Darby,+Merrill,+Alex

French Revolution Project

Event:Storming of the Bastille
Trouble was brewing in the 3rd Estate at this point in the Revolution. Rumors were flying about how the king was going to send troops to suppress rebels, and the urban poor felt they needed weapons to defend themselves. On July 14, 1789, a group of people decided to attack the Bastille Prison. The guards opened fire on them, and many were killed, rebels and guards alike. However, this powerful event served as an important symbol of the monarch’s dwindling power. It served as a wakeup call to the king, but as the following documents show, many government officials and nobles felt like they had no power and the violence was unnecessary.


 * Good, but you make two important points, only one of which is in the intro. Make sure your intro talks about how the 3rd Estate limits the power of the King.**

__Source 1:Pris de la Bastille__

This image vividly depicts the brutality of the French Revolution. The urban poor and workers were so upset by their unjust government and scared of rumors that they felt that they needed weapons to protect themselves. This feeling grew into the Storming of the Bastille, where a group of angry rioters attacked Bastille prison, killing many soldiers and destroying much of the prison.


 * Whose perspective is this? Does the artist agree or disagree with what is happening?**

__**Source 2: Parisian Riots on July 14**__

Victor Besenval, commander of the royal  soldiers, wrote this document after debating whether or not to try and stop the Storming of the Bastille. He said he tried contacting Versailles, where the king was, but they “ignored  my cruel situation and persisted in regarding a rising of three hundred thousand men as an unlawful assembly and the revolution as a riot.” As the night moved on and he heard of rising troubles and riots, he began to lose hope in trying to suppress it. In the end, he felt, as did many people in the French army, that the Revolution was beyond their control without the help of the king, and Besenval was even told by a comrade, “ I am sure of this and neither you or I can do anything to prevent it. Do not try to do so. You will sacrifice your men without extinguishing a single torch." **This one gets better as you go. But again, explain at the outset the elite's view of the revolution.**

__**Source 3: Victims on Display**__

This document portrays the lavish lifestyle of the nobility in Paris during the Moderate Phase of the Revolution. The Duchess of Gontaut often spent evenings like this while people starved in the streets— “ At three I go to the Club to meet the Gentleman with whom I engaged to dine at Table d'Hôte. We go thither and have a good Dinner for 3; Coffee &c., included the Price of the Dinner is 48 // francs //. After Dinner walk a little under the Arcade of the Palais Royal waiting for my Carriage.” However, the rest of this document shows that the nobility were not hidden away from the horrors of the Revolution, for she then goes on to describe seeing the dead body of a government official, watching in horror “The Head on a Pike, the Body dragged naked on the Earth.” She also said his only crime was “to have accepted a Place in the Ministry,” believing that the actions of the Revolution was just unnecessarily gruesome and violent.


 * How is this relevant to your event? There is no mention of the Bastille.**

Event: Execution of king Louis XVI:
In January 1793, Louis XVI, the king of France was forced upon a scaffold in Paris. Having been condemned to death by a single vote (December 1793), Louis XVI was beheaded. When Louis head rolled from his body to a basket laying beside the guillotine, it was a symbol that the Old Regime and absolute monarchy had come to an end.


 * Absolute monarchy had ended before his beheading - constitutional monarchy.**

__**Source 1: visual**__ Explanation: In this picture, Louis XVI has just been beheaded by the guillotine. After Louis XVI was executed, his head tumbled into a basket which you can see right beside the guillotine. The executioner then picked up the head of Louis the XVI and raised it out above the crowd. The painting depicts the cheering mob at the sight of Louis XVI's severed head.

Perspective: J. L. David, Bourgeoisie **Why do you think it is bourgeoisie?**

__**Source 2: Document**__ "Bossuet, "The Nature and Properties of Royal Authority"" //Center for History and New Media//. Web. 27 Feb. 2010. .

Exerpt: "//Royal authority has four essential characteristics or qualities. First of all, royal authority is sacred; second, it is paternal; third, it is absolute; and fourth, it is subject to reason. These will be established, in order, in the following articles.....////It is clear from the foregoing that kings' persons are sacred, and that any attack upon them is sacrilege."//

Perspective: Catholic Church **You need need more than the excerpt - what about the explanation?**

__**Source 3: Visual **__

Explanation: King Louis XVI's head is about to role into the basket, and as this happens, the angels, which represent God's allegiance to Louis, and the devils, who surround surround Louis with captions "Vive la Nation" and "Ca' ira", clearly portray the feeling that God will punish those who "murdered" the king. Overall, this cartoon depicts Louis XVI being "murdered". The executioner is depicted as a devil and the priest is on his knees praying with an open bible

Perspective: Foreign Governments, this picture depicts how the execution of Louis the XVI was viewed by those outside of France (specifically Great Britain)

Event: Napoleon Bonaparte declares himself ruler.
One of the first steps of returning France to Normalcy was napoleon Bonaparte Crowning himself Ruler. Napoleon started to rise in the army as he led the troops to many victories. France, because of Bonaparte's success, trusted him. This led to many followers and much support of the French people. So much support, in fact, that Napoleon declared himself ruler of France. He then planned his coronation and invited the pope to it. At his coronation, Napoleon took the crown from the pope's hands and crowned himself Emperor of France.


