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By: HaoYang Yue and Ryan Hu

The French Revolution and the Birth of Nationalism

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

May 1643

1785

May 1789

September 1792

July 1789

August 1792

August 1791

January 1789

June 1789

June 1791

December 1804

October 1789

March 1804

June 1815

October 1805

August 1789

October 1812

January 1793

September 1814 - June 1815

15 August 1806 - 29 July 1836

20 March 1815 - 8 July 1815

September 5th 1793 - July 28th 1794

18 December 1804 - October 16-19 1813

April - August 1792

Louis XIV Coronation (14 May 1643 - 1 September 1715)

He was the King of France from 1643-1715. He ruled with an iron first and was known as “The Sun King” as the people's lives revolved around him. His famous quote when asked about the state was “I am the state”. Louis XIV’s foreign policy consisted of primarily conquest, and he was constantly preparing or waging wars with neighbouring empires

Fun Fact!: He is the longest reigning monarch in history, reigning for 72 years and 110 days.

Louis XIV Coronation

This is ranked as a one because King Louis XIV’s coronation didn’t help nationalism as he mostly used his position to suppress the nation and constantly give power to himself instead of the people. He ruled with an iron fist with the country's policies decided by him and him alone.

“Let them eat cake” (1785-1790)

This is a famous quote rumoured to be said by Marie Antoinette, although there is no evidence she said it. The saying is an example of the smear campaign targeting Marie Antionette throughout the revolution, which was a major cause for the public’s growing distrust of the monarchy

Fun Fact!: The original translation was actually "let them eat Brioche", a form of sweet bread.

“Let them eat cake”

This statement is a two because the statement, while not true, was certainly not inaccurate of the treatment the royals were giving to commoners. The statement reflects the general xenophobia and misogyny present at the time, which was an ideal that modern French nationalism directly opposes with its Constitution demanding equal treatment of all.

Abbe Sieyés writes “What is the 3rd Estate?” (January 1789)

Abbe Sieyés writes “what is the 3rd Estate?”

Born into a family of commoners, Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyés became a priest purely as a career to continue his political writing, and was immensely apathetic towards religion. Abbe Sieyés’ most prominent rise in French politics was through his political pamphlet “What is the Third Estate?”, which was published around the same time as King Louis XVI’s declaration for a meeting of the Estates-General.

Fun Fact!: Sieyés shared his passion for politics with an equal passion in music! He composed, crtiqued, and wrote many pieces from his age.

“What is the Third Estate” is a seven because it was a catalyst for the French Revolution, not only because of the ideas it presented, but also because of how it was central to national identity

Meeting of the Estates General (5 May 1789)

The Meeting of the Estates General was a general assembly representing the French estates of the realm. This was an archaic institution that had not been called together in 170 years, and was essentially a last resort done by the financial minister of France because none of the nobles were listening to him(yes yes we’re in debt but i wAnt maH chAmpaGnE). Prior to the meet, King Louis the XVI asked each of the estates to come up with a cahier(agenda). This Meeting was incredibly biassed, as despite allowing representation of all three Estates in the discussions, the system of block voting meant that in truth only the Second and First Estate actually had a say in anything. Not only that, but the fact that the King had the ability to veto any decisions made made it impossible for the Third Estate to achieve the goals in their cahier unless King Louis XVI himself approved it.

Meeting of the Estates

This is a two because the Estates General were a facade of nationalism that gave the illusion of choice to the general populace, but in reality was just a system of upper class oppression. The Meeting of the Estates General, although being the first actual time where the 3rd estate got a say in things, were out voted in everything and was out numbered as France used block voting. This voting system put more power into the hands of the nobility and the clergy while the rest of the population suffered. This is not a one, however, because it was still the first legislative body in France in over a century that was not just “the king decides

Tennis Court Oath ( 20 June 1789)

Following a particularly heated debate in the Estates General, members of the Third Estate, and those from the First and Second who supported the Third’s ideals, decided to forgo the Estates General and form their own legislative body. They met in a separate building, however after being locked out met at a neighbouring tennis court. There, the members all took an oath so that they would not stop meeting until they made a new constitution. Later this became a new political body for france.

Fun Fact!: You can visit this tennis court right now, as it is part of the Museum of the French Revolution in Versailles!

Tennis Court Oath

This is an eight because the Tennis Court Oath was the first time the Third Estate could have a voice in the way they are being treated. The people are now working for the benefit of the nation, dissociated from a king or a monarch. This moment in the French revolution is where all people from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd estate unify for the good of France and its people.

