French Revolution

1
French Revolution
2
Prior to the revolution

• New views of power and authority
• Bad weather destroyed harvests
• Financial bankruptcy of the government

3
Estates

• 1st Clergy
• Owned 10 of the land
• Paid no taxes
• Tithe

4
Estates

• 2nd Nobility
• Considered privileged
• Some were not as wealthy as some members of the
  3rd estate
• 2 of the population controlled 20 of the land

5
Estates

• 3rd estate 3 groups
• Bourgeoisie (Middle class, merchants, bankers,
  artisans) Wealthy but paid very high taxes.
• Workers
• Peasants 80 of population. ½ of income went to
  taxes.

6
Louis XVI

• Extravagant spending
• Inherited debt
• Madame deficit
• Rather than help the situation he put off the
  problem until there was no money left

7
Estates General

• Louis tried to fix the problem by raising taxes
• 2nd estate forced the king to call the
• estates general
• Estates general an assembly of
  representatives from all three estates.
• 1st meeting in 175 years
• 1st and 2nd estate could always out vote the
  less privileged 3rd estate

8
3rd Estate

• Always outvoted. Demanded change
• Formed the National Assembly (An assembly of the
  3rd estate)
• 3 days later locked out of meeting room.
• Tennis court oath
• Storming of the Bastille
• hated-prison fortress

9
Fear

• Scared kings
• Peasants arm
• Women march on Versailles
• Peasants attack nobility and church officals

10
Reforms

• Nobles join the national assembly
• Declaration of Rights of Man Men are born free
  and equal in rights Feudal privileges are swept
  away.
• Church
• Louis XVI felt like he was in danger. Tried to
  escape.

11
Divisions

• National assembly completes new constitution
• King reluctantly approved and is stripped of most
  power.
• Legislative assembly is created
• Created laws
• Approved or rejected wars
• King still had the power to enforce laws
• old problems remained

12
Solution

• 3 groups Who sat in 3 parts of the hall
• Radical Left
• Moderate Moderate
• Conservatives Right

13
War Execution

• Monarchs across Europe alarmed!
• King put in prison
• Radical pressure forces the assembly to be
  dissolved and called for a new election of
  legislature
• National Convention The new government body
• Abolished the monarchy and declared France a
  republic

14
Terror

• Jacobins Radical political organization. The
  national convention made the king a prisoner they
  called for his death.
• Guillotine
• Robespierre Leader of the Jacobins. Elimination
  of a traces of the past.
• Reign of terror (40,000)
• All types of people were beheaded

15
End

• Fearing for own safety national convention turns
  on Robespierre
• Reign of terror ended when he went to the
  guillotine
• New plan of government
• two house legislative
• directory moderates

16
Napoleon seizes power

• General of the French army
• Rebels march on the new government. Was able to
  get the attackers to run away in minutes. Hero!
  Savior of the French Republic.
• Multiple victories
• Upon return seized the government
• Government was dissolved and then changed

17
Napoleon

• 1st pretended to be a constitutionally chosen
  leader. Kept many revolutionary changes
• Napoleonic code
• 1804 makes himself emperor

18
Creates an empire

• Wanted all of Europe
• Louisiana Purchase (Now focus all on Europe)
• England, Russia, Austria joined to fight against
  him. He crushed them.
• Only one enemy was left. England
• Mastery over Europe
• England
• Sweden
• Portugal
• Ottoman Empire

19
Empire Collapses

• Continental system Blockade that backfired
• Peninsular War Spain

20
Empire collapses

• Invasion of Russia
• Scorched earth policy
• Battle of Borodino
• Moscow

21
Napoleons downfall

• Enemies take advantage of weakness
• Napoleon wanted to continue fighting but generals
  refused
• 4/1814 surrendered and gave up the throne.
  banished to Elba
• Louis XVIII took the throne (Brother)
• Napoleon escaped from Elba returns to France.
  Crowds love him.
• Emperor again within days

22
Napoleon

• Waterloo
• St. Helena
• Dies in 1821