Napolean

French Revolution and Napoleonic Era Report

Section One

In France, during the reign of King Louis XVI, the social and governmental climate was called the Old Regime. There were three social classes; the First estate, which was made up of the clergy, the Second Estate, made up of Nobles, and the Third Estate...the rest of France, also known as the peasants. At this point in time, France was facing a huge national debt that occured due to the preceeding Kings, helping the American Revolution, and the outrageous spending of the new monarchs, King Louis the XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, formerly from Austria. In response, the King raised the taxes on the peasants, and when that didn't work, decided to call a meeting of the Estates-General, where representatives of each Estate were called upon to vote on the proposals of the King. Voting wasn't done like it is today, instead of the vote of every person counting towards the decision, it was the vote of each Estate as a whole that would be the deciding factor. This was the case in the Estates-General of 1789, and then, to the surprise of many, a clergy member by the name of Abbé Sieyès, aruged the importance of the Third Estate. He prompted that the Third Estate is everything in France, but has nothing to do with the government, and moved that they should become a governing body also. The Third Estate agreed and estbalished their powers, calling themselves the National Essembly. Three days later, they found that they had been locked out of their meeting room. In a determined attempt to change the government, they held their meeting in the Tennis Courts, and established what was known as the Tennis Court Oath, under which they agreed not to separate until they had given France a constituation. A majority of the representatives of the clergy soon joined them, as did forty-seven members of the nobility. By the twenty-seventh of June, the royal party had overtly given in, although the military began to arrive in large numbers around Paris and Versaillles. Messages of support for the Assembly poured in from Paris and other French cities. On the ninthe of July, the Assembly reconstituted itself as the National Constituent Assembly. This, indirectly, began what was is known as the Great Fear, a time of confusion in France's history. The first action that eludse to this "Great Fear" was the storming of the famous Paris prison, the Bastille.

Section Two
The National Constituent Assembly did, in fact, create a Constitution for France, known as the Declaration of the Rights of Man, modeled after America's Declaration of Indepedence. Like the Declaration, it comprised a statement of principles rather than a constituion with legal effect. Many of the representatives on the Assembly were political radicals, and caused many controverisal acts, such as taking money and land from the Roman Catholic Church, and completly changing the role of the church and its clergy. There were also right and moderate political views, but they were outnumbered. During this period, several political clubs were established, the most prominent being the Jacobin Club, which was run by radicals like Robespierre. At the same time, King Louis XVI had grown increasingly uncfortable with the Revultion, and tried to flee Versailles, but were caught. Around this time, the National Assembly created the Legislative Assembly to succeed them, as the first offical government as a constituational monarchy. However, within a year, the Assembly would crumble and fail, resulting in the Reign of Terror. One object that greatly contributed to this reign was the invention called the guillotine, a device used to carry out executions by means of decapitation. It consists of a tall, wooden frame, almost like that of a door frame, at the top of which, a heavy blade is suspended, ready to be released and cleave the head swiftly off the convict. Another primary catalyst of this reign of terror was a member of the Jacobin Club, Maximilian Robespierre, who headed the Committee for Public-Safety. Many people, from the King and Queen to peasants met their fate under the rule of Robespierre and his guillotine. Anyone who was viewed as a "threat to the Revolution" was executed. France came under attack from several other countries who opposed the Revolution, and in responde, the Jacobins created a growing army, that in a short span of time, began to revolt against them. In 1794, Robespierre had ultra-radicals and moderate Jacobins executed; in consequence, however, his own popular support eroded markedly. Him as his comrades were soon arrested, as well as executed by the new government that had taken control, claiming that the National Assembly had become the opposite of what they had tried to create. This government was called the Directory, a bicameral legislature comprised of two councils. The new regime met with opposition from remaining Jacobins and the royalists. The army suppressed riots and counter-revolutionary activities. In this way the army and its successful general, Napolean Bonaparte eventually gained much power.

Section Three
Napolean Bonaparte, a brilliant French general, would change France forever. After arriving in Paris, following several military victories, the Republic was bankrupt. He was approached by a member of the Directory, seeking his support for a coup of the current government. Bonaparte agreed, and in November, troops led by Bonaparte seized control and destroyed the legislature. Bonaparte, who drafted the constitution of the Year VII and secured his own election as First Consul.This made him the most powerful person in France, a power that was increased by the Constitution for the Year X, which declared him First Consul forlife. One policy created by Bonaparte, that was used more in his great-great granson's, Napolean the Third's, ascenion to power was The Plebiscite, which is derived from the Referendum; it was what allowed him to become First Consul, and was a vote among the people.  Napolean also instituted several lasting policies, including centralized administration of the departments, higher education, a tax system, a central bank, law codes, and road and sewer systems. Also, he established the Napoleonic Code, which was a set of civil laws to reform the French legal system in accordance with the French Revolution's original ideas because old royal and feudal laws were confusing and contridictory. After an interlude of peace after Austria was attacked, led to several treaties, but many monarchies were reluctant to recognize the French Republic as a credible and actual form of government, for they didn't want this revolution to sneak into their own countries. Following the transaction of the Louisana Purchase with the United States, and the Battle of Malta against the British, who fought for French Royalists, French police uncovered an assissination plot against Napolean, and he used this as an argument for the reinstatement of a hereditary monarchy in France...with him as Emperor. On December Second of 1804, Napolean crowned himself Emperor of France at Notre Dame. Many nations, especially Great Britain, were uncomfortable with Napolean as Emperor of France, and formed to coalitions against him. Under the Third Coalition of Britain, Russia, and Austria led to the Battle of Trafalgar, where the Royal Navy gained control of the seas against a combined French and Spanish Armada. The British commander Admiral Lord Nelson died late in the battle, by which time he had ensured his place as Britain's greatest naval hero. However, the Napoleonic Wars were far from over.

