The French and Industrial Revolutions

A) Chapter Overview Paragraph:

• The growth in science and appreciation for their benefits during the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment led to the Industrial Revolution, where innovating ideas met reality. Inventions like the steam engine and the water loom helped launch Europe into an era of competition, not for the best army but for the most powerful industry. Britain solidly dominated in this front, and by the mid 19th century, British Industry comprised 2/3rds of the world's total industry. All these innovations were also husbanded to the Enlightenment ideals, which helped cause the French Revolution. The French were very impoverished and could not rival the sheer industrial power of England, so the people rose up against their leaders who had put them in such a place.

B) Top 10 People:

1. Thomas Malthus

• 1763-1834
• Was an English writer whose works had profound impact on the fields of economics and demographics
• His magnum opus,  An Essay on the Principle of Population, explains how the increase in population would always be greater than the ability to produce resources. He also introduced the concept of renting items that one can’t normally afford.

     2. Louis XVI

• 1774-1791
• King of France and Navarre
• Louis XVI was part of the Bourbon family line, he supported the Americans in the Revolutionary War. He was a part of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which officially made the United States free. He was, however, disliked by the people, which led to the French Revolution. He was executed.

    3.  James Watt

• 1736-1819
• Was a Scottish engineer and inventor who furthered Newcomen's steam engine.
• His work made steam engines more applicable to everyday causes that was a huge cause of the Industrial Revolution that revolved around steam-powered, coal-fueled engines. 

     4. Maximilian Robespierre

• 1758-1794
• Robespierre was one of the main members involved in the French Revolution.
• He participated in the reign of terror as a liberal bourgeoisie. He was later arrested and executed. 

    5. Richard Arkwright

• 1732-1792
• Was an English inventor who came up with a water powered spinning jenny.
• His invention streamlined efficiency because water power was unstoppable so the machine could

    6. First, Second, and Third Estates

• During French Revolution
• Social classes that made up the hierarchy for France
• The First Estate was clergy and made up about .4% of the population. The Second Estate was Nobility, and made about 1.6% of the population. Last, the Third Estate was everyone else, and had about 98% of the population. The Third Estate was said to carry the weight of the other two estates.  

   7. Jean Paul Marat

• 1 743-1793
• Was a French author and philosopher who was seen as a champion of the people during the French Revolution.
• He was a strong orator and writer who came to embody the cause of the sans-culottes, even more so following his murder that catapulted him to the status of a martyr.

   8.  Jethro Tull

• 1 674-1741
• Was and English agricultural scientist and inventor who came up with the seed drill
• His drill planted seeds deeper, more frequently, and in better rows than before which greatly increased agricultural production which had a huge impact on food quantity and quality.

   9. David Ricardo

• 1 772-1821
• Was an English political scientist who was very influential over the development of modern capitalism.
• His Iron Law of Wages states that the cost of production determines wages and those minimum wages will always match the minimum subsistence cost of living.

   10. Napoleon Bonaparte

• 1804-1814
• French Emperor: Military and Political leader
• Napoleon was France's Enlightened Emperor. He was one of the greatest military commanders of all time, and rose to power with an imperial monarchy. 

C) Top 10 Events:

1. Tennis Court Oath

• June 17, 1789
• W as a pledge by members of the Third Estate to set up a Constitution for France
• The pledge came following the Third Estate’s removal from the Estates General and managed to further incite differences between the King and the Third Estate.

     2. Storming of the Bastille

• 7/14/1789
• Wa s an insurrection by the urban poor of Paris that ended with the raiding and destruction of the Bastille Fortress.
• P easants, rioting from the lack of bread, took their aggression out on this symbol of French feudal power that ended very violently for the prison guards.

    3.  Bread March

• 10/5/1789
• Was a huge protest led by women to attack Versailles to kill the “Austrian Whore” and to bring the government back to Paris.
• The “fish-mongerers” stormed Versailles and were almost successful in killing Marie Antoinette, but Lafayette intervened.

     4. Reign of Terror

• 1793-1794
• Was an era during which the Committee for Public Safety executed many political opponents and anyone that stood in their way.
• The estimates vary, but as many as 250,000 to 40,000 political opponents and almost anyone who spoke out were executed by the “national razor”, the Guillotine.

    5. Thermidorian Reaction

• 1794-1795
• Was the reaction after the radical phase of the French Revolution.
• Led by Maximilian Robespierre, the conservative's rose up against the long time suppressants of the French Revolution. As a result, churches were reopened, the Directory was formed, and economic restrictions were lifted. 

    6. Agricultural Revolution

• 17th-19th century
• Was an era of innovation that changed the face of agriculture throughout Europe, but mainly in England and Holland
• The era was strongly influenced by the enclosure movement, the cottage industry, and innovations of many scientists. the resulting boom in agriculture increased the population of England and bolstered the country to the status of a world power.

   7. Napoleonic Code

• 1804
• A major reformation to French civil law that standardized practices across France
• The reforms introduced many key ideas in clear and easily usable to the common principle, which is still in effect today. 

   8.  Battle of Austerlitz

• 1805
• Also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors. It was between France, Austria, and Russia. The three Emperors of each country were all apart of the Battle, hence the name.
• France won the Battle and it was one of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte's biggest wins, and often called his most tactical masterpieces. It successfully ended the Third Coalition. 

   9. Battle of Valmy

• September 20, 1792
• The battle was fought between the French Revolutionary forces and the Prussian-Austrian alliance.
• The French managed to repulse the supposedly indestructible Prussians, which proved that the French Revolution could succeed and that Levee En Massee worked.

   10. Battle of Waterloo

• June 18, 1815
• Last part of Napoleon's Hundred Days
• The Battle was the last stand of Napoleon Bonaparte. His loss at Waterloo, sent him back into exile in St. Helena, where he died.  

