7.4 The French Revolution - T -

• History
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 1

AGE 7. The Time of Wigs and Revolutions

7.4 The French Revolution

THEORY

What you will learn in 

this lesson

• How, in the 18th century, French society was structured according to the estates system
• why people of the third estate got dissatisfied with the monarchy and the social inequality of the estate system.
• Why king Louis XVI called for a meeting of the Estates-General in 1789 and how this meeting ended.
• What the Tennis Court Oath was
• How, why and when the French Revolution started
• How the Ancien Regime came to an end
• How Robespierre could start the Reign of Terror
• How other European countries reacted to the revolution in France.
• How Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power.
• How Napoleon spread the ideas of the French Revolution and how his power ended.

In the test, expect questions about these 10 points

Word Duty

KEY WORDS (1)

Ancien Régime: a period of time in which the French king had absolute power

Third estate: every French citizen who did not possess a noble title or was not a clergyman

Bourgeoisie: professional and wealthy people in the third estate, such as doctors, lawyers and bankers

privileges: special rights that some people / groups have while others don't.

Estates-General: a meeting in which representatives of the three estates together discussed important matters

Revolution: a change from one – often political – system to another, in a relatively short period of time

National Assembly: in 1789, a meeting was established by disappointed members of the third estate; several members of the lower nobility and clergy also joined

Tennis Court Oath: a pledge of the third estate and it’s sympathisers not to break-up the National Assembly until a new constitution for France had been written

The Great Fear: a revolt from peasants against their landlords on the countryside

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen: in 1789, a declaration was written by the National Assembly, stating that everyone is born free and is equal in the eyes of the law

March on Versailles: in October 1789, thousands of angry people went to the Palace of Versailles for a violent confrontation with the Royal court.

Word Duty

KEY WORDS (2)

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen: in 1789, a declaration was written by the National Assembly, stating that everyone is born free and is equal in the eyes of the law

March on Versailles: in October 1789, thousands of angry people went to the Palace of Versailles for a violent confrontation with the Royal court.

Reign of Terror: a period of violence in French Revolution marked by mass executions using the guillotine

Jacobines: a political group that dominated the National Assembly and started the Reign of Terror; Robespierre was one of them

Guillotine: a quick method of execution by beheading

Directoire: a committee which governed France after the Reign of Terror

First Coalition War: a military conflict between France and European countries that did not agree with the French Revolution

Coup d'états: when a government is overthrown by another government

Napoleonic Wars: seven wars between France and other European countries between 1804 and 1815

Code Napoleon: political and legal system introduced by Napoleon Bonaparte

Civil Code: a collection of laws, designed to deal with the most important areas of private law

Scorched earth tactic: destroy your own crops and food supply so it can't be used by the enemy.

Important dates in this lesson

1789: May:       King Louis XVI calls for a meeting of the Estates-General

         June:      Tennis Court Oath

         July 14:   Storming of the Bastille

         Aug:        the Great Fear 

                        Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

         Oct:         March on Versailles

1791:                Failed escape of the king

1792: Feb:        start First Coalition War

          Sept:       end of the monarchy. France becomes a Republic

                         Reign of Terror, led by Robespierre

1793: Louis XVI & Marie-Antoinette executed

1794: Robespierre executed, end of the Reign of Terror

Important dates in this lesson

1797: end First Coalition War

1799: Coup d'état: Napoleon seizes power.

1804: Napoleon becomes emperor

          Code Napoleon

1804 - 1815: Napoleonic Wars

1812: Napoleon invades Russia 

1814: Napoleon abdicates the throne and is exiled to Elba

1815: Napoleon escapes from Elba, becomes emperor again.

          Battle of Waterloo

          Napoleon abdicates again and is exiled to St. Helena

1821: Napoleon dies.

important  people

king Louis XVI (16th)

queen Marie Antoinette

Maximilian Robespierre

Napoleon Bonaparte

Introduction

1789 is an important year in world history: it was the year of the French Revolution. At this time, the way people in France thought about their place in society changed forever. Influenced by Age of Enlightenment ideas, French people demanded a new form of society, based on ideals of equality and democracy. They wanted to end the Ancien Régime that had been in place for centuries, but was now heavily criticised throughout France. 

The Three Estates

(de 3 standen)

All the people in the country belonged 

to one of the 3 estates.

An estate is a group of people 

you belong to from birth.

