The French Revolution began in 1789 as the oppressed Third Estate revolted against the feudal system and absolute monarchy of Louis XVI. They declared the National Assembly and stormed the Bastille, beginning the Revolution. The Revolution established France as a constitutional monarchy but growing radicalism led to the establishment of a republic and Reign of Terror under Robespierre. Napoleon later seized power and established an empire, conquering much of Europe, before his defeat at Waterloo. The Congress of Vienna established a balance of power and conservative order in post-Napoleonic Europe.

1. Chapter 19 – The French
Revolution

2. The Estates
• First Estate – clergy Population in France
• Second Estate – 1st
0.50% Estate
noble families 2nd
1.50%
Estate
• Third Estate – 3rd
everyone else Estate
– bourgeoisie
– peasant farmers
– **Overwhelming
majority
98%

3. Louis XVI and the Estates General
• First Estate – clergy
• Second Estate –
noble families
• Third Estate –
everyone else
– bourgeoisie
– peasant farmers
– **Overwhelming
majority

4. • Louis XVI –
Bourbon dynasty
– Weak, indecisive
– incompetent
• Marie Antoinette
– Vain, unintelligent
– Austrian
– “Let them eat
cake!”

5. Tennis Court
Oath
•Angered, 3rd Estate
declares themselves
a National Assembly
on June 17, 1789
•They meet on a
nearby tennis court
and vow to remain
until a Constitution
was established
(by Jacques Louis
David)

6. • King's nervous
• asks 1st and 2nd estate to join them and
write a constitution together

7. No Dice
• Storming of the
Bastille
• July 14, 1789
• peasants sweep
through and attack
nobility and feudal
institutions

8. The Declaration of the Rights of
Man
• August – National Assembly
writes a document to
recognize natural rights,
include a lot of Rousseau
• widely copied and
distributed across Europe
• National Assembly
abolishes the fedual system
and declares freedom of
worship, breaking from the
Cath Ch.

9. • King and his family taken
to Paris so the 3rd Estate
Revolutionaries can keep
him out of the way
• National Assembly
establishes the nation-
state as the source of all
sovereignty or political
authority

10. • National Assembly
ratified a new constitution
• Sets up constitutional
monarchy
– Issues? Those who wanted
to abolish the monarchy felt
cheated, those who wanted
to retain the feudal
structure felt betrayed
– Not everyone is happy.

11. • Marie Antionette – sister
of the Emperor of Austria
• Austria and Prussia
invade France
• French revolutionaries
hold them back
• French leaders meet,
new constitution
• Convention – new ruling
body – abolished
monarchy, proclaimed
France a republic

12. Dun, dun, dun….
• Jacobins lead the Convention
• Imprison royal family
• Behead king for treason in 1793

13. Marie is killed in October

14. Reign of Terror
• Prussia and Austria regroup
• Britain and Spain join in
• Convention worried about
foreign threats
• Throw out constitution, AGAIN,
• Committee of Public Safety –
led by Maximilien Robespierre
– an all-powerful enforcer of
the revolution
– Murders any with
antirevolutionary tendancies
Guillotine: between 18,000 and 40,000 people
were executed during the Reign of Terror

15. Robespierre
• Controls anarchy
• Beheads tens of
thousands of French
citizens
• Creates strong
national military

16. Symbols of France
• Tricolor – red, white,
blue
• Le Marsellaise –
national anthem
• Liberte, Egalite,
Fraternite
• Viva la nation!
– Long live the
nation!

17. • Guillotine for
Robespierre
• New constitution,
1795
• Directory in charge
(five man gvt)
– builds up the military

18. Napoleon
• Napoleon Bonaparte
overthrows the
Directory in 1799
– Legitimizes actions
with popular vote
– Declares himself the
First Consul under the
new constitution
– (…the FOURTH new
constitution…)

19. Improving life
• Domestic Reforms
– Agriculture, infrastructure,
and public education
– Works things out with the
Cath. Ch.
• Napoleonic Codes – 1804
– recognized equality of
French citizens
– Big step for human rights
law
– But not very good for
women or children

20. Emperor
• Crowns himself emperor in 1804
• Literally crowns himself, shows he owes his throne to
no one but himself

21. •
Building an Empire
Valued rapid movements
and effective use of large
armies
• New plan for every battle
• Presence “worth 40,000
troops”
• The Grand Empire –
– annexes areas of France, the
Netherlands, Belgium, parts of
Italy and Germany
• Dissolves the HRE
– Creates 38-member
Confederation of the Rhine
• Cuts Prussia in half; turns
old Poland into the Duchy
of Warsaw
• Controls Europe by placing
relatives and friends on
thrones of conquered
nations

22. • Sold Louisiana land to the
USA
– 1. Money to fund his army
– 2. So Britain couldn’t
access the Mississippi
• Failed to acquire Britain
– Battle of Trafalgar
• Led by Br. Admiral
Horatio Nelson
• Napoleon turns his
sights to Russia

23. Effects of Nationalism
• France has new found sense
of nationalism
• Nationalism – tremendous
pride and devotion in and to
your country
• But, nationalism in conquered
countries inspires revolts
against France, too
• Spain loses holdings in the
Americas b/c colonies revolt
against Spain’s weakened
control

24. Russia
• In 1812 Napoleon
invades Russia with
600,000 French
soldiers
• Scorched Earth Policy
• General Winter
– Gives up in
October
– Only 100,000
survive

25. Coalition Against Napoleon
• Russia, Britain,
Austria, Sweden
and Prussia
become allies to
take out Napoleon
• 1813 – Battle of
the Nations at
Leipzig
– Napoleon is
defeated

26. Exiled
• Napoleon abdicated
• Victors exile him to Elba
• Recognize Louis XVIII as
king of France (brother of
Louis XVI)
– Restoration not a smooth one
– King accepts Napoleonic
Code and honors land
settlements
– But, people nervous and fear
oppression

27. He returns!
• Napoleon escapes island exile and
returns!
• Soldiers flock to him
• Citizens cheer, king flees,
• March 1815, Napoleon reenters Paris

28. The Final Showdown
• June 18, 1815 opposing armies meet head to head in Waterloo,
Belgium
• Br Duke of Wellington; Pr. General Blucher
– Lead the attack and crush France
(Wellington at Waterloo)

29. This time it really is the end…
– Napoleon forced to abdicate again
– Exiled on St. Helena…no more Napoleon

30. Fixing Europe
• The Congress of Vienna –
1814 to 1815
• The principal negotiators
were:
• Austria -- Prince Klemons von
Metternich
• Prussia -- King Frederick
William III
• Russia -- Czar Alexander I
• Great Britain -- Castlereagh
• France -- Prince Talleyrand

31. Work to restore order to Europe Congress of Vienna
– Recognize balance of power
• 5 nation-states
• Austria, Prussia, Russia,
Great Britain, and France
– Gain power at expense of
smaller states
• Austria took some Italian
territories
• Russia took most of Poland
• Britain added territories in
Asia and the W.
Hemisphere
• Prussia took Rhine River
land in W. Germany
• Create Kingdom of
Netherlands by joining
Belgium and Luxembourg
together with Holland

32. Congress of Vienna cont.
• Return to Status Quo
– Restored old monarchies of Europe
• Bourbons on throne in France and Spain
• Holy Roman Empire
– Reduced from 300+ independent states to 39
separate German states
• Established a stable Europe which tried to prevent war
• Very successful; peace in Europe for the next 100 years
• Conservative; Tried to prevent domestic change in
Europe

33. Fini