The French Revolution and Napoleon

1. The French Revolution and Napoleon

2. Problems • France was in economic decline in the 1780’s. • Food was scarce and taxes were high • King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette spent a lot on their living style • Louis also doubled the French debt to help support the American Revolution

3. Old Ways • Since the middle ages, France had a specific social class called estates • 1st was Clergy • owned about 10% of French land • Exempt from taxes • 2nd was nobility • 2% of population • 20% of land • paid almost no taxes • 3rd estate • 97% of population • split into 3 groups • Bourgeoisie (middle class)- merchants, bankers, factory owners, skilled artisans, well educated people • Workers of France (poor people) • Peasants (80% of population)- paid half of income to church, nobles and taxes

4. To help pay for the debt, Louis wanted to tax the nobles • They forced him to convene the Estates General- representatives from all three estates • The bourgeoisie wanted more power than they usually got • Eventually, they were locked out of the meeting place cause they set up their own government called the National Assembly

5. They then broke open the door to the palace tennis court and they made an oath not to leave till they had a constitution • Called The Tennis Court Oath • (They were inspired by the American Revolution)

6. Citizens in Paris then began to riot • They stormed a prison looking for weapons and ammunition • The mob then killed the guards and paraded their heads around the city on pikes • Called Bastille Day- France’s equivalent to the American 4th of July

7. Soon, peasants started to rebel as fear spread from town to town • Called the Great Fear • Peasants started to overthrow their manors that they lived on

8. In 1791, King Louis decided that the best thing for him to do was run to Austria • Just before he got to the boarder, he was stopped • The rebel guard recognized him and arrested him and had him taken back to Paris

9. After Louis was brought back to Paris, he was forced to approve a new constitution that stripped him of almost ALL his power • He was still allowed to enforce the laws, but he couldn’t make them

10. Parisians (citizens of Paris) wanted more changes than what was being done • Soon they revolt entirely and arrest the king and his family • Also, fearful of a rumor that many royal supporters in prison were going to break out, they storm the prison and kill over 1,000 innocent people

11. They then recreate the government and dispose of the king all together • The new government was ruled by radicals called Jacobins • They put the king on trial for treason and find him guilty • On Jan 21,1793 he is executed on the guillotine

12. The Guillotine • Invented by Dr. Joseph Guillotine • Purpose was to provide a quick humane death • Victims were paraded through the streets for 1 ½ hours on their way to their death • The executioner raised the blade and a lever dropped it

13. The Reign of Terror • In 1793 a man named Maximilien Robespierre gained power • He started to wipe out all traces of France’s past • Redid the calendar (12 months with 30 days each, renamed each month) • Got rid of Sunday • He also would execute “enemies of the Revolution”

14. The enemies of the revolution were usually other radical leaders that he felt were a threat to his power • Many were killed for petty charges • Felt that less changes needed to be done • Cutting down a tree • Being disliked by someone • 40,000 people were killed by the guillotine between 1793 and 1794

15. Soon, many of Robespierre’s followers began to turn on him • The Reign of Terror ended with his execution in July of 1794 • Soon, another government was made (The 3rd since 1789) • The upper middle class held all the power