An estate is hereditary.

You can not easily 

change into 

another

etstate

The Third Estate

In the eighteenth century, like many other countries, France was structured according to the estates system.  

In France, more than 95% of the people belonged to the third estate: every French citizen who did not possess a noble title or was not a clergyman. In the Middle Ages these were the peasants and serfs, but now the third estate began to include professional people, such as doctors, lawyers and bankers. They were well educated and sometimes prosperous. This group was called the bourgeoisie.

More and more the bourgeoisie got dissatisfied with the social inequality of the estates system. The first and second estates had many privileges. For example, they did not have to pay taxes. So the third estate had to pay for the luxurious lifestyle of clergy and nobility.

As taxpayers, the bourgeoisie demanded the same power and privileges as the people of the first and second estates.

summarize

1. write down the three estates.
   
2. write down how the third estate had changed since the Middle Ages
   
3. write down what the bourgeoisie demanded.
   

1st estate: clergy

=Everybody who works for the Catholic Church.

Clergy members are called "clerics".

Clerics can be (from low to high:) monks, priests, bishops, cardinals 

and the pope.

2nd estate: nobility / aristocracy

Since the Middle Ages, this was the group of nobles who got land 

from the monarch (Feudal System, remember?)

Nobles had noble titles, like duke, count or baron.

Their title was hereditary.

Nobles had much power and many privileges.

3rd estate: peasants

The Third Estate was basically: everybody else!

In the Early Middle Ages (500 - 1000) that meant: mostly peasants.

3rd estate: city workers

In the Late Middle Ages (1000 - 1500), cities and trade returned.

City workers also belonged to the Third Estate.

3rd estate: bourgeoisie

After the Renaissance  (1500) some cityworkers became 

successful businessmen.

They were educated.

They became very rich.

Yet they still belonged to the Third Estate...

Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

In 1770, the dauphin (crown prince) of France married princess Marie Antoinette of Austria. Louis XVI was just fifteen years old, and Marie Antoinette fourteen. It was an arranged marriage, as royal weddings mostly were at that time. In this case, the wedding was arranged to improve the political relationship between Austria and France.

Four years later, Louis and Marie Antoinette became king and queen of France. However, their reign would be full of trouble and disappointment. The French people condemned the luxurious lifestyle of Queen Marie Antoinette. According to stories, she would throw extravagant parties with her rich friends and lovers and buy expensive clothes, extravagant wigs and jewelry all the time. King Louis XVI lived in the gigantic palace at Versailles, the residence of the French kings. He spent a lot of money on enormous numbers of people from the nobility that also lived in Versailles. The monarch appointed people from the nobility as his courtiers, to keep them in control.

Watch the next 2 minutes clip from the movie "Marie-Antoinette" (2006) to get an idea of a "royal party".

summarize

1. write why this wedding was arranged
2. write down why the French people criticised Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI (try to give as FEW examples as possible)

Wedding scene from the movie "Marie Antoinette" 2006.

The winter of 1788/1789

1788 and 1789 were terrible years for the peasants. The rigorous winter of 1788/1789 caused harvest failure and famine everywhere in the countryside. Many farmers died of starvation. Meanwhile, the nobility lived a rich life with plenty of food. It also did not help that King Louis XVI waged wars against several countries, like Great Britain. In 1778, France fought against the British to support the American War of Independence. As a result, the public treasury was empty and France was on the brink of bankruptcy in 1789.

summarize

1. write down why the winter of 1788 / 89 was a bad year for farmers, but not for nobles.
2. write down why France was bankrupt in 1789.

The most famous part of Versailles is the 'Hall of Mirrors'. This room has 357 gigantic mirrors and impressive paintings. The room could be lit up with 3,000 candles, which made it look even more impressive.

Revolution

A revolution is a change from one – often political - system to another in a relatively short period of time. The French Revolution in 1789 shows very well how rapidly a state can change politically and socially. But the political upheaval in France did not happen overnight.

Division and disappointment in the Estates-General

Representatives of the people from all three estates together made up the Estates-General. In May 1789, the Estates-General was called by King Louis in order to deal with the money problems of the country. They met at the royal Palace of Versailles. However, the members of the Third Estate were angry. They had made lists of problems they wanted to fix.

The members of the Third Estate were angry that they were being taxed the most when they were the poorest group of people. They thought the Church and the Nobility ought to be taxed more.

