Unit 3: RevolutionsStudy Guide

Write the number of the paragraph where you found the answer in the space provided

QuestionsParagra

ph Number

1. How was French society divided before the French Revolution?

2. How did King Louis XVI cause problems for France?

3. What did the Third Estate do during the meeting of the Estates-General?

4. How did the Enlightenment and the American Revolution have an impact on the French Revolution?

5. Why did the Third Estate form the National Assembly and write the Tennis Court Oath?

6. How did the French people fight against their government?

7. How did France’s government change during the French Revolution?

8. What happened during the Reign of Terror?

9. How did the Reign of Terror end?

10. How did Napoleon take control of France?

11. What were the Napoleonic Wars?

12. How did nationalism spread?

13. Why were countries different after nationalism spread?

14. How did Germany and Italy experience nationalism?

15. How did Haiti experience nationalism?

16. How did Mexico experience nationalism?

17. How did countries in South America experience nationalism?

Unit 3 Vocabulary1. First Estate2. Second Estate3. Third Estate4. Estates-General5. Secede6. National Assembly7. Tennis Court Oath8. The Bastille9. Radical

10. Constitutional Monarchy11. National Convention12. Reign of Terror13. Coup D’etat14. Exiled15. Nationalism16. Culture17. Unification

Unit 3 Important People1. Louis XVI (16th)2. Maximilien Robespierre3. Napoleon Bonaparte4. Otto von Bismarck

5. Camillo di Cavour and Giuseppe Garibaldi

6. Toussaint L’Ouverture7. Father Miguel Hidalgo8. Simon Bolivar and Jose de San

Martin

Reader: Revolutions

The French Revolution (Standard 7-3.1) BENCHMARK1 Imagine that you were living in France before the French Revolution. If you

did, there’s a good chance that your place in life would have been decided for you at the very second you were born. You would never have more opportunities than the ones you had at birth. If you were very lucky, you might be part of the nobility and live a life a privilege and power. If not you would be a commoner, and you would never have the chance to lead your country. The only way to avoid this fate would be to take a job working for the Church. Even then your birth status determined whether you became the head priest at Notre Dame or a lowly monk living somewhere in the French countryside.

2 This is what life was like in France for most of its history. Before the French Revolution French society was divided into three estates. Each estate had different amounts of power, wealth, and respect. The FIRST ESTATE was Roman Catholic clergy like bishops, priests, monks, and nun. Despite the fact that the First Estate was only 1% of the population in France, they owned 15% of land, which made them very wealthy and powerful. The SECOND ESTATE was the nobility of France. Only 2% of the people in France were part of the Second Estate, but they owned 25% of the land and wealth. At the bottom was the THIRD ESTATE, the commoners who made up 97% of the population. The Third Estate paid almost all of the taxes in France, but they had only a small amount of power in their government. This unfair balance created growing anger within the Third Estate.

3 Adding to the Third Estate’s problems was the king himself. LOUIS XVI was an absolute monarch, but his people had little respect for him. He was seen as a weak king whose favorite hobby was spending France’s money. If he wasn’t spending money on himself, he was fighting expensive wars, such as his decision to help the United States during the American Revolution. Many previous kings had done the same thing, but under Louis’s reign France ran out of money.

First Estat

eSecon

d Estate

Third Estat

e

4 King Louis XVI didn’t have many options. His people could not pay any more taxes. Banks refused to give Louis a loan. He was forced to call a meeting of the ESTATES-GENERAL (A government meeting where each estate got a vote on how things should go). He had hoped he could convince the three estates to help him avoid an economic disaster.

5 The Third Estate realized that they had a chance to make their situation better. They demanded that France change the way it held elections. Under the system of the Estates-General each estate got one vote. This meant that the First and Second Estates could team up to outvote the Third. The Third Estate wanted to give every man (but not women) in France the right to vote. There were more people in the Third Estate so they would get more representation, but it would take power away from the other two Estates. The First and Second Estates refused the Third’s requests.

6 So the Third Estate refused to give in.

7 Many members of the Third Estate were educated. They had read the books written by Enlightenment philosophers like John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Baron de Montesquieu, and Voltaire. They had also learned about the American Revolution from people like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. Some of them had even fought during the American Revolution. The Third Estate as inspired by the Enlightenment and the American Revolution. They decided to take the chance on a revolution of their own.

8 The Third Estate realizes there won’t be any changes so long as the other two estates have all the power. Instead they chose to SECEDE (leave or drop out) from the estate system and called themselves the NATIONAL ASSEMBLY. The National Assembly wanted to change their government from an absolute monarchy to a representative government like the one in the United States. When the National Assembly was forced out of the Estates-General they met on the king’s tennis courts instead. They took the TENNIS

The Estates-General

Meeting on the king’s tennis

courts.

