Bellringer: You’re a peasant in Europe working away as you always have been. News comes one day that the long war in the Americas is over, and that the English colonies have won their independence! You, however, still live under a king. How likely are you to want to follow in the footsteps of the Americans and rebel against your king? How would you do it?

About the same time that we are hammering out our present US Constitution (1789) the French commoners are fed up with their King, Louis XVI (16 th ) French Kings were absolute monarchs – they ruled completely, with no help from a parliament and no check on their total power.

July 14, 1789 – French Revolutionaries storm the Bastille The Bastille is an ancient prison in Paris, considered a symbol of the evil of the kings. Only 7 prisoners were jailed in the Bastille.

Louis XVI had to give some power to a democratic body to please the masses, but worked to try to keep any really radical changes from happening. In 1792 the French revolutionaries become disgusted, declare a republic, and cut off Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette’s heads.

A “more humane” method of execution? First put into use in France, – became infamous during the French Revolution Only legal execution method in France until death penalty was outlawed, in 1981!

Robespierre led a group of Frenchmen known as the Jacobites (think of them as a political party, like the Democrats or Republicans. Robespierre rules (by committee) after the death of the King, until ,295 Authorized executions under his rule (2 years) Historians guess 20 – 40,000 people died Robespierre is finally arrested. Executed (by guillotine) on July (face up).

As Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette are arrested, the other Kings of Europe rise up to fight for them. Austria, Italy, Prussia declare war on democratic France to put the King back on the throne. Louis XVI is executed to prevent these foreign Kings from putting him back into power. A new kind of war erupts. Rise of Nationalism

1795 – The French have executed Robespierre and create a new constitution, ruled by a congress-like body called “The Directory”. Not much better than Robespierre – very paranoid. The government is broke, and can only make ends meet with plunder from wars. The power of the army grows, along with its most famous general, Napoleon Bonaparte. November 9, 1799 Napoleon stages a coup d'état, and takes over the French government himself.

Declares himself ruler of France. Immensely popular at home, invincible on the field. Conquers continental Europe – only Britain continues to fight against him. Napoleon is finally defeated in Russia 1812.

Desperate for cash, Napoleon sells Louisiana to the USA for about 15 million dollars.

Wherever Napoleon conquers, he removes the kings in power. These kings are replaced by governments appointed by Napoleon (but often still less oppressive than the kings were). After Napoleon is defeated, the returning Kings have trouble ruling their population, who maybe didn’t want them back anyways. After 1799 no King in Europe sits on their throne comfortably. The people are always pushing for democracy and change.

Read the following primary source document – A British newspaper column commenting on the execution of Louis XVI in France. round-1800/FR/times html round-1800/FR/times html What do you think of the British reaction to the execution? Does this newspaper show bias? If so, how?