FCPS World II SOL Standards: WHII 6e, 8a and 8b

FCPS HS Social Studies © 2014

The French Revolution, Napoleon, and Congress of Vienna (1770-1850 C.E.)You Mean the Revolution Was More than a Bunch of Heads Being Chopped Off?

The Third Estate carrying the king, nobles and Catholic Church on its backSource: http://www.mrallsophistory.com/revision/the-origins-of-the-french-revolution.html

Causes and Events of the French RevolutionBy the late 1700s, France was on the edge of revolution. The French people were inspired by both the American Revolution and the Enlightenment ideas. The country was struggling due to debt, famine, and inequality. The lower class, known as the third estate, was being taxed unfairly and felt they deserved equal say in the government. On July 14, 1789, a group of angry peasants looking for weapons began the French Revolution by Storming the Bastille, an old prison. The third estate went on to take over the government and made major changes to France. Their goal was to get rid of the old system of monarchy and nobles and establish democracy. Revolutionaries, under the leadership of Maximilien Robespierre, arrested and executed King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. This began a time known as the Reign of Terror during which those who opposed the Revolution were executed with the guillotine. Over 15,000 people died during the Reign of Terror. While the Revolution did not achieve all of its goals of liberty and equality for all, it did succeed in encouraging secularism, nationalism and democracy.

The national boundaries within Europe as set by the Congress of Vienna, 1815 Source: Wikimedia Commons; http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Map_congress_of_vienna.jpg

Congress of ViennaAfter Napoleon’s defeat, the European leaders wanted to establish peace and stability in Europe, but there was disagreement about how to do that. Some leaders and politicians, known as conservatives, wanted to keep traditional ideas such as monarchy and divine right. Others, known as liberals, liked change such as democracy and equality. The European leaders held a series of meetings called the Congress of Vienna in 1814-1815. At the meetings, conservatives got their way.

Napoleon crosses the St. Bernard, by Jacques-Louis David (Berlin), 1800Source: Source: Wikimedia Commons; http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Napol%C3%A9on_Bonaparte#mediaviewer/File:Jacques-Louis_David_007.jpg

Napoleon’s Rise and FallThe French people grew tired of the revolution’s violence. In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte, a successful French general, promised to end the chaos and restore the glory of France. The French people willingly accepted him as their leader. Napoleon began fixing the economy, government, education and much more. His longest lasting impact was establishing a legal system known as the Napoleonic Code. This system applied to all French people and stressed equality. Napoleon declared himself emperor of France and attempted to conquer neighboring European countries in a series of wars known as the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon

conquered a large part of Europe, but was eventually defeated. One of the major effects of Napoleon’s desire to control Europe was increasing nationalism in conquered lands.

One decision was to restore the monarchies of Europe. Another decision was to balance power in Europe by making sure no one country became too powerful. They did this by changing the map of Europe and redrawing boundaries.

French Revolution, Napoleon and Congress of Vienna (cont.) WHII 6e, 8a and 8b

FCPS HS Social Studies © 2014

Quick Review

Connection to TodayThe French people accepted Napoleon as a dictator in order to end the revolution. When countries are going through economic and political problems, people are often willing to give up their individual freedoms and rights for security. Why would people be more willing to limit their freedoms during these times? Can you think of any modern examples of people giving up freedoms in order to ensure security?

ResourcesLearn 360● French Revolution: http://goo.gl/UD4dLb

● Library Resource: ABC-CLIO – Revolutions of 1848 http://worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/311019?terms=romanticism

1. What year did a series of unsuccessful liberal revolutions take place in continental Europe?

3. Which box best represents a conservative’s viewpoint during the 19th century?

Key VocabularyStorm/Storming of the Bastille: to take or capture/ Event in which a group of poor people attacked the Bastille prison in Paris and began the French Revolution

Congress of Vienna: a series of meetings in 1814–1815, during which the European leaders tried to establish long-lasting peace and security after the defeat of Napoleon

Nationalism: a feeling of unity of a group of people, often based on a common language, culture, ethnicity, history, religion, or belief system

Reign of Terror: the period, from mid-1793 to mid-1794, when Robespierre ruled France as a dictator and thousands were executed

Guillotine: a machine for beheading people, used during the French Revolution

Napoleonic Wars: series of wars in which Napoleon attempted to unify Europe under French control

Napoleonic Code: a uniform system of laws established for France by Napoleon

Third Estate: lower class in pre-revolutionary France

Conservative: in the 19th century European—usually a wealthy landowner or noble—who wanted to preserve the traditional monarchies of Europe

Continental: located on the main portion of a continent; for example, continental Europe includes France, Spain, Italy and Germany, but not Britain which is an island

Liberal: In the 19th century, someone— usually a middle-class business leader or merchant—who wanted to give more political power to elected parliaments

2.

A. 1748B. 1848C. 1790D. 1890

What best completes the chart?

Revolutions and Reforms in the 1800sAfter the Congress of Vienna, liberals were disappointed that the new ideas were ignored. They wanted changes such as more open government. In 1848, a series of revolutions occurred in continental Europe particularly in Italy and Germany. These revolutions were unsuccessful, but they did increase nationalism in Europe. Unlike continental Europe, Great Britain did not have revolutions in the 1800s. (Remember: Britain had its Glorious Revolution in the 17th century.) Instead, the British passed laws allowing more people to vote and outlawing slavery in the British Empire.

A. The French RevolutionB. Council of TrentC. Napoleonic WarsD. Congress of Vienna

A. Box 1B. Box 2C. Box 3D. Box 4

4. Identify and explain two to three causes of the French Revolution.