COURT OATH and promised that they wouldn’t leave until they had written a constitution. At first King Louis XVI and the remaining estates tried to ignore what the National Assembly was doing, but after a week they knew it was no use. Louis orders the First and Second Estates to join the National Assembly and create a constitution for France.

9 They want to create a constitution because it limits government’s power. A constitution is an example of Locke’s idea of the social contract because it is an agreement between the government and the people. It creates the structure of government (such as the number of branches and their powers), explains how the government operates, and explains the relationship between the people and their government. These things give the government legitimacy.

10 Not all of the conflicts of the French Revolution were resolved as peacefully as the ones at the Estates-General. The BASTILLE was part fortress, part prison,

and part armory where weapons were stored. It was also an important symbol of King Louis’s power over the people of France. The citizens decide they can’t allow this symbol to stand. They want the weapons inside and they want to free the King’s prisoners. On July 14, 1789 the Bastille is

attacked by a mob of peasants. After several hours of fighting the peasants capture the fortress and its supply of weapons and free the prisoners held there. The Bastille itself was torn down to show the Louis XVI that his power was declining.

11 Violence spread across France. Peasants began rioting in the countryside. They attacked the manor homes of their nobles. They were angry about the estate system and the growing poverty in France. They killed members of the Second Estate and looted the manor homes they had served.

12 Things calmed down by 1791. By that time France was a CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY, meaning the king’s power was limited by a constitution. The people gained power in the form of the Legislative Assembly, a group of elected leaders who made laws for France. For a short time there was peace if France.

13 This peace didn’t last. The government came under the control of the Jacobins, a RADICAL (extreme) group that believed France was under attack. Their

The Bastille

biggest fear that was France would fall to enemies that lived inside the country, and they began trying to find out who these enemies were and figure out what they could do about them. The French Constitution, which the original revolutionaries had fought so hard to achieve, was tossed out. King Louis XVI was thrown in jail. The legislature took control of the government and called themselves the NATIONAL CONVENTION. The Convention took two steps they believed would protect France and the French Revolution. They gave every man the right to vote to make sure everyone had a say in their government. They also began drafting people into the military to protect the revolution from the enemies they believed were already in France.

14 One of the leaders of the National Convention was a Jacobin named MAXIMILIEN ROBESPIERRE. Robespierre was one of the leaders of the Jacobins, and his power continued to grow once the Convention took over the government. At the height of his power he became the head of the Committee of Public Safety. This gave Robespierre the power to decide who the enemies of France were and what should be done about them. He became a dictator because people were too afraid to speak out against him. With this power, Robespierre started the Reign of Terror.

15 The REIGN OF TERROR was Robespierre’s attempt to get rid of all the enemies of the French Revolution. Tens of thousands of people were executed in an execution machine called a guillotine because they were seen as enemies of the revolution. Most of the victims were nobles who had been part of the Second Estate. Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette were also victims of the Reign of Terror. Robespierre would also be responsible for ending the Reign of Terror. He became too powerful, and other members of the National Convention feared for their lives. Robespierre was capture and executed in July of 1794. The Reign of Terror was over.

16 The years after the Reign of Terror were relatively peaceful. In 1795 France was ruled by a committee of five men who called themselves the Directory. They

Guillotine

Robespierre

were popular in the beginning but by 1799 they had lost the support of the French people. They needed something to spark the people’s interest so they could keep their power. They decided to recruit a popular soldier who had made a name for himself by rising through the ranks of the French army. They hoped this man, named NAPOLEON BONAPARTE, would get the people back on their side.

17 This was a mistake.

18 Napoleon staged a COUP D’ETAT (takeover of a government) and took the title of First Consul. Once he had taken over Napoleon began trying to bring safety and stability back to France. He created a national bank, fixed the tax system to make it more efficient, and ended government corruption. He also restored the position of the Catholic Church in France, gaining the favor of the Pope. These things won over the French people. In 1804 they supported his decision to crown himself Emperor Napoleon I.

The Spread of Nationalism (Standard 7-3.2)

19 Napoleon was not content with taking over France. He began conquering land across Europe. Almost all of Europe was eventually under Napoleon’s control. The two major exceptions were Great Britain and Russia. Those two nations would be the causes of Napoleon’s ultimate defeat. His attempts to defeat them cost too much money and too many lives, so he was EXILED (sent away) to the island of Elba. Napoleon would not stay gone for long. He was able to return to power for 100 days. At the battle of Waterloo he faced one final defeat. Napoleon lived the rest of his days as a prisoner on the British island of St. Helena.

20 Napoleon’s influence didn’t end when he was sent away for the last time. As his soldiers spread into other nations they spread the ideas of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. Belief in limited government and the importance of freedom and independence became found everywhere in Europe. People demanded changes from their leaders and looked for new types of governments. They adopted the ideas of natural rights and the social contract. When Napoleon tried to force French customs on the places he had conquered the people there began to rise up

Napoleon after crowning himself Emperor of

France

against him. This was the birth of NATIONALISM (the belief that you should be loyal to your culture instead of a leader or territory).

