WINDOWS TO WORLD HISTORY
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  • Because You Were Here We Are Enriched
  • Provocative People
    • Stephane Hessel Wrote Indignez Vous
    • Writer Lafcadio Hearn Merged Greek and Japanese Cultures
    • Are Paul Redfern and the Port of New Brunswick Buried in the Amazon Jungle?
    • Hans Brinker, the Dutch Hero Who Isn't Really Dutch!
    • Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler Fled Auschwitz and Wrote a Report
    • Roman Emperor Caligula and His Legendary Lake Nemi Ships
    • Rabbi Robert Serebrenik Defies Adolf Eichmann to Save Luxembourg Jews
    • The Confederados Become Brazilian, but Honor Their Southern Roots
    • Pliny the Younger Wrote Letters about His Life in Ancient Rome
    • Hannes Hafstein, Iceland's Poet-Prime Minister, Works for a Cable
    • Mermen Are Important Players in Scandinavian Culture and History
    • William Tell, Mythical Hero, Mythical Historical Figure, or Both?
    • Fritz Thyssen Helped Finance the Nazi Party, but Later Changed His Mind
    • Leif Ericson and L'Anse Meadows
    • Sigrid and Eirikr Magnusson Contributed Much to Iceland's Culture
    • Clara and Henry Leffingwell - An English, Australian, and American Story
    • Per Jacobsen, Norwegian Ice Skater and Resistance Fighter
    • Poul La Cour Pioneered Wind Power in Denmark
    • Michel Linovich- an Italian in Napoleon's Grand Army
    • Solomon Linda, the Lion Sleeps Tonight
    • Sergei Rachmaninoff Composed Rhapsody at Senar, His Swiss Villa
  • Raoul Wallenberg, the Hero Who Never Returned to Sweden
  • Jean Baptiste Sipido Tries to Assassinate the Prince of Wales
  • The Legend of the Hermit of Cape Maleus in Greece Transcends Time
  • Happy Hands-On Historical New Year!
  • Christmas Around the World
    • A Christmas Tribute to Captain Henry Waskow
    • European Christmases in Centuries Past
    • Chasing and Capturing the Fugitive Spirit of Father Christmas
  • Women in World History
  • Madam Elisabeth Thible is the First Woman to Ride in a Free Floating Balloon
  • Nurse Edith Cavell Had The Courage to Die for Her Country
  • Gertrud Scholtz-Klink Followed Hitler Her Entire Life
  • Suzanne Valadon and Maurice Utrillo - Artists of Montmartre
  • SOE Agent Andree Borrel Lived Several Lifetimes in Her 24 Years
  • Queen Alexandra of Great Britain - Queen Victoria's Daughter-in-Law, Bertie's Patient Wife, and Her Own Person
  • Maria Gulovich Liu Joined the Czech Resistance, Won the Bronze Star and became an American Citizen
  • Francoise Marie Jacquelin, Lioness of Latour, Lioness of Acadia, Woman in her Own Right
  • Grand Duchess Marie Adelaide of Luxembourg is a Symbol of Effective Rule
  • Clara Zetin Speaks Against Hitler in the German Reichstag
  • Madam Sophie Blanchard - Official Aeronaut of the Restoration
  • Queen Amelia Maria, the Last Queen of Portugal, Stood Her Ground
  • Places for Posterity
  • Haunted Church Bells Ring in Boscastle and Tintagel in Cornwall
  • Vienna Plague Defenses Included Plague Hospitals
  • The Plundering Plague and the Downfall of the Republic of Venice
  • Ostend Belgium
  • Centuries of History and Ghosts Haunt Denmark's Dragsholm Castle
  • Does Jacques LeRay Chaumont Still Haunt Chaumont Castle?
  • Soldier's Stories
  • Napoleon Bonaparte Ignores His Little Red Man of Destiny
    • The French Revolution Has More Phases than the Moon!
    • Napoleon Bonaparte Still Owes Innkeeper Hippolyte Baretta Sixty Francs!
    • Australian War Correspondent Alan Moorehead Returns to His Roots
    • General Christian Christensen is a Dual Citizen of Denmark and the United States
    • In 1919, Villagers and Soldiers Helped Rebuild Chateau-Thierry
    • The Dudman Family Lived the Meaning of Patriotism and Sacrifice During World War II
    • Five French Boys Canoe the English Channel
    • Stalin's Spin Doctors
    • Maurice Maeterlinck Encounters American Customs
    • Carl von Ossietzky Wins the Nobel Prize While in a Nazi Prison Camp
    • Flying Kites Through All Seasons, Countries, and Histories
  • World History 101
    • Pieces of World- History Puzzle
    • World History Puzzles - the Old World Meets the New World

The French Revolution Had More Phases Than The Moon!