They also wanted votes in the Estates-General to be more fair. Even though the Third Estate had many more members than the other two Estates, each Estate only had one vote in the Estates-General. The Third Estate thought this could be improved by giving members of the Estates-General a vote each. However, when they talked to the other Estates, they could not agree.

summarize

1. what was the goal of the meeting?
2. what did the 3rd estate want to achieve?
3. how did the voting system work?
4. why was this not positive for the 3rd estate?

first estate:         300 representatives

second estate:   300 representatives

third estate:       600 representatives

"Opening of the Estates-General in Versailles 5 May 1789."

Engraving by Isidore-Stanislaus Helman (1743–1806)

The Third Estate representatives in the Estates-General

The Third Estate representatives in the Estates-General were made up mainly of professional people such as doctors, lawyers, bankers and rich merchants. Many third estate people were just as rich as nobles.

These rich people in the third estate are called: bourgeoisie

Most 3rd Estate representatives in the Estates General were bourgeois people. 

Farmers and poorly paid city workers did not have time or money to come to Versailles to join the Estates-General meeting that lasted several weeks.

The Tennis Court Oath

In June 1789, the disappointed and angry third estate decided to establish a new meeting called the National Assembly (because they reasoned that they represented the whole nation). Several members of the nobility and clergy also decided to join.

The National Assembly wanted no more absolute power for the French king and an end to the estates system. They believed in equality for everyone. King Louis XVI did not agree with the National Assembly and decided to send 20,000 soldiers in secret to end the meeting of the Assembly.

The next day, members of the Assembly met in an indoor tennis hall that had enough place for all the representatives. The third estate and its sympathisers pledged not to break-up until a new constitution for France had been written. Their pledge is called the Tennis Court Oath.

summarize

1. What was the National Assembly and what did they want?
   
2. How did the king respond?
   
3. What was the tennis court oath?
   

With the name 'National Assembly' the third estate wanted to say that this was the legitimate gathering of the people (nation) of France and that the Estates-General was not.

The Tennis Court Oath. Members of the lower nobility and clergy joined the third estate. Painting by Jacques-Louis David (1791).

A violent start of the French Revolution

In 1789, the French people had simply had enough of food scarcities and the social inequality in their country. The ‘arrogance’ of the nobility and the luxurious lifestyle at Versailles made the people even angrier. In July 1789, hundreds of Parisians gathered together and plundered and destroyed food 

depots, hospitals and armouries. On July 14th, they stormed the Bastille, a state prison where the government stored ammunition. The storming of the Bastille is considered the start of the French Revolution.

summarize

1. what happened on July 14th 1789?
2. Explain briefly who did this and why
3. What is significent about this event?

Storming of the Bastille. On the right you see the arresting of Bernard de Launay, the governor of the Bastille. Anonymous painting.

The Great Fear

The outburst of violence did not only reach the streets of Paris. Between July 17th and August 3th 1789, peasants in the countryside revolted against their landlords. This event is called The Great Fear because peasants believed that the higher classes created the famine on purpose, to starve out the poor people. The peasants destroyed the villas and castles of the hated nobility one by one. Hundreds of people were killed in violent confrontations between the rich and poor.

summarize

explain what the Great Fear was (who?, why? what? when?)

The rebellious peasants and city workers were sometimes called the Sans Culottes ('without knee breeches'). They got this nickname because they wore trousers, while the nobility could be recognized by their knee breeches.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

On August 26th, the National Assembly established the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. 

Its motto still resonates in France and all over the world: liberté (‘freedom’), egalité (‘equality’) and fraternité (‘brotherhood’). According to the Declaration everyone is born free and is equal in the eyes of the law. Furthermore, there is freedom of speech and all religions are to be tolerated.

The French Declaration was inspired by the Declaration of Independence in the United States. According to the American Declaration everyone is equal and no one is above the law. This also means all people have to pay taxes. The ideas of enlightened philosophers like Montesquieu and John Locke were the basis of this declaration. They stated that all people have natural rights that cannot be taken away from them. The government should honour these rights, otherwise the people are allowed to revolt.

summarize

1. what were the main ideas of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen?
   
2. what is the link between this document, the American Revolution, and the Enlightenment?
   

The motto Egalité, Fraternité, liberté, first used by Maximilien Robespierre in 1790, in a symbolic drawing.