21 Nationalism was a way for people to protect their CULTURE (shared beliefs, traditions, customs, language, and so on). Across Europe Nationalists started using the French slogan “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity (Brotherhood)” as they fought their own revolutions. They were fighting for freedom (Liberty). They were fighting to get respect for their beliefs (Equality). They were fighting to keep their people together (Fraternity). Nationalism was sometimes used for UNIFICATION, where people with the same culture come together to form new countries. It was also sometimes used for separation, where people break up with their current government and create a new one. Attempts to stomp out nationalism failed. Attempts to reset all governments to where they had been before Napoleon invaded had only limited success. The ideas of nationalism were out there, and there was no way to take them back.

22 Germany was a country that experienced nationalism by unification. OTTO VON BISMARCK led the unification of Germany into one single country. Bismarck was the Prime Minister of the nation of Prussia. He believed that speeches would not be enough to unite Germany. He believed it would take “blood and iron” so he used three wars to bring the German people together. He intentionally provoked both Denmark and Austria in order to capture territories that they owned. To finish the job, he tricked France into declaring war against Prussia. When they did, he said it was an attack on all German people. This caused the final nations to join Prussia and form a united Germany.

23 A similar pattern took place in Italy. CAMILLO DI CAVOUR led the unification of Northern Italy, while GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI led the unification of Southern Italy. Cavour convinced Garibaldi to join the two pieces together. He agreed, and the two allowed King Victor Emmanuel II to lead the united country from its new capital of Rome.

Otto von Bismarck

24 These short wars redrew the map of Europe. For the next 40 years the major nations of Europe would be at peace.

25 Nationalism continued to grow.

Latin American Revolutions (Standard 7-3.3)26 The spread of revolutions would not be contained to Europe. In places like

Haiti, Mexico, and South America nationalism would have a major impact on the people and cultures living there. Like countries in Europe, they were inspired by the ideas of freedom, equality, and independence. They were also inspired by the American and French Revolutions.

27 Haiti was a good example of nationalism leading to separation. The French colony had a large population of slaves. These slaves learned about the American Revolution, and it inspired them to fight for their own freedom. In 1791 they revolted, led by a former slave named TOUSSAINT L’OUVERTURE. Within 10 years L’Ouverture and his soldiers had taken control of Haiti and freed all of its slaves. Eventually L’Ouverture was captured by French soldiers. He was sent to France, and in 1803 he died in prison. Despite L’Ouverture’s death, the French could not stop the rebellion. In 1804 Haiti declared itself independent. This remains the only successful slave revolt in history.

Toussaint L’Ouverture

Cavour and Garibaldi

28 Society in the Spanish colonies was similar to that of France before the French Revolution. Like France, Spanish society was divided based on where you were born and who your parents were. At the top were the peninsulares, wealthy citizens who had been born in Spain. Peninsulares were the only ones who could hold the highest offices and positions of power. Below them were the creoles, people who had Spanish parents but who were born in the colonies. Creoles could do anything the peninsulares could do except hold political office. These two classes owned almost all the wealth, power, and land in Latin America. Below them were the mixed-race classes. Mestizos were mixed-race people who had both Spanish and Native-American ancestors. Mulattos were mixed-race people who had both Spanish and African ancestors. Below all other classes were the slaves.

29 Creoles led most of the revolutions in Latin America. The main reason for this is that creoles were more likely to be educated than the classes below them. They had been exposed to the ideas of the Enlightenment. They had learned about the different revolutions that took place around the world. They were especially concerned about Napoleon’s conquest of Europe because they were afraid their mother country might be taken over. If it was, they could lose their status and power. Their fears spread to the lower classes, causing nationalism to grow in Latin America.

30 Revolutions in Mexico were first led by mestizos. Father Miguel Hidalgo, a priest inspired by Enlightenment ideas, led a march on Mexico City. They were defeated by the creoles and peninsulares. But the creoles would not work with the peninsulares forever. Mexican creoles became afraid of losing their power. They started supporting the revolutions so they could stay wealthy and powerful. This led to the independence of Mexico. Later, the nations of Central America declared themselves independent of Mexico.

31 The desire for

nationalism also spread across South America. Simon Bolivar was a creole general. He led independence movements across South America. He eventually met up with Jose de San Martin, who had been doing the same thing in other parts of the continent. Like Cavour and Garibaldi in Italy, the two men decided to unite their forces. They wanted to unite the Spanish colonies into a single country called “Gran Colombia.” For a time it looked like they might succeed, but the different parts could not get over their political differences. Each part of Gran Colombia eventually became its own independent nation.

Bolivar and San Martin