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Marie Antoinette on the way to her execution. Wikimedia Commons
The young Lieutenant Napoleon Bonaparte and his country were in the middle of a revolution that events and historians would later divide into stages or phases.

The First Phase of the French Revolution

The first stage of the French Revolution or the National Assembly stage, lasted from June 1789 until September of 1791. It happened spontaneously when the Third Estate- basically the urban and rural middle class- declared their independence with the Oath of the Tennis Court,on June 17, 1789. King Louis XVI finally considered the common people when they overran the Bastille in Paris on July 14, 1789.

The National Assembly issued the Declaration of the Rights of Man and created the Constitution of 1791. It finished its work in September of 1791 and forged a new permanent government, the Legislative Assembly. After it finished creating the Legislative Assembly, the National Assembly peacefully disbanded. The new government was a constitutional monarchy with Louis XVI as king, and the French Revolution was supposed to end at this point since France had a permanent government.

The new constitutional monarchy favored the wealthy middle class or the bourgeoisie who controlled the government as active citizens. Poor people, who were a majority of the population felt left out, and most of them were passive citizens with no voting rights. The government faced serious problems. The King wanted to return to absolutism. Poor people wanted the government to give them more political and economic power.

Other European nations like Austria, Prussia, and England, feared the French government because they felt it spread dangerous ideas like liberty and equality. Many nobles and priests and peasants felt that the Revolution had gone too far. By September 1792, the Legislative Assembly had lost the support of many Frenchmen and collapsed into the Second French Revolution. France needed to create a government that more people would support.

The National Assembly, Radical Phase-1792-1794

The National Assembly, radical phase began in 1792 and lasted until 1794. The National Convention of 1792 tried to gain support of the poor by giving into their demands. King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette were executed during this radical phase and the Revolution became violent. The Paris Commune drove the Girondins out of Paris and France slipped into civil war. The government tried to restore order by creating the C.O.P.S. to intimidate citizens during the Reign of Terror.

During the Thermidorian Reaction, the National Convention turned against Robespierre and the COPs. It wrote a revised constitution and revoked many of the freedoms likevoting rights that it had earlier given to the people. The National Convention voluntarily ended after its members created a new permanent government called the Directory.

The Directory, 1795-1799

The Directory was a democracy that the wealthy controlled. They were the only ones who had voting rights. The Directory was intended to be permanent and it used the army to control the people. Napoleon Bonaparte became very powerful because the government relied on his fighting skills to enforce their commands. His military victories aboard captured the imagination of the French people.

The Consulate, 1799-1804

The Cosulate formed when Napoleon Bonaparte, Jean Jacques Regis de Cambaceres, and Charles Francois Lebrun realized they had the power to rule by themselves. They overthrew the Directory by force and ruled the country as dictators. France moved further to the right. The Consulate was intended to be permanent and many people supported it because it restored order and helped the country run better. The Napoleonic Code was instituted and its legal and financial reforms were instrumental in creating an effective,efficient system of government.

Napoleon crowned himself emperor and ruled the country alone. France was at its most powerful at this time, with Napoleon's armies taking over much of Europe. Napoleon modernized Europe along Enlightenment principles, but many people also began to resent his power. Nationalism spread to other regions of Europe and the effects of the Continental System damaged the economy. Napoleon experienced crushing defeats in 1813 and 1815. He was removed from power twice and exiled first to the island of Elba in the Mediterranean in 1813 and finally to St. Helena in the South Atlantic in 1815, where he remained until he died on May 5, 1821.