Storming of Bastille (14 July 1789)

In July 14 1789, as a show revolt, the state prison known as the Bastille was invaded by a large mob of revolutionaries. While waving a new tricoloured flag, the people killed the guards and freed the seven prisoners(and also “liberated” all the ammunition stored inside). During this part of the revolution, the people still didn't hate the king, as they had his colour, white, on the flag. Still to this day, they use the same flag that was used during the storming of the Bastille.

Fun Fact!: During the revolt, the prison governer had his head chopped off and impaled on a spike! Yay!

Storming of Bastille

The Storming of Bastille is a ten because the people crushed down an institutionalised symbol of the king, as well as the system of oppression under the Ancien regime. This was also the moment where the revolution started and symbolises the day all French people come together and fight.

Declaration of the Rights of Man (26 August 1789)

The National Assembly believed that the neglect, ignorance, or contempt of the rights of man were the sole cause of these public disasters and corruption. As a result, the Declaration of the RIghts of Man and of the Citizen was adopted. The Declaration contained 17 articles that were adopted between August 20 1789 to August 16 1789. The principles include:

- The preservation and guarantee to the right of liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression

- All laws will be only for the benefit of the nation, and all citizens are equal in the eyes of the law

The free communication of ideas is is the most precious right among man

Fun Fact!: Originally the Declaration would abolish slavery, however due to some lobbyist plantation owners the Emancipation was removed rom the Declaration.

Declaration of the Rights of Man

As a civil nation, a constitution is THE THING tying the nation of France together. Although it may have been a product of its time, the fact that it is the origin of modern France as a civil nation necessitates its position as a ten.

March on Versailles (5 October 1789)

During this period, the people of Paris were growing worried about the king’s reaction to the revolution. They were afraid Louis XVI was sending letters to other monarchs(especially Austria considering the danger Marie Antoinette would be in) to stop the revolution. As a result, a mob of lower class women from Versailles collectively paraded to the Palace of Versailles and brought the royals to Paris by spearpoint. This was done to ensure the king could be kept under careful watch, and to ensure he wasn’t contacting foreign allies.

Fun Fact!: While many guards who heard about the rally were moving to protect the Royal Palace, more were joining the rally in support!

March on Versailles

This March was ranked as a nine because it was an organised effort by a group of lower class citizens who had no political power and were following no direct plans, only calls to action being distributed through word of mouth. Not only that, but it was an effort done by lower class WOMEN, who collectively unified against a common enemy despite many being illiterate and uneducated.

Flight to Varennes (20-21 June 1791)

France was now a constitutional monarchy and the captured king was being forced to sign policies taking away more and more of his power. Fearing for their safety and lives, the royal family collectively created a plan over several days to secretly escape their (prison)palace and leave for Austria. Unfortunately, due to issues of postponement and severe miscalculations on the part of King Louis XVI, the royals were discovered and captured in the town of Varennes-en-Argonne, near the Austrian border. For those who opposed the royal family, this attempted escape was undeniable proof of the king’s collusion with foreign powers, a crime equivalent to treason.

Fun Fact!: The King's brother, the Comte de Provence, also fled on the same night, however he took a different route and successfully travelled to Belgium. He would later return as King Louis XVII following Napoleon’s final exilement.

Flight to Varennes

This was marked an eight because it was a testament to the degree of nationalism present among the entire country of France. At the time, the biggest miscalculation King Louis XVI made was assuming the general public still supported him. In truth, most of the public at the time was already swaying towards removing the King from power, and viewed France as a nation represented by its citizens, not its monarch.

Declaration of Pillnitz (27 August 1791)

During the French revolution, neighbouring empires were not just sitting idly by as a fellow monarchy is burned to the ground by terrorist revolutionaries. The Declaration of Pillnitz was a joint declaration from Belgium Emperor Leopold II and Prussian King Frederick William II urging European powers to restore power to the monarchy in France. The Declaration essentially threatened the complete invasion of France by its neighbouring empires unless the monarchy was completely reinstated with the same level of power it previously had. Britain and Russia would later echo these statements.

Fun Fact!: Belgium and Prussia may have written the declaration, but they were actually really scared to go to war with France, and specifically worded it in a way so that they would only actually invade France if all other European leaders were following suit. Cowards ):<.

Declaration of Pillnitz

This was ranked a one because it shows the opposite end of French Nationalism, upper class powers unifying to remove the rights of citizens that aren’t even in their country, but can be perceived as a threat to monarchy. The fact that the European leaders, who were at the time in constant territorial disputes, unified just to crush modern nationalism says a lot about the degree of control that monarchies were determined to maintain globally.

