1. The French Revolution

2. Reasons for the French Revolution
In the 1700s, France was the cultural capital of Europe, home to numerous Enlightenment thinkers, & had wealth from colonies
King Louis XIV was the most powerful king in Europe; After his death in 1715, Louis XV & Louis XVI continued to rule France as absolute monarchs
BOURBON DYNASTY
HENRY IV of France, , king of France ( ) Edict of Nantes LOUIS XIII, , king of France ( ), son of Henry IV LOUIS XIV, 1638–1715, king of France (1643–1715), son of Louis XIII, personal rule after LOUIS XV, 1710–74, king of France (1715–74), great-grandson of King Louis XIV LOUIS XVI, 1754–93, king of France (1774–92), third son of the dauphin (Louis) and Marie Josèphe of Saxony, grandson and successor of King Louis XV. Executed in 1792.
But, political & economic problems led to the French Revolution in 1789
King Louis XIV
King Louis XVI

3. The clergy of the Roman Catholic Church made up the First Estate
One problem was France’s unequal social hierarchy that was made up of three classes (called estates)
The clergy of the Roman Catholic Church made up the First Estate
Owned 10% of land in France but paid little in taxes to the gov’t

4. The Second Estate was made up of rich nobles
One problem was France’s unequal social hierarchy that was made up of three classes (called estates)
The Second Estate was made up of rich nobles
Owned 20% of French land but were exempt from paying taxes

5. This group paid 50% of their income in taxes
One problem was France’s unequal social hierarchy that was made up of three classes (called estates)
The Third Estate made up 97% of the population & included poor peasants but also the well-educated middle class (bourgeoisie)
This group paid 50% of their income in taxes

6. Members of the Third Estate gained inspiration from the Enlightenment
The members of the Third Estate resented the special treatment the First & Second Estates received
Members of the Third Estate gained inspiration from the Enlightenment
After the success of the American Revolution, the Third Estate began demanding democracy, equality, & liberty in France
BOURBON DYNASTY
HENRY IV of France, , king of France ( ) Edict of Nantes LOUIS XIII, , king of France ( ), son of Henry IV LOUIS XIV, 1638–1715, king of France (1643–1715), son of Louis XIII, personal rule after LOUIS XV, 1710–74, king of France (1715–74), great-grandson of King Louis XIV LOUIS XVI, 1754–93, king of France (1774–92), third son of the dauphin (Louis) and Marie Josèphe of Saxony, grandson and successor of King Louis XV. Executed in 1792.

7. Marie Antoinette, “Madame Deficit”
Social tensions were made worse by a growing financial crisis in the 1770s & 1780s
The French government faced massive debts due to decades of lavish spending, expensive wars, & poor economic planning
GOVERNMENT DEBTS
(percentage of total government revenue)
By 1789, half the budget went towards interest on the national debt; 25% of people were unemployed
The excessive spending by King Louis XVI & his wife Marie Antoinette angered French citizens
Marie Antoinette, “Madame Deficit”

8. By 1789, France was out of money & faced a serious financial crisis
Louis XVI called an emergency meeting of the Estates-General where members from all 3 estates could advise the king

9. During the Estates-General, the First & Second Estates voted to increase taxes on the Third Estate
This angered the members of the Third Estate who believed their rights were being violated

10. The Third Estate formed a new National Assembly to make laws for the French people
In 1789, the National Assembly swore to an oath promising a new constitution & limitations on the king’s power

11. “Men are born free and equal in rights”
The National Assembly wrote their revolutionary ideals in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen which said:
“Men are born free and equal in rights”
Rights include “liberty, property, security, & resistance to oppression”
It guaranteed freedom of speech, &freedom of religion, & equal justice

12. Meanwhile, the economic crisis continued
Citizens were without food & faced starvation
Angry protestors in Paris demanded new reforms

13. When rumors circulated that the king was going to send his army to Paris, citizens attacked the prison Bastille to seize weapons to defend themselves
The storming of the Bastille in 1789 represented the beginning of the French Revolution

14. In 1791, Louis XVI finally agreed to a new constitution that limited his power & created a limited monarchy
But, Louis XVI failed to work with the National Assembly & France’s problems continued

15. In 1792, radicals took control of France & made important decisions:
The French monarchy was overthrown & democratic republic was created called the National Convention
In 1793, King Louis XVI was arrested, convicted of treason, & executed by guillotine
The slogan of the French Revolution became: “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”

16. The Guillotine

17. The radical leaders of the National Convention feared that “enemies of the revolution” would try to overthrow the new republic
In 1793, radical Maximilien Robespierre slowly gained control of the National Convention
From 1793 to 1794, Robespierre executed 40,000 “traitors” during an era known as the Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror ended when French citizens turned on Robespierre & executed him