 




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All of the material on this website is copyrighted.  You are free to link to any of the articles and to download any of the PDF books to read and use as long as you credit me as the author. I fully hope and expect the classroom activities to be freely used.      kathywarnes@gmail.com
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  • Home
  • Bishop Walter Hawkins: Protected by the British Lion
  • World History Windows
  • The White Roses Defy the Nazis
  • Elias Lonnrot Compiles the Kalevala
  • Because You Were Here We Are Enriched
  • Provocative People
    • Stephane Hessel Wrote Indignez Vous
    • Writer Lafcadio Hearn Merged Greek and Japanese Cultures
    • Are Paul Redfern and the Port of New Brunswick Buried in the Amazon Jungle?
    • Hans Brinker, the Dutch Hero Who Isn't Really Dutch!
    • Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler Fled Auschwitz and Wrote a Report
    • Roman Emperor Caligula and His Legendary Lake Nemi Ships
    • Rabbi Robert Serebrenik Defies Adolf Eichmann to Save Luxembourg Jews
    • The Confederados Become Brazilian, but Honor Their Southern Roots
    • Pliny the Younger Wrote Letters about His Life in Ancient Rome
    • Hannes Hafstein, Iceland's Poet-Prime Minister, Works for a Cable
    • Mermen Are Important Players in Scandinavian Culture and History
    • William Tell, Mythical Hero, Mythical Historical Figure, or Both?
    • Fritz Thyssen Helped Finance the Nazi Party, but Later Changed His Mind
    • Leif Ericson and L'Anse Meadows
    • Sigrid and Eirikr Magnusson Contributed Much to Iceland's Culture
    • Clara and Henry Leffingwell - An English, Australian, and American Story
    • Per Jacobsen, Norwegian Ice Skater and Resistance Fighter
    • Poul La Cour Pioneered Wind Power in Denmark
    • Michel Linovich- an Italian in Napoleon's Grand Army
    • Solomon Linda, the Lion Sleeps Tonight
    • Sergei Rachmaninoff Composed Rhapsody at Senar, His Swiss Villa
  • Raoul Wallenberg, the Hero Who Never Returned to Sweden
  • Jean Baptiste Sipido Tries to Assassinate the Prince of Wales
  • The Legend of the Hermit of Cape Maleus in Greece Transcends Time
  • Happy Hands-On Historical New Year!
  • Christmas Around the World
    • A Christmas Tribute to Captain Henry Waskow
    • European Christmases in Centuries Past
    • Chasing and Capturing the Fugitive Spirit of Father Christmas
  • Women in World History
  • Madam Elisabeth Thible is the First Woman to Ride in a Free Floating Balloon
  • Nurse Edith Cavell Had The Courage to Die for Her Country
  • Gertrud Scholtz-Klink Followed Hitler Her Entire Life
  • Suzanne Valadon and Maurice Utrillo - Artists of Montmartre
  • SOE Agent Andree Borrel Lived Several Lifetimes in Her 24 Years
  • Queen Alexandra of Great Britain - Queen Victoria's Daughter-in-Law, Bertie's Patient Wife, and Her Own Person
  • Maria Gulovich Liu Joined the Czech Resistance, Won the Bronze Star and became an American Citizen
  • Francoise Marie Jacquelin, Lioness of Latour, Lioness of Acadia, Woman in her Own Right
  • Grand Duchess Marie Adelaide of Luxembourg is a Symbol of Effective Rule
  • Clara Zetin Speaks Against Hitler in the German Reichstag
  • Madam Sophie Blanchard - Official Aeronaut of the Restoration
  • Queen Amelia Maria, the Last Queen of Portugal, Stood Her Ground
  • Places for Posterity
  • Haunted Church Bells Ring in Boscastle and Tintagel in Cornwall
  • Vienna Plague Defenses Included Plague Hospitals
  • The Plundering Plague and the Downfall of the Republic of Venice
  • Ostend Belgium
  • Centuries of History and Ghosts Haunt Denmark's Dragsholm Castle
  • Does Jacques LeRay Chaumont Still Haunt Chaumont Castle?
  • Soldier's Stories
  • Napoleon Bonaparte Ignores His Little Red Man of Destiny
    • The French Revolution Has More Phases than the Moon!
    • Napoleon Bonaparte Still Owes Innkeeper Hippolyte Baretta Sixty Francs!
    • Australian War Correspondent Alan Moorehead Returns to His Roots
    • General Christian Christensen is a Dual Citizen of Denmark and the United States
    • In 1919, Villagers and Soldiers Helped Rebuild Chateau-Thierry
    • The Dudman Family Lived the Meaning of Patriotism and Sacrifice During World War II
    • Five French Boys Canoe the English Channel
    • Stalin's Spin Doctors
    • Maurice Maeterlinck Encounters American Customs
    • Carl von Ossietzky Wins the Nobel Prize While in a Nazi Prison Camp
    • Flying Kites Through All Seasons, Countries, and Histories
  • World History 101
    • Pieces of World- History Puzzle
    • World History Puzzles - the Old World Meets the New World