Section Four
In addition to waging a war and a military blockade against Britain, Napolean also waged an economic war with the country. He created what he called the Contintental System, which was a comercial boycott of Britain. Although this action hurt the British economy, it also damaged the French economy and was not a decisive blow against the enemy. Portugal decided nto to comply with the Continental System, and so Napolean sought Spain's support in an invasion of the small country. Spain refused, and Napolean made a move to invade the larger nation as well as Portugal. This led to the unexpected battle against Spanish civilians, or guerrilla fighters. However, after France had retreated from much of the country, Napolean took command of the army himself, and defeated the Spansih army, taking Madrid and driving the British army to the coast. Napolean had to leave when Austria once again threatened war, leaving thousands of troops to fight the Spanish guerrillas in what has come to be known as the Peninsular War. Along with tensions rising between France, Austria, and Germany, they also rose between Russia and France. In order to keep other nations from revolting, Napolean decided to make an example of Russia and it's monarchy. in 1812, Napolean began his invasion of Russia. The Russians outsmarted the French with their Scorched Earth Policy -- usually in wars, it was typical that as the foreign army went after the domestic army, they went through and more or less pillaged the villages and cities. The Russians became ahead of the game when Czar Alexander ordered that the Russian Army burn whatever they went through, before the French reached the towns. They even burned the capital, Moscow. Now, the Grand Army had no food or shelter during the brutal Russian winter. Within a month, Napolean left Moscow and began his retreat. Afterwards, a Fifth Coalition against Napolean had begun, with Prussia joining the fight. At the Battle of Nations in 1813, the French Army was pinned down by an army twice its size. Napolean retreated back to France, but he was still vastly outnumbered by the British and German armies pressing on the borders. The next year, Napolean was forced to abdicate his thrown twice, and was mocked by his enemies as they let him retain the title of Emperor, though he was Emperor of no one. In the Treaty of Fontainebleu, Napolean and his family was exiled to the Island of Elba, off to coast of Italy. While he was exiled, Louis the XVIII was restored to power, and Napolean heard of rumors to exile him in the Atlantic, fled Elba in 1815. The new King sent troops to meet Napolean at Grenoble, and once there, Napolean dismounted his horse, and walked right up to the soldiers. Once in earshot, he shouted "Soldiers of the Fifth, you recognize me. If any man would shoot his emperor, he may do so now." Following a brief silence, the soldiers shouted "Vive L'Empereur!" and marched with Napoleon to Paris, effectively taking over once again, and raising and army to began what is known as the Hundred Days; Napolean's last attempt at regaining his Empire. However, he was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo. He was then exiled to the British island of Saint Helena, and died there in 1821.

Section Five
After Napolean's defeat and exile to Elba, the Austrian statesman Klemens Wenzel von Metternich held what he called the Congress of Vienna. The purpose of this Congress was to establish a new political map on the continent after the defeat of Napoleonic France, and it continued even as the Hundred Days began. The Congress of Vienna represented Britain, Austria, Prussia, Louis XVIII's France, and Russia. Their main goals were to establish a balance of power among European nations, reinstate the royal families dethroned by Napolean, and surround France with strong neighboring countries that would keep it in check. They wanted to bring a stable and lasting peace onto Europe, as well as the legitimacy of the governments and hereditary monarchies that Napolean had overthrown, specifically Spain. Several member of the Congress of Vienna went on to form the Holy Alliance, the head being Czar Alexander the First of Russia. It was a coalition between Russia, Prussia, and Austria, with the goal of instilling the Christian values of charity and peace in European politics. The monarchs of the three countries involved used these principals in order to prevent revolutionary influence from entering European nations. Except for Great Britain, the Vatican (strangely enough) and the Ottoman Empire, all other European nations joined. The Holy Alliance was, in a manner of speaking, the first modern international peacekeeping organization, although it was rooted in the monarch's own models of politics. Soon after, a "Concert of Europe" was established as a follow-up of the earlier Congress of Vienna. It acted as an early League of Nations, or Model United Nations type of organization. They had the same main goals as the preceeding Congress of Vienna; contain France, achieve a balance of powers, prevent the rise of another Napolean-esque dictator, and the uphold the territorial agreements set by the Congress of Vienna. These organizations did, in fact, create a lasting stability and peace in Europe, as they wished, until the Concert of Europe's demise in around 1871.

***Citing Sources
"Make sure that you site the text book pages for all required items" does not make any sense, and frankly, I find that, if you cannot correctly construct a sentence to mean what message it is trying to address, then I am under no obligation follow it. A site is a location. To cite is to provide sources.