 * Why is this a return to normalcy?**

__**Source 1: Visual**__



Perspective: Foreign Governments

Explanation: This document is different than the others because it is the only one that shows Napoleon in a negative light. The German governments try to mock Napoleon by by saying that the only people who will attend to him are mice. There are actually many images that shoe **SP** this common theme. They all put forth the message that after **N** napoleon was crowned the French people who followed him were about as educated as mice. This also shows that while a lot of the French people liked him, the Foreign Governments did not.

__**Source 2: Document**__  Paul-François-Jean-Nicolas Barras, //Memoirs of Barras: Member of the Directorate//, trans. and ed. George Duruy, 4 vols. (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1895): 1:299–305, 332

Excerpt: "...I have not left out, however, the fact that he [Bonaparte] gave indication of a quick military perception when, pulling me by the coat and drawing me a few paces away from a position which would have exposed me to the first discharge, he said to me in an outburst of animation which was the product of the circumstances: "All would be lost if you were killed. The drama hinges on you alone; there is no one who could take your place. What action are you going to take?" It was then that I ordered Brune to fire his cannon, and Bonaparte, pressing my hand, exclaimed: "The republic is saved."

Explanation: In this Document, titled "Bonaparte Saves the Day", Barras, a member of the Directory, speaks of Napoleon Bonaparte's actions, whilst trying calm an uprising riot about a proposed constitution. The constitution was going to protect the rights of the radicals, and some royalist- influenced groups were revolting. Though, as Barras proclaims, Bonaparte did not have any authority during this revolt, he did in fact "save the day." He saved Barras's life and suggested they begin to fire back. Though Barras was not fond of Napoleon, he did see that Napoleon had a great mind and did save his life.


 * What does this have to do with Napoleon declaring himself Emperpor?**

Perspective: Provincial Government **A member of the Directory would not be part of the Directory - the Directory was the central government.**

__**Source 3: Document**__

 James Harvey Robinson, ed., //Readings in European History, //  2 Vols. //( // Boston: Ginn and Co., 1904-1906), Vol. II: //From the opening of the Protestant Revolt to the Present Day // , pp. 487-489

Excerpt: Madame de Rémusat: Remembrances of Napoleon:

" Bonaparte's reception by the troops was nothing short of rapturous. It was well worth seeing how he talked to the soldiers, ---how he questioned them one after the other respecting their campaigns or their wounds, taking particular interest in the men who had accompanied him to Egypt. I have heard Madame Bonaparte say that her husband was in the constant habit of poring over the list of what are called the //cadres //  of the army at night before he slept. He would go to sleep repeating the names of the corps, and even those of some of the individuals who composed them; he kept these names in a corner of his memory, and this habit came to his aid when he wanted to recognize a soldier and to give him the pleasure of a cheering word from his general. He spoke to the subalterns in a tone of good-fellowship, which delighted them all, as he reminded them of their common feats of arms."

Explanation: In this document Madame Remusat remembers Napoleon as a strong leader. She speaks of how he never wrote anything down and never repeated anything he said. He put great emotion into his leadership and work. He showed much respect and dedication towards his armies. And in return to his forceful yet good leading style, he gained the loyalty and support of the armies and some of the French people.

Perspective: Bourgeoisie **Why?**

Bibliography:
"Hell Broke Loose, or, The Murder of Louis." //Center for History and New Media//. Web. 27 Feb. 2010. . “Parisian Riots on July 14.” __Liberty, Equality, Fraternity—Exploring the French Revolution.__ 1 March 2010. [] [|“Pris de la Bastille.” Online Image.][|Liberty, Equality, Fraternity—Exploring the French Revolution.] [|1 March 2010.][]

"The Execution of Louis XVI, 1793." //EyeWitness to History - history through the eyes of those who lived it//. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. . “Victims on Display.” __Liberty, Equality, Fraternity—Exploring the French Revolution.__ 1 March 2010. http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/384/.

= =

"Madame de Rémusat: Remembrances of Napoleon." Modern History Sourcebook. 1 March 2010. <[]> "Bonaparte Saves the Day." <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">__Liberty, Equality, Fraternity—Exploring the French Revolution.__ 1 March 2010. [|http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/searchfr.php?function=find&x=0&y=0&keyword=Bonaparte#"]The Great Man."<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> __Liberty, Equality, Fraternity—Exploring the French Revolution.__ 1 March 2010. []


 * Your bibliography is incomplete - some citations are above.

Events - You need stronger intro sentences that explain the event's importance to the period. 12/15 Documents - Many documents lack explanations for perspective or do not relate to event. 36/45 Presentation - you need more organization - place all of your cites in the same place. 8/10 Citations - 9/10

65/80**