18. The revolution came to an end in 1795, but France was in chaos
The economic crisis had not been solved & people faced starvation
The National Convention was replaced by France’s third gov’t in six years called the Directory
The Directory proved to be ineffective & corrupt

19. Napoleon Bonaparte
In 1799, a French military general named Napoleon Bonaparte led a coup d'état (military seizure of power), overthrew the Directory, & took power in France
As emperor of France, Napoleon introduced needed reforms, defeated foreign armies, & conquered a massive French empire

20. Napoleon Bonaparte and the Congress of Vienna

21. When Louis XVI was executed during the French Revolution, many European nations attacked France to keep revolutionary ideas from spreading

22. But, the French republic lost the confidence of the citizens
A military officer named Napoleon Bonaparte successfully defended France & became a military hero
But, the French republic lost the confidence of the citizens

23. In 1799, Napoleon staged a coup d’etat (overthrow) of the French republic & assumed power as dictator
In 1800, the French people voted in favor of a new Constitution that made Napoleon consul of France

24. He created a merit based system for gov’t bureaucrats
Napoleon made a series of reforms to improve the government, economy, & lives for French citizens
To fix the French economy, he introduced a fair tax system & a Bank of France to regulate the money supply
He created a merit based system for gov’t bureaucrats
He created public schools for students of all backgrounds
He issued a comprehensive set of laws called the Napoleonic Code that provided order, freedom of religion, & eliminated privileges by estates

25. In 1804, Napoleon ordered an election & the French people voted Napoleon emperor for life

26. Napoleon wanted control of a global empire in North America & Europe
But, the revolution in Haiti convinced Napoleon to abandon North America

27. From , Napoleon fought a series of wars in Europe called the Napoleonic Wars where he tried to take over as much territory as possible.
During these wars, Napoleon showed his military genius by defeating Austria & Prussia and conquering Spain, Italy, & central Europe
From 1807 to 1812, Napoleon ruled over the largest European empire since the Romans

28. The one nation Napoleon could not defeat was England
During his rule over Europe, Napoleon made a number of devastating decisions
The one nation Napoleon could not defeat was England
He ordered a blockade, called the Continental System, to cut off all trade with England
The Continental System was a failure & hurt the French economy more than England’s economy

29. In 1812, Napoleon made his greatest mistake & invaded Russia
Napoleon’s insistence that nations obey French laws led to a rise in nationalism & uprisings against France
In 1812, Napoleon made his greatest mistake & invaded Russia
The harsh winter & Russia’s scorched-earth policy devastated the French army & forced Napoleon to retreat

30. In 1814, the weakened French army was defeated; Napoleon surrendered, was forced to give up his throne, & was exiled to the island of Elba
The French monarchy was restored, but new King Louis XVIII was unpopular; In 1815, Napoleon escaped & triumphantly regained the throne

31. Only 100 days after Napoleon’s return, he built a new army but was defeated by a European coalition at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815
After his defeat, Napoleon was exiled to the remote island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic where he died after 6 years

32. What was Napoleon’s impact?
He created reforms that ended the financial crisis & unequal class system and made public schools & a law code
His rise as emperor ended the Enlightened ideas of democracy that led to the French Revolution
The fall of empire led to a conflict between rule by strong monarchs & democratic governments
His massive empire brought glory to the French people

33. Europe in 1812 (at the height of Napoleon)
…and Norway & Denmark
…and Prussia
In 1812, Napoleon was the emperor of France
…and Warsaw
…and Spain
…and the Rhine
…and Switzerland
…and had defeated Austria
…and he had conquered Italy

34. When Napoleon was defeated in 1815, European leaders met at the Congress of Vienna to restore peace & bring stability back to Europe

35. Congress of Vienna was attended by leaders from Austria, Prussia, Russia, Britain, France and was led by Austrian minister Klemons von Metternich
Metternich & other delegates disliked democracy, feared the ideas of the French Revolution, & wanted to restore Europe to the way it was before Napoleon

36. One goal was to prevent future French aggression
This was accomplished by taking from France all lands it gained under Napoleon & making the nations around France stronger
The Kingdom of the Netherlands was created
39 states joined to form the German Confederation
Switzerland became a nation
A “buffer zone” was created between France & the major European powers
Sardinia merged with Genoa

37. One goal was to restore monarchs to power in Europe
This was done by restoring kings in France, Portugal, Spain, & many Italian & German states

38. One goal was to maintain a balance of power in Europe
This was done by forming the Concert of Europe, an alliance among Russia, Austria, Prussia, & Britain to maintain peace & stop future revolutions
The decisions made at the Congress of Vienna helped maintain peace in Europe for almost 40 years

39. The restoration of kings led to an increase in demand for democracy in Europe
In 1848, a surge of nationalism swept through Europe which sparked revolutions for democracy & the formation of new nations