Revolutionary France

& Victor Hugo

A brief history

The 18th Century

Began with a system of Absolute Monarchy throughout Europe

Royalty and the aristocracy lived in excessive luxury & unrivaled power

In France, Louis XIV believes in the Theatre of Royalty, but he did attend to his obligations to the people.

18th Century – the classes

Aristocracy

Unprecedented wealth/power

Severely taxed subjects/$ to monarchy

Peasants

Bottom of the barrel; little employment

Little pay; no privileges

“Age of Enlightenment” (approx. 1700 – 1804)

“Age of Enlightenment”

Advocated Reason as a means to establishing an

authoritative system of aesthetics, ethics,

government, and logic, to allow philosophers to obtain

objective truth about the universe

emphasized empiricism, reason, science, and

rationality.

The intellectual leaders believed they would lead the

world into progress from a long period of doubtful

tradition, irrationality, superstition, and tyranny, which

they imputed to the Dark Ages. The movement

helped create the intellectual framework for the

American and French Revolutions

Louis XVI

Came to power during rough times

Did not particularly want to be king

Father (Louise XV) had bankrupted the

government

Wide spread famines throughout France

led to food shortages

Louis XVI

Biggest mistake . . .

REFUSED TO MAKE ANY

CONSESSION TO THE

PEOPLE/THE MASSES

Vive la Revolucion!!!

July 14, 1789 – Storming of the Bastille

Peasants revolted; overthrew the

government

Peasants had no “plan” – chaos resulted

Chaos

1792 – Monarchy sympathizers massacred

Louis XVI & Marie Antoinette arrested

Tried as criminals to the state

Jan 1793 – Louis XVI guillotined

Oct 1793 – Marie Antoinette guillotined

Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte – 1796

Came from common ranks of military

Created French Empire (Atlantic – Russia)

Brought Nationalism back to France

Code Napoleon (Napoleonic Law)

Attempted to stabilize and equalize society

Opened public education of the masses

Bonaparte the Tyrant – 1804

Shows signs of being power hungry

Crowns himself Emperor of French Empire

(Atlantic Ocean – Russia)

Many foreign wars depleted treasury

Became the “monarch” the Revolution

fought against

Napoleon the Tyrant: 1814 – 15

1814 – Foreign forces (Russia, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Britain) overthrow him

Exiled to Elba for life under French watch, but escapes and “reclaims” France

1815 – Waterloo – After 100 days his last battle

Foreign forces defeated Napoleon’s troops, 1000s of French died

Exiled to St. Helena by British under British watch. He dies there 1821.

Bourbon Restoration: 1815 – 1830

Louis XVIII ascends to thrown; followed by Charles X

Forced to write a constitution that limited monarchy’s power (but the process was a mess)

Rise of the Bourgeoisie (middle class which never really existed before)

Mass movement to cities; population rises

Wide spread famines bring France near collapse, again.

Louis-Phillipe –

The Bourgeois King

1830 July Revolution – Charles X

abdicates to “relative”

Louis-Phillipe had worked in government

and was seen as the “people’s king”

King of the French; not King of France

Industrial Revolution FINALLY hits France

(50 yrs after Britain)

Louis-Phillipe: 1830 – 1848

Wanted to please middle class = $$$$

People expected classless society but

really only $$$ mattered

Tried to “re-write” laws given monarchy

more power, again

Many small “revolutionary” movements

take place throughout France. (Later

sections of Les Miserables depicts these)

Paris Revolts!!! 1844-48 Industrialization takes jobs; inflation

goes out of control; wide spread food shortages

Paris revolts – Demanded political rights for all people/citizens

1848-70 Napoleon III (nephew) declares himself Emperor; rebuilds Paris but foreign wars are his downfall. 1870 defeated by Germans; exiled to Britain.

Finally, a true democratic government is installed in France.

Victor Hugo: 1802 – 1885

A born Romantic

Prolific writer (letters, essays, poems, novels, etc…)

3 of 5 of his children died tragically

2 when very young

1 when she was in her 20s confined to a mental institution

Married 1 time – very romantic relationship

1831 Hunchback of Notre Dame made him famous and rich

Victor Hugo: politics Very romantic, liberal and politically involved –

not popular with conservative politics of his time

Wrote to everyone and for everyone

(periodicals) with commentary on society

1850 – Exiled by Napoleon III (20 yrs)

Begins Les Miserables 1858 – published 1862

1870 returned to France and served in

legislature

Proponent for help for the masses and rights of

the common man