French Revolution 1789 and Napoleon

The French Revolution of 1789 was not only an important event in French history, but also a turning point in European history. While the American Revolution in 1776 was intriguing because a group of colonies overthrew the massive empire that ruled them, the French Revolution was the first example of a country overthrowing the ruling elite that had been established for centuries. On the 14th of July the Revolution kicked off with the storming of the Bastille by insurgents seeking to gain control of a large weapons and ammunition cache. The success of the attack caused multiple militias to form around France as the idea of popular sovereignty began to spread. This expanded violence, as well as the rumors of violence, caused widespread civil unrest which began to deteriorate the French system of law and order. After several years of unrest, King Louis XVI was executed in 1793, which caused other monarchies in Europe to call for war with the revolutionary France. They feared that if the revolutionary fever was allowed to spread, then they could be the ones to be removed from power next. Following King Louis execution was the Reign of Terror, initiated by Maximilien Robespierre, which aimed at restoring order and cementing control over the country. This period between 1793 and 1794 saw around 16,600 executions of suspected counter revolutionaries. The problem with these executions was that the due process as we know it was not adhered to by those administering justice. While many were executed for certain political actions or opinions that were deemed detrimental to the overall movement, many others were executed merely on suspicion of wrongdoing.

After several more years of ineffective governance under the Constitutional Republic, Napoleon Bonaparte came to power after orchestrating a coup, and then was later given the title Emperor of France. This began the second phase of the French Revolution, which was marked by a period of expansion. The other monarchs in Europe had long feared that the unrest in France would lead to unrest at home, and this fear became realized when Napoleon took power. Following a successful invasion of Italy, Napoleon hoped to cut England off from its imperialist treasures by seizing Egypt, even though this invasion was ultimately unsuccessful. Even with this setback, Napoleon was able to take control over much of the European continent, including Spain, Italy, and much of Austria-Hungary. Napoleons undoing came when he chose to invade Russia. This caused the other European powers that were not already under French control to band together to remove the threat. Following his historic defeat in Russia, Napoleon was overthrown and exiled to Elba. He experienced a brief return to power roughly a year later, and rallied his old forces back to himself. He desired to regain the empire he had been establishing, but his resurgence was thwarted at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Stripped of power for a second time, he was exile again, this time to Saint Helena, where he eventually died in 1821. These events are very important to the French identity because this event is what brought Europe into the modern era. This time period is one of the most important in French history, because they were able to remove an oppressive government and move forward towards a better future.

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Lecture 11: The Origins of the French Revolution." Lecture 11: The Origins of the French Revolution. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013

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