French Revolution and Napoleon (1789-1815)

French Revolution and Napoleon - 1789 to 1815

• The storming of the Bastille in 1789 ignited the French Revolution.
• King Louis XVI was executed by guillotine in 1793, marking the start of the Reign of Terror.
• Napoleon Bonaparte seized power in 1799 through a coup d'état.
• Napoleon crowned himself Emperor in 1804, initiating the creation of a vast European empire.
• Napoleon's reign ended with his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

World Events

• George Washington was inaugurated as the first US president in 1789.
• Great Britain seized the Cape Colony in South Africa from the Dutch in 1795.
• The Opium Wars began in China in the 1800s
• The Dominican Republic gained independence in 1804.
• The Mexican War of Independence began in 1810
• The War of 1812 concluded between Great Britain and the United States in 1814.

Setting the Stage for the French Revolution

• France was considered the most advanced European country in the 1700s.
• High population and foreign trade.
• French culture was widely praised.
• Disparity between the appearance of success and underlying issues like high prices, taxes and unrest.
• The ideas of Locke, Rousseau, and Voltaire questioned the existing political system.

The Estates of the Old Regime

• French society was divided into three estates:
  • The First Estate (clergy): Wealthy, owned 10% of the land, paid little to no tax
  • The Second Estate (nobility): Wealthy, owned 20% of the land, paid little to no tax
  • The Third Estate (everyone else): Commoners, comprised 97% of the population, paid high taxes
• These estates had different rights and privileges.

The Third Estate

• The Third Estate was diverse, with three groups:
  • Bourgeoisie: Middle class - bankers, factory owners, skilled artisans
  • Workers: Tradespeople, apprentices, laborers, domestic servants
  • Peasants: Majority of the Third Estate, heavily taxed, with limited land, resented the clergy and nobles.
• The economic hardship, high taxes, and lack of political power among the Third Estate fueled dissatisfaction.

Statistics (1787)

• First Estate: less than 1% of population, paid 2% of total income tax.
• Second Estate: 2% of population, paid 0% income tax.
• Third Estate: 97% of population, paid 50% of total income tax.

Forces of Change

• Enlightenment ideas influenced the revolution.
• Resentment against the privileges of the First and Second Estates.
• The growing power of the French Bourgeoisie.
• The economic crisis in France further exacerbated the situation.

The American Revolution

• The success of the American Revolution inspired the French revolutionaries.
• French leaders admired the new American principles of liberty and self-governance.