleon tried to retake control and failed
● Decided to cut losses in the Americas and
sold the Louisiana Territory to the US for
$15 million dollars (Louisiana Purchase)
◦ Gave Napoleon money to Finance his wars in
Europe
◦ Also allowed him to keep the British from
taking control of the territory

● Napoleon turned his attention to Europe
● He had already annexed parts of Austria
and Italy
● Britain, Russia, Sweden declared war
against France and Napoleon
● Napoleon defeated them (except Britain)
and forced them to sign peace treaties
● Used rapid movement, surprise and the
size of his army to defeat his enemies
● He built the largest empire in Europe
since the Roman Empire
● France’s only major enemy left was
England
● England had the world’s most powerful
navy and France had the world most
powerful army

● Napoleon lost only one major battle
● 1805 Battle of Trafalgar he was
defeated by the British navy
◦ French navy was destroyed
◦ Ensured the supremacy of the British navy
for next 100 years
◦ Forced Napoleon to give up plans to
invade Britain
● Napoleons victories across Europe
gave him control over most of Europe
● Put friends and relatives in charge of
defeated countries
● Areas he did not control he controlled
through alliances and threats of military
action
● Lasted for only 5 years (1807-1812)

Section 4
NAPOLEON’S EMPIRE
COLLAPSES

Napoleon’s Empire Collapses
● Desire for power led to his doom
● In his efforts to crush Great Britain and extend
the French Empire he made three drastic
mistakes
1. 1806 -The Continental System-
• Napoleon sets up a blockade to prevent trade and
communication between the British and the rest of
Europe
• Supposed to make Europe more self sufficient and
destroy Britain commercial and industrial economy
• Smugglers and allies in Europe disregarded the
blockade
• British put up their own blockade and because they
had a stronger navy they were more successful
• Created resentment toward French by many
European countries because of shortages of goods

● 1808- The Peninsular War
● Tried to get Portugal to accept the Continental System
● Sent invasion force through Spain that Spanish resisted
● Inflamed nationalistic feelings across Spain, also worried that
Napoleon would weaken the Catholic Church
● For six years bands of Spanish guerillas fought against
French forces
● British also sent aid to the Spanish fighters
● Nationalism (loyalty to one’s country) became a weapon used
against Napoleon, they felt abused by a foreign conqueror

● 1812- Invasion of Russia
● Czar Alexander I of Russia angry
about Continental System, withdrew
support
● Napoleon’s response- assembled
huge army to march on Russia
(Grand Army)
● 420,000 soldiers
● 1812- invaded Russia
● Russian soldiers retreated to avoid
battle, used scorched earth policy
(did not allow Napoleon to feed and
supply army)
● Had to retreat from Russia, fewer
than 10,000 soldiers returned home
Reputation for success shattered

● All of the main powers of Europe
joined forces against Napoleon
● 1813- Russia, Britain, Prussia,
Austria, Sweden defeat Napoleon in
the Battle of Leipizg
● Napoleon exiled to island of Elba,
king restored to power in France
(Louis XVIII)
● Economic depression, fear of
returning to old ways- French want
Napoleon back
● 1815 Escapes from Elba, returns to
France
● Rules for 100 days
● June 1815 defeated at Battle of
Waterloo (Belgium), sent into exile
again
● Napoleon died in 1821

● Napoleon and his French empire caused
many changes in France and Europe
A. The laws of the Napoleonic Code were kept in
many countries. It is the basis for many
European countries laws even today
B. France became a republic with a constitution
C. French people had greater access to education
and rights to property
D. Conquests spread the ideas of the French
Revolution, such as equality of all men, self
rule, individual rights.
E. Nationalist feelings and movements in many
parts of Europe.

Section 5
THE CONGRESS OF
VIENNA

The Congress of Vienna
● After the defeat of Napoleon European
countries wanted peace and stability
● 1814-1815- Great Britain, Austria, Russia,
Prussia and France met in Vienna, Austria
● Met before Napoleon’s final defeat at
Waterloo
● Most influential person at the meetings was
Klemens von Metternich the foreign minister
of Austria
● Metternich's three goals for the Congress of
Vienna
1. To prevent future French aggression by
surrounding them by stronger countries
2. Wanted to achieve a balance of power
across Europe so one country would not
dominate another
3. Wanted to restore the royal families of
Europe to their thrones

● Containment of France
◦ Made weaker countries that surrounded France stronger by
uniting them or giving them more territory
◦ France could not over power its weaker neighbors
● Balance of power
◦ They did not want to weaken France too much because they
did not want them to take revenge on the rest of Europe
● Legitimacy
◦ Ruling families were restored to the throne in many countries
◦ Wanted to stabilize political relations between the countries

After the Congress of Vienna,
A. European countries began to
cooperate to control political affairs
B. Victory for the conservative forces
because kings and princes
regained their power
◦ Britain and France became
constitutional monarchies (authority
was controlled by a legislative body
and the king had symbolic power)
◦ Russia, Prussia and Austria had
absolute monarchs
C. Power of Britain and Prussia
increased
D. Created a time of peace in Europe
E. There was not another great war in
Europe for 100 years (World War I)

● Rulers of many countries were worried about the
effects of the French Revolution (ideas of liberty,
equality, democracy)
◦ Rulers of Prussia, Austria and Russia signed an agreement
called the Holy Alliance to combat the forces of revolution
◦ Metternich devised a series of alliances called the Concert
of Europe to insure that nations would help each other out if
revolutions broke out
◦ Established to enforce rules of Congress
● Ideas of the French Revolution and nationalism did
spread across Europe in the 1830’s and 1840’s
◦ Areas that the Congress put under foreign control saw a rise
in nationalism
◦ Ideas about the the basis of power had changed as a result
of the French Revolution
◦ Many saw democracy as the best way to ensure equality
and justice for all

Absolutism and revolution

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (13)

Similar to Absolutism and revolution

Similar to Absolutism and revolution (20)

More from mgdean

More from mgdean (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Absolutism and revolution