French Revolution

Background info…  French Monarchs (kings) have always kept tight control on their power.  They didn’t manage their money very well though.  By 1789, France was almost completely broke!

Background info…  To raise taxes, King Louis XVI needed the agreement of the Estates- General~ France’s legislature.  It was made up of 3 estates or groups.

Estates-General  First Estate was the clergy (important church people).  Second Estate was the nobility (nobles were those who owned about 1/3 of the nation’s land and they were high up in the governmental ranks)  Third Estate were the commoners.  Only the commoners paid taxes!!!!

National Assembly  May 5, 1789, the Estates-General met for the 1 st time in 175 years.  Each estate only got 1 vote.  Naturally, the 3 rd Estate wanted every member’s vote to count separately.  King Louis XVI realized that if they voted separately, he may not get his tax money.

National Assembly  King Louis refused to let the 3 estates vote together.  So, the 3 rd Estate renamed itself the National Assembly and began writing a constitution.  King Louis locked them out of the meeting hall to try to stop the meeting.

National Assembly  How did the members of the National Assembly react to this?  They met onto the palace tennis court and had their meeting there.  They all took what is called the “Tennis Court Oath.” They swore they would not disband until they had written a new constitution.

National Assembly  Louis began secretly bringing in troops to drive out the Third Estate.  They were saved when the people of Paris started a rebellion.  On July 14, 1789, a mob destroyed the Bastille (an old, hated prison, that was a symbol to the French people of the power of the government).  This day is the official beginning of the French Revolution.

National Assembly  The National Assembly did away with privileges of the First and Second Estates.  The Assembly approved the Declaration of the Rights of Man (This was similar to our Declaration of Independence and stated the reasons for the Revolutions)

National Assembly  In 1791, the National Assembly adopted a constitution for France.  The powers of the king/monarchy were LIMITED!  Government was divided into 3 branches (executive, legislative, judicial…sound familiar to anyone?)

National Assembly  Church property was taken by the government and sold  The government controlled the Catholic Church in France and paid the salaries of priests.  The National Assembly eventually disbanded and a new legislative assembly was elected.

National Convention  Other countries were watching the events unfolding in France.  They were scared that what was happening in France would happen in their nations, so Prussia (Germany) and Austria attacked France.  They wanted to defeat France and put King Louis XVI back in power.  The people went nuts and mobs headed to the streets again!

National Convention  This chaos eventually led to a National Convention where a new constitution was written.  During this time, the monarchy was abolished and King Louis was tried, convicted, and beheaded for treason.

The Reign of Terror  After the monarchy was destroyed, a group of people called the Jacobins, took power in  They began what is known as the Reign of Terror. Anyone who opposed them faced arrest and execution.  The “Terror” only lasted one year but thousands died.

1795  In 1795, a new constitution established a legislature with 2 houses and an executive branch. This was called the Directory.  The Directory governed France from 1795 to  During this time, a young military officer, Napoleon Bonaparte was winning battles. In 1799, he overthrew the Directory. Napoleon became the new ruler of France.

Videos  Before Napoleon notes  nADq4Y0-A&safe=active (Horrible Histories) nADq4Y0-A&safe=active  TvKwCylFY&safe=active (Crash Course) TvKwCylFY&safe=active

Napoleon  Napoleon was a war hero and won many battles for France.  He soon agreed to a peace treaty to end the wars against France.  France had already won control of a large part of North America and the island of Haiti.

Napoleon  In 1803, France was once again at war with Great Britain.  In order to get money, Napoleon agreed to sell the Louisiana Territory to the U.S. for $15 million.  In France, Napoleon restored order and the economy improved.  Napoleon set up a centralized government.

Napoleon  One of Napoleon’s most important reforms was the Napoleonic Code. This was actually 7 law codes that replaced the many systems of law in France.  Napoleon also took more and more power for himself. He ignored the freedom of the press and shut down newspapers that opposed him.

Napoleon  He was determined to create an empire in Europe. In 1804, he declared himself emperor.  From 1805 until 1813, he led France into one war after another, including an invasion of Russia.  Europe’s rulers joined forces and went against Napoleon.

Napoleon  After several defeats (losses), he was forced to step down in 1813 and he was sent to the island of Elba in the Mediterranean.  He escaped in 1815 and took command of another French army.  3 months later, they fought a coalition of European armies at the Battle of Waterloo. Again, he lost.  This time, they sent him to Saint Helena Island, where he died in 1821.

Video: Napoleon  gC00avITj0&safe=active (Horrible Histories) gC00avITj0&safe=active