A Brief History of France

During the Napoleonic Era, from 1799 to 1815, France became a military power gaining and controlling land throughout Europe. While some historians believe Napoleon Bonaparte was a ruthless dictator, his military accomplishments far outweigh any atrocities he committed. He helped France gain stability after the French Revolution and he also abolished the Feudal contract. Napoleon was a brilliant strategist using military tactics to cause fear and to defeat whatever enemies stood in his way. Throughout his rule, Napoleon continually gained ground, and by the end of his reign, his empire encompassed all of Spain, Italy, and a small portion of land by Russia and Austria. (see map) He is one of

The revolution resulted, among other things, in the overthrow of the Bourbon monarchy in France and in the establishment of the First Republic. It was generated by a vast complex of causes, the most important of which were the inability of the ruling classes of nobility, clergy, and bourgeoisie to come to grips with the problems of state, the indecisive nature of the monarch, impoverishment of the workers, the intellectual ferment of the Age of Enlightenment, and the example of the American Revolution. Recent scholarship tends to downplay the social class struggle and emphasize political, cultural, ideological, and personality factors in the advent and unfolding of the conflict. The Revolution itself produced an equally vast complex of

Before the Napoleonic Age, France was in a very inconsistent period when it comes to government. In 1789, the people of France overthrew the monarchy and had many types of government to try and replace the terrible monarchy. France went through four different types of government before Napoleon stepped in. There was the National Assembly, Legislative Assembly, National Convention, and the Directory. Napoleon saw this weak government and in 1799, he decided to take over France himself. Although he tried to make some positive contributions to France, Napoleon Bonaparte had more of a negative impact because he was an absolute ruler, did not care about the people, and he did not keep the promises he shared.

The 16th century is often referred to as “The Rise of The West” by modern day historians due to the colonization and Imperial expansion of the Western world by European powers. Expeditions appointed by European monarchs to discover routes to the abundant resources in China and the Indies brought some of the first European explorers to the shores of present day Canada. French explorer Jacques Cartier was delegated the task of finding a western passage to the East and when he crossed the Atlantic and landed on the shores of present day Newfoundland in 1534 he thought he had found Asia. When Cartier inserted a cross in the soil in the Gaspé Peninsula declaring it for France he unknownly fabricated the first colony of New France. Cartier, escorted by several ships searched the Eastern coast of North America for precious goods to transport back to King François I of France to solidify backing for future expeditions. Between 1534 and 1541 Cartier made three voyages to North America each time bringing captives and furs back to France in an attempt to illustrate the wealth of these new found lands. After failed attempts to secure a permanent settlement near Stadacona (present-day Quebec City) and further failed attempts to colonize lands further south the French turned the attention to their own lands where a religious civil war was waging. It was not until over sixty years later that the French returned to North America with a new approach in mind.

There were many early expeditions from Europe to North America, most in search of a

France is in the area used to be known by Gaul by the Romans. The Romans were the first major empire to claim what is now modern day France in the second century BC. After the fall of the Romans, Clovis I of the Franks ruled as king of the Franks in Gaul. This happened in the fifth century. Charlemagne later inherited the kingdom and was at its extent during his rule. Modern day France is the western part of his empire after the split in between his 3 grandsons. France fought a series of war with England in the 100 years war with England winning at first but France regaining control of its territory in the later half of the wars. After the hundred years war Frances' government turned into an absolute monarchy.

The American Revolution was a revolution unlike the world had previously seen. Previous revolutions were fought to overthrow tyrannous governments, or to grow economically, but the American Revolution, although underlined by these, was more of a social, economic, and political revolution. The colonies under British rule were the most successful colonies at the time, where the standard of living compared to aristocrats in Europe. Despite the once thriving trade and massive accumulation of wealth, the colonists were still under British rule, and were barely considered British citizens.

For my book review, I have read and evaluated Sylvia Neely’s history book entitled A Concise History of the French Revolution published in 2007 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Neely’s purpose is to gives an overview of the French revolution with the most important events, the most prominent people and the essential terms. We can see that the author proved her thesis by explaining the background causes of the revolution such as the ancient regime with Louis XVI. Also she described all important events in chronological orders which made it easier for the reader to understand. Neely’s book is at the same time an history book, but also an kind of encyclopedia because she included all essentials terms which were use during that time period, such as “dérogeance”, which means the loss of nobility.

