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Old Order – Frances hereditary class system - class born into, remain in.
• Estate – all French people belonged to one of three. Determined legal rights and status
o First Estate – Clergy
Catholic clergy (religious leaders)
No taxes
Lived in great style
o Second Estate – Nobles
Old royalty, land owners
@2% of pop. Own 25% of land, don’t pay taxes
Special social and political privileges (high positions in govt, church, army)
Lived in great style
Income from peasants that lived and worked their land
o Third Estate – Others
Bourgeoisie – merchants, bankers, artisans, no power, high taxes
Working class – low wages
Peasants(farmers) 80% of population
Pd. ½ of all taxes (tithe to church, feudal dues to nobles, land tax to king)
97% of all French
o Why no taxes for rich/powerful? – kept them on King’s side
o How did third estate feel? – 97% of population against the King
3 Types of citizen action - taken by French Citizens during the revolution to change their government
1. Social Protests – citizens demonstrate against a government action or policy they want to change
2. Political Action – citizens write or change a law to change a government policy or action
3. Revolution – citizens attempt a radical change in their government usually through an overthrow of the existing
government
Storming of the Bastille – July 14, 1789 (like our 4th)- Revolution
• Bastille – jail for political prisoners & where weapons held
• Bastille symbolizes injustices of Monarchy
• 3rd Estates - storm jail and let prisoners out
• Symbolic beginning of the French Revolution, and Frances Independence Day
• Declaration of the Rights of Man & Citizens (Part of French Constitution Today) – Political Action
o Purpose to establish equality in France and abolish the class system
o Incorporated Enlightenment ideas
• Montesquieu’s ideas of separation of powers
• Rousseau’s belief in the will of the majority
• Locke’s beliefs in natural rights
• Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence
o Louis XVI rejects declaration
Decline of Monarchy
• Jacobins start to gain control in 1792 – want a Republic
• Louis XVI is tried before Convention and convicted of conspiring against the liberty of a nation
o Executed by the guillotine
• Austria and Prussia declare war on France – ***fearful of revolution spreading to Austria
Reign of Terror
• Robespierre
o Jacobin – wants change from ltd monarchy to republic
o Executes anyone related to monarchy (priests, nobles)
o Executes “traitors” – 40K mostly commoners
o Killed by guillotine by others afraid of him killing them
o Death ended violence
• Committee for Public Safety
o Neighbor hood watch committees hunted down suspected traitors and turned them over to the
courts
o Neighbor turned on neighbor, many innocent people executed
Directory
o New Constitution
o 2 House legislature
o 5-man executive committee
o power more divided – sounds good? But is it? What challenges?
o Can’t make decisions, debate, but nothing accomplished
o Growing gap between rich and poor, many dissatisfied
o French people looked for leadership
Napoleon Bonaparte
o General in Army
o Short and used optical illusions to make him look taller – Napoleon Complex (inferiority complex by
short people – try to overcompensate their handicap by trying to be successful in other areas)
o *People except him because he brought stability to France after years of Revolutions
o Joins leaders in a coup d’etate – (military leaders seize power) against Directory (1799)
Napoleon’s 3 Mistakes
o Battle of Trafalger – challenges the GB’s navy (the most powerful navy in the world) - loses
Invasion of Russia
o May 1812, Napoleon’s massive army (600,000 from across Europe) begin march toward Moscow
o Scorched Earth Policy – Russians light anything that can help Napoleon on fire and burn to the
ground
o Sept. Napoleon’s army reaches Moscow, but soon after Russian winter sets in. Napoleon delays
retreat. 400,000 French Soldiers die of cold and starvation on retreat out of Russia
o Russian, Prussian, Spanish, English, and Austria join together to defeat Russia
o March 1814 Napoleon surrenders in Paris
o Exiled to island of Elba (Russians didn’t want to kill him and make him a martyr)
o Battle of Waterloo
o Louis XVIII restored to throne
o Napoleon didn’t learn his lesson; tries to conquer again
o Returns to Paris and rules for 100 days
o European govt determined to stop him
o Battle of Waterloo – Napoleon defeated and captured at Waterloo in June 1815
o Exiled to St. Helena’s in S. Atlantic
o Dies in 1821