March on Versailles

The French people were very suspicious of their king. They feared the monarch wanted to restore the old political situation. Because of suspicion and hunger the political situation in France escalated again. In October 1789, the March on Versailles took place. At first, mostly marketplace women demonstrated, which is why this event is sometimes called ‘The Women’s March on Versailles’.

The women became intertwined with revolutionaries. Eventually thousands of angry people went to the Palace of Versailles for a dramatic confrontation. People broke into the palace and smashed the royal possessions to pieces. The protesters demanded more bread, and wanted King Louis XVI to accept the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. He had to travel to Paris to accept this new document about human and civil rights. Together with his wife, Queen Marie- Antoinette, the king became a prisoner of the third estate.

summarize

1. why did the protesters march to Versailles?
2. what did they demand from the king?

The March on Versailles was one of the most significant events of the French Revolution. Anonymous work (1789).

A failed escape from Paris

In 1791, the French royal family tried to escape from Paris. With loyal troops they wanted to start a counter-revolution. However, their escape was not well planned, and they were arrested at Varennes on the evening of June 21. They seemed to have forgotten that the king’s face was on every coin in France. The National Convention charged Louis XVI with ‘treason’ and classified him as an enemy to the nation. Despite his pleas of innocence, 387 members voted for the death penalty. The king was almost saved, because 334 people voted against his conviction. Eventually Louis XVI was executed on the Place de la Revolution in 1793.

summarize

1. Why did the king want to escape?
   
2. What happened to him when he was caught?
   

Arrival of the French royal family in Paris after flight and capture at Varennes, 25 June 1791. Anonymous work (1791).

Anonymous French painter

The execution of Louis XVI

The Reign of Terror

In 1792, the National Assembly officially ended the monarchy, which was replaced by the French Republic with a new government. This started a violent chapter in French history, known as the Reign of Terror. The leader of this movement was Maxime Robespierre. He was a lawyer working in the Estates- General, who was strongly influenced by the Enlightenment thinkers. This made Robespierre a strong opponent of the French monarchy.

Robespierre also believed that everyone who did not agree with the ideals of the revolution should be executed. His fanaticism did not make him very popular. Some people thought he was too extreme, and eventually they proved to be right. Robespierre was supported by a political group called the Jacobines. Soon they dominated the National Assembly and started their Reign of Terror. This led to the death of thousands of people. Still, Robespierre enjoyed great popularity among the people of France. He had a gift for public speaking and could convince people quite easily.

summarize

1. How did France become a Republic?
2. Who gained more influence in the National Assembly?
3. What were his ideas?
4. What were his supporters called?
5. What was the Reign of Terror?

Maxime Robespierre

Victims of the guillotine

After the outbreak of the French Revolution, King Louis XVI and his family tried to escape. However, they were caught and brought to Paris. The king and queen were found guilty for treason and were executed on the guillotine in 1793. The guillotine was seen as a painless method of execution because of the quick way of decapitation. During the Reign of Terror thousands of people lost their lives because of this machine. Especially the clergy and aristocracy were prosecuted. It has been estimated that in total about 40,000 people were killed by the guillotine during the French Revolution.

summarize

1. why was the guillotine used to kill people?
2. which 2 groups were mostly prosecuted?

The motto Egalité, Fraternité, liberté, first used by Maximilien Robespierre in 1790, in a symbolic drawing.

The end of the Terror

The Reign of Terror ended in 1794 because people were done with all the bloodshed and demanded a more peaceful France. However, the French Revolution did not end peacefully. Maxime Robespierre was executed on the guillotine in 1794 because of his ‘dictatorial behaviour’.

With the death of Robespierre, the Jacobines lost their leader. The political influence of the Jacobines was even more diminished when they were replaced by people with more moderate views. 

summarize

1. How and why did the Reign of terror end?
   
2. What kind of group took over from the Jacobines?
   
3. What was the Directoire and how was it organized?
   

the execution of Robespierre

Napoleon Bonaparte

In 1799, France was still recovering from the tumultuous events of the French Revolution. The Reign of Terror had made a violent end to the Ancien Régime and thousands of lives. France was now a republic, but this did not end the political turmoil in the country. General Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the French government. How would Napoleon change politics in France and the world?

