DAILY LECTURE AND DISCUSSION NOTES 19-1

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The French Revolution and
Napoleon

Did you know?

Bastille
Day is a French national holiday that commemorates the storming of the Bastille
on July 14, 1789.

I.
The French
Revolution Begins (pages 715–716)

A.
French people were divided into three estates,
or classes.

B.
The top of the Third Estate was the bourgeoisie,
or middle classes.

City
workers were in the middle of the Third Estate, and peasants were at the
bottom.

C.
King Louis XVI called a
meeting of the French legislature to impose new taxes.

D.
The Third
Estate, frustrated with the country’s legislative body, met in secret and
formed the National Assembly.

E.
On July 14, 1789, a large crowd stormed the Bastille, a royal
fortress and prison. The peasants heard about the Bastille’s fall and
rose against the nobles.

F.
The
National Assembly made France
a constitutional monarchy in 1791. The king and his wife, Marie Antoinette,
fled to Austria, but they
were captured and brought back to Paris.

G.
The
National Assembly declared war on Austria in 1792. French radicals
later took over Paris
and helped set up a new government, the National Convention.

Discussion
Question

How
are the freedoms in the French articles like those of the U.S.
Constitution? (Both protect people’s rights to
liberty and property, the right to be innocent until proven guilty, and the
right of free speech.)

II.
The Reign
of Terror (pages 717–719)

A.
Many members of the National Convention belonged to the Jacobin
club, a large network of French political groups. The Jacobins were divided
into two groups, the Girondists and the Mountain.

B.
The Girondists and the Mountain argued for what they believed,
but the Mountain soon controlled the Convention.

C.
King Louis was found guilty of helping France’s
enemies and was beheaded on the guillotine. Other European rulers, scared by
the execution, joined forces against France.

D.
The
Convention created the Committee of Public Safety to run the country. Maximillien
Robespierre controlled the Committee.

E.
The Reign
of Terror began. During this time, the Committee sentenced to death anyone who
opposed the revolution.

F.
Robespierre tried to create a “Republic of Virtue”
to inspire people to be good citizens.

G.
The
Committee of Public Safety created a large army to prevent foreign invasions.

H.
Safe from foreign enemies, the people of France tired of
the Reign of Terror and had Robespierre executed.

I.
Moderate, middle-class leaders created a new government, led by
the Directory.

Discussion
Question

How
did France
create such a large army? (The government required
all single men ages 18 to 25 to join the new army.)

III.
The Rise of
Napoleon (pages 719–720)

A.
Napoleon Bonaparte was a young
military general who supported the revolution.

B.
Napoleon participated in a coup d’etat—replacing
government leaders by force—and became the most powerful man in France.

C.
Napoleon made many changes to strengthen his control of the
country, including creating a new legal system called the Napoleonic Code.

D.
Napoleon crowned himself emperor in 1804, making France
an empire.

Discussion
Question

What
right suffered under Napoleon’s reign? (Although
people were considered equal, the freedom of speech and press was limited.)

IV.
Napoleon’s Empire (pages
720–723)

A.
Napoleon’s empire grew, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to

Russia.

B.
Napoleon wanted to defeat Britain. After losing the Battle of
Trafalgar, Napoleon did not allow trade with Britain. This plan was called the
Continental System.

C.
Napoleon organized a large army to invade Russia. In Russia,
Napoleon’s army was unprepared for the extreme winter conditions and had
to retreat.

D.
Napoleon was captured and exiled. He escaped to France in 1815.

E.
An international force defeated Napoleon at Waterloo,
sending Napoleon to the island of St. Helena,
where he later died.

F.
The
Congress of Vienna was a conference of European leaders who wanted to restore Europe to the way it was before the French Revolution.

G.
Members of the Congress of Vienna opposed individual rights and
self-rule. They brought back royal families to rule Europe.

Discussion
Question

How
do American conservatives differ from the conservatives of the Congress of
Vienna? (Although American conservatives believe
in traditional values, they also support individual rights and self-rule.)