Enlightenment and Pre-Revolutionary France

Enlightenment and Pre-Revolutionary France

• The Enlightenment was an 18th-century intellectual movement emphasizing reason, individualism, and challenging traditional ideas.
• John Locke believed in natural rights (life, liberty, and property) and advocated for a constitutional monarchy.
• Thomas Hobbes believed in a strong central authority to avoid chaos and thought man in nature is evil.
• Voltaire championed freedom of speech and religion, famously stating "I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
• The Estates General represented the three estates of France: Clergy (First Estate), Nobility (Second Estate), and Commoners (Third Estate).
• The Ancien Régime was the pre-Revolutionary French political and social system.

French Revolution

• The Tennis Court Oath was a vow by the Third Estate not to disband until a constitution was written.
• The Storming of the Bastille marked the start of the French Revolution on July 14, 1789.
• The March on Versailles was a protest led by women against high bread prices, resulting in the royal family being brought to Paris.
• Louis XVI's Attempted Escape in 1791 led to increased public distrust.
• The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen defined individual and collective rights during the Revolution.
• Robespierre was a leader associated with the Reign of Terror, a period of radical phase with mass executions.
• The Guillotine was a device used for executions during the Revolution.

French Revolution (continued)

• The Directory was a five-member committee that governed France from 1795 to 1799 after Robespierre's fall.
• Louis XVI's treason trial and execution led to the end of the monarchy.

Napoleonic Era

• The Napoleonic Code was a legal code established by Napoleon that influenced many legal systems worldwide.
• Napoleon took power through a coup d'État and became Consul for Life in 1802, consolidating his power.
• The Continental System was Napoleon's policy aimed at damaging the British economy by forbidding European trade with Britain.
• The Peninsular War (1808-1814) saw Spanish and Portuguese forces, supported by Britain, fight against French invasion.
• The Concordat of 1801 reestablished the Catholic Church in France.
• Napoleon's disastrous Invasion of Russia (1812) led to severe losses, and the Russian strategy of "Burn and Retreat" weakened Napoleon's army.
• Napoleon was exiled to Elba, then finally defeated at Waterloo and exiled again to Saint Helena.