The French Revolution drew on some of the ideas of the American Revolution.
LESSON 2
King Louis XVI banned the Third Estate from meetings with the Estates-General, which were held in Versailles. He
also began gathering troops, but before he could use them, Paris exploded in rebellion.
The people of Paris celebrated this victory, but they worried about the kings troops. They got ready to fight. On July
14, 1789, a large crowd stormed a prison called the Bastille (baSTEEL).
News of the fall of the Bastille spread to the countryside, where the peasants rose up against the nobles. To satisfy
the people, the National Assembly ended the privileges of the clergy and nobles. It also issued the Declaration of the
Rights of Man and the Citizen. Based on Enlightenment ideas, the declaration stated that the governments powers
came from the people, not the king. All people, it said, were equal under the law.
In 1791, the National Assembly made France a constitutional monarchy. France was to be ruled by an elected
legislature. Louis, however, refused to accept these changes and tried to flee Paris. As Europe's kings threatened to
crush France's revolution, some leaders in Paris pushed for greater change. In 1792, they set up a new government
called the National Convention.
Identifying What political reforms did the National Assembly adopt?
A Republic in France
How did supporters of France's revolution enforce their reforms?
The National Convention ended the monarchy and made France a republic. It wrote a new constitution giving the vote
to every man, whether or not he owned property. Meanwhile, two groups fought for control of the Convention. One
group, called Girondists, believed the revolution had gone far enough. The other group, known as Jacobins, favored
more radicalchange. The Jacobins finally won and took power.
During this time, the Committee came under the control of a lawyer named Maximilien Robespierre (mak see meel
ya ROHBZ pyehr). Robespierre wanted to create a "Republic of Virtue." By this he meant a democratic society
made up of good citizens. Under Robespierre's lead, the Committee opened new schools, taught the peasants new
farming skills, and worked to keep prices under control. Robespierre even created a new national religion that
worshipped a "Supreme Being." This attempt to replace France's traditional Catholic faith, however, did not last.
With France facing pressure from foreign invasions, the Committee decided to raise a new army. All single men
between the ages of 18 and 25 were required to join this new army.
With this new force of almost a million soldiers, France halted the threat from abroad. Revolutionary generals gained
confidence from their military victories. They soon became important in French politics.
With the republic out of danger, people in France wanted to end the Reign of Terror. Robespierre lost his influence,
and his enemies ordered him to be executed without trial. Wealthy middle-class leaders then came to power.
France's new leaders tried to follow more moderate policies. They wrote a new constitution that allowed only men with
property to vote. In 1795, a five-man council known as the Directory was created to run the country. The Directory,
however, was unable to handle food shortages, rising prices, government bankruptcy, and attacks by other countries.
By 1799, the Directory had lost much support. The French people began to look for a strong leader who could restore
order.
As the Directory weakened at home, the French army won victories in the war with Europe's monarchies. One battle
front was in Italy, where the French were fighting against Austrian troops. In those battles, a young French general
captured public attention. His name was Napoleon Bonaparte (nuh POH lee uhn BOH nuh pahrt).
Born on the Mediterranean island of Corsica in 1769, Napoleon Bonaparte went to military school and became an
officer. He supported the revolution. His great talent for military work helped him rise to the rank of general by the time
he was 24 years old. After his successes in Italy, Napoleon attacked the British in Egypt in 1799. While in Egypt, he
heard of the political troubles back home. He immediately returned to France. There, he opposed the Directory and
took part in a coup d'etat (koo day TAH). This is when a group seeking power uses force to suddenly replace top
government officials. Napoleon took the title of First Consul and became the strong leader many French people
believed they needed.
Napoleon quickly reorganized the government to strengthen his control. He changed France's finances and tax
system. He appointed local officials and created many new schools. In addition, he created a new legal system known
as the Napoleonic Code. This code of laws was based on Enlightenment ideas. Finally, Napoleon established a more
peaceful relationship with the Catholic Church, which had opposed the revolution.
Napoleon did not carry out all of the French Revolution's ideas. People were equal under the law, but freedom of
speech and the press were restricted. A new class of nobles was created, based on ability rather than wealth or
family. Then, in 1804, Napoleon crowned himself emperor, and France became an empire. Now his dream could be
fulfilled.
Explaining How did Napoleon strengthen his control after becoming First Consul?
Many different territories were part of Napoleon's empire. Napoleon directly ruled France and parts of Germany and
Italy. He named relatives to govern other lands in his empire, such as Spain and the Netherlands. Outside the empire,
independent countries, such as Prussia, Austria, and Sweden, were forced to ally with France.
Two forces, however, helped to bring Napoleon's empire to an end. One was nationalism, or the desire of a people for
self-rule. The nations conquered by Napoleon's army rejected his rule and the French practices forced on them. The
other force was the combined strength of Britain and Russia working against him.
Metternich and the other leaders were conservative. That is, they opposed changes that threatened traditional ways.
Today, conservatives in the U.S. believe in traditional ways but also support self-rule. European conservatives of the
early 1800s supported powerful monarchies. They opposed individual liberties and the right of self-rule. Hoping to
crush revolutionary ideas, the conservative leaders at the Congress restored the royal families who had ruled in
Europe before Napoleon.
European leaders at Vienna also redrew Europe's borders. France lost the lands won by Napoleon. It also had to pay
other countries for war damages. At the same time, Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Great Britain expanded in size.
Russia increased its share of Poland, Prussia gained more German lands, and Austria acquired territory in Italy.
Adding to its overseas empire, Britain won colonies in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.
The Congress above all wanted to create a balance of power, or equal strength among their countries. They hoped
that such a balance would prevent any one nation from controlling Europe. To keep the peace, the leaders agreed to
meet from time to time. These meetings were called the Concert of Europe.
LESSON 2 REVIEW
Review Vocabulary
1. Use the word bourgeoisie in a sentence about the Third Estate in French society.
5. Evaluating What happened at the Battle of Trafalgar, and why was it significant?
6. How was the French Revolution a change brought about by the Enlightenment and the American Revolution?
8. How did the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte affect French society?
10. INFORMATIVE/EXPLANATORY Explain the results of the Congress of Vienna in a short paragraph.
11. Look up the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen on the internet. Step back into the past and imagine
you have just learned of this document. Write a letter to a friend in the new United States explaining the changes this
document promises to bring to French government.
12. Find Waterloo, located in Belgium, on a map. Design a historical marker explaining the importance of this site.
(Clue: It has something to do with Napoleon Bonaparte.) Napoleon was defeated by Lord Nelson of Britain, whose
forces defeated the French navy. It was significant because it weakened Napoleons power in Europe.