Thesis:

Years of war, over spending, and weak leadership left the French in major
debt. The Clergy and Nobles refused to end their exemption on being tax
so the burden of these debts fall on the backs of the French people who
were already struggling because of poor harvest. These problems led to
riots and eventually a Revolution.
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND NAPOLEON
BONAPARTE
The Old Regime (ancien regime)
- Still had outdated social system consisting of 3 classes
o The First Estate: made up of clergy
Didnt have to pay taxes
o The Second Estate: made up of titled nobility of French society
Didnt have to pay taxes
o The Third Estate: made up of the rest of the population
Contained 27 million people/98 percent of the population
- Discontent: members of the Third Estate resented the privileges enjoyed
by their social betters
o Best jobs were reserved for higher ups while urban workers earned
miserable wages
o Even the slightest price raise in bread (their main food) threatened
hunger or even starvation
o Peasants were burdened by taxes
o The enlightenment ideas spread and led people to question the
inequalities of the old regime



The Old Regime Continued
- Economic Troubles
o Years of deficit spending (governments spending more money than it
takes in) lead to financial trouble for France
o Debt from Seven Years War and American Revolution as well as
lavish court expenses
o Poor harvests sent food prices soaring and hunger crisis was
spreading, causing riots all over country
o Government reform fails: series of unsuccessful leaders (Louis XIV,
Louis XV, and Louis XVI) that did not know how to deal with
problem
Wealthy and powerful classes demanded that the king summon the
Estates General which had not been called in 175 years
Nobles wanted to gain control for their own privileges
o All three states prepare cahiers, or notebooks, listing their grievances
Called for reforms such as fairer taxes, freedom of the press, or
regular meetings of the estate general
o Tennis Court Oath
Wanted to be counted by # of people, not just three estates

Creating a New France
- Revolts in Paris and the Provinces
o Political crisis of 1789 and worst famine in memory
o Inflation: people spent 80% of their income on bread
o The Great Fear: rumors/tales of attack on villages
Peasants attacking nobles
o Paris in Arms: Factions, or small groups were competing to gain
power
o Lafayette: aristocratic hero of two worlds, leader of national guard
o Paris Commune: radical group, replaced royalist government of the
city
o Newspapers and political clubs developed and demanded end to the
monarchy, spreading scandalous stories about the royal family
- Moderate Reforms
o An End to special privilege
August 4: Nobles in the National Assembly vote to end their
privileges. They gave up their old manorial dues, exclusive hunting
rights, special legal status, and exemption from taxes
Feudalism is abolished


Creating a New France Continued
o Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
All male citizens were equal before the law
Freedom of religion
Taxes be determined by ability to pay (income)
- National Assembly Presses Onward
o National Assembly follows king to Paris
o Reorganizing the Church
National Assembly put French Catholic Church under state control
Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790)
Bishops and priests became elected, salaried officials.
It also ended papal authority over the French Church.
Many clergy refused to accept the Civil Constitution/pope condemned it.
Religious peasants also rejected the changes
Created a huge gap between revolutionaries in Paris and the peasantry in the provinces

Radical Days
- The Monarchy Abolished
oOutbreaks of Violence:
September Massacres : bloodshed throughout France: angry mobs
oThe French Republic
Radicals took control of the Assembly calling for election of a new
legislative body called the National Convention
Suffrage, the right to vote, was to be extended to all male citizens, not
just to property owners
Jacobins, who controlled the convention set out to erase all traces of
the old order
Seized lands of nobles and abolished titles of nobles
oDeath of the King and Queen
King on trial as a traitor, convicted by a single vote and sentenced to
death
King Louis and Marie Antoinette executed

Radical Days Continued
oRobespierre
Leader in Committee of Public Safety
Battled counterrevolutionaries
Promoted religious toleration
Popular with working class
Though France could achieve Republic but only through strict
punishment and terror
oThe Reign of Terror
Lasted about July 1793-July 1794
About 40,000 people died during the Terror
15% were nobles and clergy
15% were middle-class citizens
Rest were peasants and working class who were involved in riots or
revolts against the Republic.
Guillotine: More humane method of beheading
Became symbol of horror
Reign of Terror ended


The Age of Napoleon Begins
- Napoleons Rise to Power
o Early successes
Rose quickly in army
Overthrew Directory and set up Consulate
1802: Had himself named consul for life
o A self-made Emperor
Assumed title of Emperor of the French
Strongly supported by most French
- France under Napoleon
o Reforms
Controlled prices, encouraged new industry, and built roads and
canals
Set up a system of public schools strictly controlled by government
Made peace with the Catholic church which recognized religious
freedom for Catholics
Won support over class lines
Recognized peasants right to land



The Age of Napoleon Continued
o Napoleonic Code: new law code
Enlightenment principles: equality of all citizens before the law,
religious toleration, and advancement based on merit
Women lost most of their newly gained rights and could not exercise the
rights of citizenship
o The Grand Empire
Napoleon annexed the Netherlands, Belgium and parts of Italy and
Germany
Abolished Holy Roman Empire and created 38 member
Confederation of the Rhine under French protection
Controlled most of Europe through forceful diplomacy
Put friends and relatives on the thrones of Europe
Napoleons successes boosted nationalism


The Age of Napoleon Continued
- Downfall of Napoleon
oDisaster in Russia spurred an alliance of Russia, Britain, Austria, and
Prussia against a weak France
oNapoleon was defeated in the Battle of the Nations
oExile and Return
Napoleon abdicated, or stepped down from power
He was exiled to Elba (an island in the Mediterranean)
Put Louis XVIII as king
oBattle of Waterloo
June 18, 1815 opposing armies met near Waterloo in Belgium
British and Prussian forces crushed the French in a day-long battle
Napoleon was forced to abdicate and go into exile again (he didnt
return)

The End of an Era
- The Congress of Vienna
o Gathering of Leaders
Austria, Russia, Britain, France
o Goals of the Congress
Create a lasting peace by establishing a balance of power and
protecting the system of monarchy
Each member pursued their own countries goals
o Balance of Power
Redrew the map of Europe
Wanted to contain France
o Restoration of Monarchs
Promoted legitimacy: restoring hereditary monarchies that the
French Revolution or Napoleon unseated
o Problems of the Peace
Redrew national boundaries without any concern for national
cultures