The 17th Century (The Great Century). France had expanded to North America, the Caribbean, and India. Unfortunately, the King at the time, Louis XIV, became corrupt with power and waged many unsuccessful wars as a result. In 1789, France had lost most of its oversea territories to England. The French people started to protest and as a result, the king was forced to yield to the protests and convene the Estates-General. The king declared his freedom of the press which resulted in floods of applications calling for a reform. For many months the Third Estate (the middle and lower class) and the nobles and clergy were in conflict. Talk spread of the aristocrats wanting to overthrow the people, and on July 14th, the peasants stormed the Bastille and declared a new French Republic. In the aftermath of the revolution, the government turned to Napoleon Bonaparte, the general of the French military. He became First Consul in 1799 and emperor form 1804-14. As emperor, he tried to make France the supreme power in Europe again. Through his conquests, he built up a great empire. Unfortunately, his battle weary troops were eventually defeated, in the Russian campaign of 1812 and the battle of Waterloo in 1815. After the fall of Napoleon, the Congress of Vienna restored France to its previous borders. From then on, France has developed through many stages, to the country it is

France, also known as the Hexagon due to its six sided shape, was part of the Celtic territory and was named Gaul at the time. The Celts were a group of people who took over parts of the British Isles and the Gallatia land between the 8th and 6th century BC. The Roman Empire, lead by Julius Caesar, conquered Gaul in 58 BCE. However, during the 5th century, the Roman Empire collapsed, and Gaul changed its named to France. France, named after the Franks, which was a group of Germanic men and women, successfully conquered this same piece of land after the administration of the Roman Empire collapsed.

Liberté, égalité, fraternité was the cry of freedom that countless people used to propel them through, and to the end of the French Revolution. This long period of social, political and economic change in France lasted 10 years, starting in 1798 and ended with Napoleon Bonaparte. The French Revolution greatly affected all of Europe at the time and continues to represent the embodiment of revolution to this day. This constant struggle between the heavily taxed, burdened, and unrepresented third estate and those higher created an environment of monumental change for everyone. In the years leading up to the French Revolution, new beliefs and ideas were reaching every corner of Europe creating the thought that men should live free of oppression. However, in France the leader Louis XVI lead like a tyrant leaving the people impoverish and angry. Through the analysation of numerous circumstance present during the Ancien Régime, such as an inferior fiscal leadership, massive debt, and the forthcoming of new ideas during the Enlightened period, it can be concluded that the means for this revolution were justified as it is in our essence to revolt for a change.

Edmund Burke published the Reflections on the Revolution in France in 1790; after the Bastille had been stormed by the Paris mol. He reflects upon about how France was very chaotic. Burke opposed the values of his contemporary revolutionaries; and he predicted that the French revolution would cause problems of fear and chaos to the country. Burke also believed that the revolutionary leaders were more interested in themselves and that they wanted power, however; and really did not care about the well-being of the French people. He believed in the concepts of liberty, equality and the right for everyone; he argues that people should have the opportunity to own their private property. Furthermore, Burke viewed the revolution as a violent takeover of the government, emphasizing that citizens should not have the right to do this. He also argues about importance of tradition in that tradition is what holds society together.

France first became a country in 987, known as the Kingdome of France. When the Kingdom of France became a country, it faced many wars, fighting over land with

After the first war, the Romans created the First Roman Province (French-Property). The Gallic Wars, which happened around 50 BC allowed Julius Caesar to create the city of Lutetia, which is modern day Paris. With the Romans taking over, Roman Catholic became the main religion, as it is today in France. Frankish people eventually populated France and became known as “The Country of the Franks” (French-Property). France originated from the Franks, first known as the Latin word “Francia”.

Before Marie Antoinette married Dauphin Louis XVI in 1770, the situation in France was already beginning to become disordered. The peasants, which made up about 90% of the population at the time, were treated unfairly and began to feel frustrated and upset with the Monarchy. At the time, Marie Antoinette was distrusted because of her foreign birth and many of the peasants saw her as the source of their problems and disliked her. She was often seen in the past as a bad Queen due to her careless spending and seemingly frivolous lifestyle, now with more evidence and sources, opinions have shifted. Many see Marie Antoinette as a victim of her own circumstances, as it can be seen by the state of affairs in France before her arrival, her upbringing and public opinion before her death during the French Revolution. This essay will illustrate that Marie Antoinette was indeed a victim of her circumstances.