A new leader

Despite the end of the Reign of Terror, the common people still had to face high bread prices and starvation. France seemed to be on the brink of a new revolution. Yet escalation was prevented because of the appearance of a new French leader: Napoleon Bonaparte. He was a general who returned to France in 1798 after he had won battles against Italy and Egypt, during the First Coalition War (1792-1797). This war was a military conflict between France and European countries that did not agree with the French Revolution. Countries like Austria, Prussia, Great Britain, Spain and the Dutch Republic feared that the revolutionary ideas would affect them too. The people of France saw General Napoleon as a hero. It turned out he had big plans that would affect France in the decades to come.

summarize

1. Why did the Directoire face yet another revolution?
2. Who became the new leader and why did people see him as a hero?
3. Why was the First Coalition War fought?

French revolutionary soldiers in a battle at the First Coalition War. Painting by Horace Vernet (1792).

insert: a young officer named Napoleon Bonaparte

a monarchy....again?

While Napoleon was on the campaign, unrest and chaos grew in France. The Terror was in full swing. There was economic decline and revolutionary France was attacked from abroad. The moderates asked Napoleon for support in a coup d'état. Napoleon agreed. After the seizure of power, Napoleon established himself as one of the most powerful men in that new government. Napoleon brought peace and stability to the country. As a result, Napoleon became increasingly popular. Between 1799 and 1804 his position grew stronger. In the end, Napoleon crowned himself emperor. The Pope, who always had to perform this coronation, was present. The Pope was not allowed to perform the coronation by Napoleon. Because Napoleon had the people behind him, the Pope could do nothing but accept the situation.

summarize

1. Why did the Directoire face yet another revolution?
2. Who became the new leader and why did people see him as a hero?
3. Why was the First Coalition War fought?

French revolutionary soldiers in a battle at the First Coalition War. Painting by Horace Vernet (1792).

insert: a young officer named Napoleon Bonaparte

The Napoleonic Wars

Napoleon became famous because of his military victories in the seven wars between France and Europe during 1804 and 1815. All these wars together are known as the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon won about sixty battles, and lost only seven. He achieved one of his greatest military victories during the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805, in which 75,000 French soldiers fought against 90,000 soldiers from Russia and Austria.

During his reign, Napoleon conquered most of Europe. Countries like Spain, Italy and the Dutch Republic belonged to the French sphere of influence. Napoleon spread his influence in these countries by appointing family and friends as rulers. For example, he made his brother Louis Napoleon ‘king of Holland’. 

summarize

what are the Napoleonic Wars?

how did Napoleon rule conquered lands?

In 1812 Napoleon decided to attack Russia. Russia applied the scorched earth tactic. The Russians always evaded attacks by the Grande Armée. The Russians did this by destroying everything in the country, and then withdrawing into the Russian landscape. Napoleon's troops finally returned to France after a grueling retreat with only 30,000 men left. The European countries that had not yet been conquered then saw their chance and attacked. After a total defeat, Napoleon had to go into exile to the island of Elba. But even then Napoleon did not give in. Napoleon escaped and moved to Paris from the south of France. Along the way, a new army of volunteers joined Napoleon. The European countries united again and finally defeated Napoleon in 1815 at Waterloo, just below Brussels. He was then permanently exiled to the island of St Helena.

summarize

1. How did Napoleon's war against Russia end?
2. Wat happened to Napoleon after the Russian defeat?
3. What was Napoleon's final act?
4. How did Napoleon's rule end?

Napoleon spent his final years exiled on the island of St. Helena. He died in 1821.

The people of Moscow had set fire to their city, so there was no food and shelter for the French army.

The small Belgian village of Waterloo thrives on tourism today. Even the battle itself is reenacted with thousands of volunteers every year. 

New political and legal ideas in Europe and the world

The conquests of Napoleon changed the political and legal system in European countries forever. The French emperor introduced the so-called Code Napoleon in many countries. Especially his Civil Code would influence the legal system. Napoleon also spread elements of the French constitution all over Europe, such as liberal ideas like freedom and equality. From now on, every person was equal in the eyes of the law.

New measures and weights were introduced in all conquered territories, including kilograms, liters and meters.

Finally, Napoleon introduced a civil registry in all conquered territories. This registry office kept track of how many people live in a municipality and the names of the citizens. This also required surnames. He uses this information for military service, which now applied to all men.

summarize

1. what is the Code Napoleon?
2. What was Napoleon's influence on Europe?

Is there anything that's not clear?
Anything you need to be explained again / better?

Write your questions here.

congratulations

congratulations

0