D)Essay:

•  Analyze the leadership of both Robespierre and Napoleon in relation to how they came to power, to what extent they accomplished their goals, and the circumstances which led to their downfall.

       Between 1789 and 1815 the nation of France underwent a complete overhaul of the entire government. During this era, the people revolted, a democracy was founded, a king was killed, a democracy was corrupted, a corrupted democracy was ousted, a democracy was reinstated, and a democracy was deposed  by a militaristic tyrant. For the previous 1000 years, France had existed in a state of relative internal peace and a monarchy. However, during the philosophical revolution known as the Enlightenment, people began to spread "dangerous" ideas about the rights of man and the liberty that is democracy. These ideals, along with social and economic factors, fanned the flames of the French Revolution, which was harnessed by two separate but very alike leaders. The short statesman Maximilian Robespierre and the short general Napoleon Bonaparte, who despite their setbacks, managed to lead France and bring the country to its peak and embed the ideals of the French Revolution in the annals of history.

       Robespierre and Napoleon had very similar paths to the leadership of France. Robespierre was a French statesman and a fervent supporter of the Revolution and its ideals. He ascended quickly through the ranks of the many legislative bodies that led France during the Revolution until he made his way to the Committee of Public Safety, the collective dictators of France. Napoleon was a similar supporter of the Revolution, but a military man he served France the best way he could; by fighting her battles. The "Little Colonel" rose quickly through the ranks thanks to his military genius and many victories until he was selected by the Council of Ancients to serve on the Directory, which he ultimately overthrew. Both Robespierre and Napoleon rose quickly to power using their skills (Robespierre's oratory and Napoleon's military genius) and with the support of the people of France to lead France during a time of tumultuous chaos that craved strong leadership. 
       Both Napoleon and Robespierre entered their office with the ideals of the people that supported their journey there. Robespierre and the Committee for Public Safety were tapped by their supporters, the Sans-Culottes, to promote the principle of "Equality, Liberty, and Fraternity" in France. Robespierre instituted many reforms to purge any trace of the Ancien Regime from France while equalizing the socioeconomic classes of France. He abolished the Julian Calender, made the guillotine the official method of execution, and   militarized France to fight against the Prussians and Austrians, who were beaten back by the French at the Battle of Valmy, thanks to Robespierre's work to arm, feed, and cloth the Levee en Masse army. Napoleon instituted many such reforms to support his Grand Armee by establishing a national bank of France to control the debt and writing the Napoleonic Code. His efforts saved the French and brought the Empire to its greatest height in the entire history of the French people.
       Despite all the reforms and progress made under the two leaders, Robespierre and Napoleon ultimately met a very unfortunate ending. Robespierre, corrupted by the power vested in him, instituted policies that played into his new modus operendi, "let terror be the order of the day". Conservative estimates place the total death toll from executions under his "Committee for Public Safety" at 40,000 people, the last of which was Robespierre himself when the "national razor" separated the head from the head statesman. Napoleon, following brilliant military victories  at Jenna-Auerstadt and Friedland, decided to invade Russia to force them into the Continental System. Russia was key to the Continental System, which was a union of blockades against Great Britan. Napoleon entered Russia with his Grand Armee of 500,000 men and staggered out of Russia, in the dead of winter, with 30,000, which was the biggest causality rate in military history (almost 90%). This horrendous tragedy led to his abdication as emperor and his his first exile on the island of Elba. He then returned and was again defeated in the Battle of Waterloo and exiled to St. Helena, where Napoleon died an untimely death under mysterious circumstances.
       Although they both led France to the best of their abilities, Robespierre's and Napoleon's mistakes led to their downfall and failure to succeed in Revolutionary France. Robespierre, despite all his reforms, essentially replaced the monarchy of Louis XVI with his own dictatorship, failing to uphold the fundamental ideal of the Revolution. Napoleon's ultimate goal of conquering Great Britain was thwarted by Admiral Horatio Nelson and Napoleon's own arrogance to invade Russia in the winter. Both leaders however succeeded in establishing reforms in France that have lasted throughout the ages, such as Napoleon's Legion of Honor. All in all, Napoleon's and Robespierre's brilliant leadership and power ultimately proved to be their weakness, which resulted in untimely deaths for both in the desperate race to achieve their goals.

E) Top Dog Analysis:

       While revolutions may turn the cogs of history and the inevitable march of progress, they completely flounder when there's a lack of leadership. This can be easily observed in the French Revolution, which failed when it lacked a defined leader and succeeded when it did. Napoleon Bonaparte was the Top Dog of the French Revolution due to his broad impact of the political, social, and international changes that he instituted. Napoleon took over France following a coup d'état the ineffectual Consulate, which he did with the popular backing of the people. The French were tired of the chaos and anarchy of the Revolution, which Napoleon offered a ticket out of. In fact, the Napoleonic Era was one of the most stable eras of French history, at least politically. Napoleon, despite his military background, actually instituted many domestic reforms that improved people's lives. The Napoleonic Code swept away all the provincial laws that limited the people and established one law for all that guaranteed the rights that some landlords took away. This also brought along the sweeping social change that increased equality brought, which was further reinforced by Napoleon's system for selecting his leaders. Napoleon did not choose is top generals and lieutenants for the ranks of the nobles, he choose people who had proved their mettle to him. This also leveled the playing field and allowed commoners to get some upward mobility. Napoleon's greatest achievement however, was his military genius and subsequent combat victories. Napoleon was especially adept with using his artillery with great mobility, which won him many victories over his less talented Austrian, Prussian, and Russian rivals. While Napoleon did ultimately lose to an Anglo-Prussian alliance, he did bring the French Empire to its zenith and was the most influential figure of the French Revolution.

F)Timeline:


G) Images: