Legacy of the French Revolution

1
Legacy of the French Revolution

• Abolished Old Regime France and absolutism
• Created better governmental administration
• Legal reform
• Ideal of constitutional government
• Ideas of liberty, democracy, freedom
• Radicalism
• Patriotism/nationalism

2
Napoleon BonaparteEmperor of France 1799-1815

• Born on island of Corsica
• Family minor nobility
• Sent Napoleon to France for schooling
• Military schools where he excelled

3
Napoleon Bonaparte

• 1792 commissioned in French army
• Just in time for war with coalition
• Quickly moved up ranks --Lt, Captain, Major, Br.
  General, Major General
  
• Brilliant series of campaigns against Italy and
  Austria
  
• 1798 defeat in N. Africa (Egypt) and the British
  Lord Nelson

4
Napoleon Bonaparte

• 1799 Returned to France ahead of news of defeat
• Took advantage of his fame and seized control
• Over National Directory--
• Took title First Consul rather than king or
  emperor
  
• All power centralized in Napoleon--aged 30.

5
Napoleon Bonaparte

• 1801--made amends with Roman Catholic Church
• Concordat of Rome
• Allowed Catholicism to return to France
• 1804
• Ceremonial crowning of Napoleon as Emperor of
• France at Notre Dame Cathedral--
• Dramatically took the crown from the popes
  hands
  
• And placed it on his own head--he was in
  charge--
  
• obliged to no authority

6
Napoleon Bonaparte

• Began series of Domestic reforms
• Banking system, debt crisis
• Code Napoleon 1807
• Law code for France granting more
• Rights to the people.
• Principle of equality before the law
• Protection of rights of the people
• Patriarchal control remained
• Divorce difficult to obtain for women

7
Napoleon Bonaparte

• Napoleonic wars 1805-1815
• Napoleons real interest was in expansion and
  power
  
• Use the war to expand his empire and French
• Control over Europe
• Napoleons empire stretched far into central and
  southern Europe
  
• To include portions ofItaly
• German states
• Netherlands
• Spain
• Austria

8
Napoleon Bonaparte

• Napoleon placed his brothers in charge of these
  areas of control.
  
• For Example Joseph Bonaparte named regent of
  Spain
  
• War between France and coalition (England,
  Austria, Prussia, Russia) continued
  
• On and off between 1803-1815.

9
Napoleon Bonaparte

• October 21, 1805
• Battle of Trafalgar
• Off coast of Gibraltar, Spain (under control of
  Britain)
  
• Naval battle between the French Navy and the
  Royal Navy
  
• Most famous naval defeat up to that time in
  historythe British Royal Navy under command of
  Admiral Lord Nelson defeated the French Navy
  
• Eliminated French naval threat to Britain (France
  lost 11 ships)
  
• Stopped Napoleons planned invasion of the island
  of Britain and the take over of the British
  government
  

10
Napoleon Bonaparte

• 1812--Napoleons invasion of Russia
• The Grand Armee of France--600,000 men. Most
  conscripted into French army
  
• From areas under Napoleons control. Question of
  Loyalty--
  
• Napoleons plan was to invade in spring of 1812
• Wait out winter of 1812-1813
• And engaged Russian army in spring of 1813

11
Napoleon Bonaparte

• Russian army generals had other ideas
• Force Napoleon to fight in the winter--blizzards,
  snow, cold
  
• Force lines of communication, transportation to
  shut down
  
• Conduct a scorched earth policy--burn towns,
  granaries, fields
  
• So that Napoleons army would have no food or
  comforts.
  
• Napoleon took the capital of Russia--Moscow--but
  had to immediately retreat
  
• His retreat from Russia took months--
• Soldiers that remained--40,000-50,000--many had
  died in battle, starved, or deserted
  

12
Napoleon Bonaparte

• Napoleons downfallBattle of the Nations
  October 1813
  
• Coalition waiting for French army to retreat from
  Russia
  
• They were ready for him and immediately engaged
  him in battle.
  
• Defeat for Napoleon
• Exile on Elba (in Mediterranean sea, near
  Corsica)
  

13
Napoleon Bonaparte

• 1814--
• Napoleons return to power--100 Days
• Coalition reassembledNapoleons final defeat at
  Waterloo June1815 at hands of British General
  Wellington and the Prussian army.
  
• Exiled this time in the middle of the S.
  Atlantic--St. Helena
  
• Died 1821.
• Creation of the Congress of Vienna--great
  international peace conference after French
  Revolution and Napoleon to settle issues of
  territory and control.