Les Marseillaise (April- August 1792)

“Les Marseillaise” is the national anthem of France. This was written back in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle. It was written shortly after France declared war on Austria. The original title of the anthem was titled “Chant de guerre pour l’Armée du Rhin”. According to stories, reportedly during a particularly successful invasion by the Duke of Brunswick, Prussian soldiers had fought their way to Paris, and were threatening to burn the revolution to the ground. To fight for their freedoms, people from all of France marched straight to the capital to defend their constitution. This chant was said to have been sung by people from the southern port city Marseille, which was where it got its name. The song was adopted as the national anthem of France on July 14, 1792

Fun Fact!: This anthem was abolished by Napoleon during his rule partly because of the revolutionary intent behind it, and also partly because the composer likely had an affair with his wife.

Les Marseillaise

The national anthem is a ten because this song is indicative of the nationalism of the nation. It describes the history of bloodshed in order to reach the French people’s freedom, and has the national pride oozing throughout it. The fact that this anthem is tied together with a national myth makes it the peak of collective consciousness, and the representation of France’s nationalism as a whole.

Storming of the Tuileries Palace (10 August 1792)

The storming of the Tuileries Palace happened on August 10th 1792 and was an insurrectionary action by Republican soldiers and the citizens of Paris who wanted to depose the king and abolish the monarchy. This was​ due to the growing unrest from the King constantly vetoing the radical measures proposed by the National Convention. This attack on Tuileries effectively brought the Bourbon Monarchy to a close in France, and six weeks later France officially became a republic.

Storming of the Tuileries Palace

As the climax of the opposition against the monarchy, this is rated a nine. During this storming, France had finally become completely sick of the monarchy’s heavy influence in politics. As a nation, this moment was the ultimate revolt against the King, arguably more so than beheading him, and the clearing of the pavement for France to become a republic.

France’s First Republic Announced (22 September 1792)

The National Convention declared that it was France’s First Republic in September 22nd 1792. This meant the king was completely removed from power and was replaced with a democratic system. A notable aspect of the Convention was that it had no head of state, and instead around 749 deputies debated and discussed policies for France. The Convention’s first act was to completely strip the King of all political powers, and then they killed him.

France’s First Republic Announced

This is ranked as a ten because the declaration of France as a Republic was the first formal declaration of France as a democracy. It was the complete abolishment of the monarchy, the church, and everyone except the people of France from their government system, the truest form of nationalism where the nation literally is the people.

Louis XVI Beheaded (21 January 1793)

August 1792, the King was arrested on the charge of treason and was put to trial. There was no hard evidence besides some rumours and the few evidence that was presented was at the end of the trial, right as he was about to be declared innocent. The evidence was letters sent to forgien monarchs asking for their help to invade France. With this, the king was declared guilty and sentenced to death by guillotine. Louis XVI’s last words were “I died innocent”, however, it was drowned out by the drumming and the crowd, and on January 21, 1793, he was beheaded.

Fun Fact!: Fun Fact!: The XVI in Louis XVI is not actually a title declaring him as the 16th Louis, but is actually an emoticon depicting his chopped off head, with the X’d out eyes, blabbering V mouth, and I to indicate the lack of cervix.

Louis XVI Beheaded

This is ranked a ten for the same reasons as the declaration of France as a Republic. While the declaration was the symbolic death of the monarchy, the beheading was the literal death. Overall, this was a central turning point in the revolution, where the goal is no longer to gain control, but is now the aftermath.

Reign of Terror (5 Septmeber 1793 - July 28 1794)

Reign of Terror

The Reign of Terror was the bloodiest period during the French revolution. 17 000 people were officially killed between 1793-1794. Robespierre and his party held all the power over France and started the Committee of Public Safety. The committee's job was to stop chaos as Robespierre feared enemies of the revolution were everywhere. The committee was ordered to bring in anyone suspected of being against the revolution, even if it was as small as complaining about the price of bread. No one was safe from Robespierre's fury, whether you were in the 3rd estate or not. This period of bloodshed ended when Robespierre himself was deemed an enemy of the revolution, and subsequently beheaded.

Fun Fact!: 1984

This is rated a two, while abhorrently patriotic, this is the opposite of the constitution, and as such is the antithesis of modern nationalism. The fact that the Declaration of Rights of Man was suspended during this period is indicative of how unconstitutional this period was. Considering how a civil nation is grounded on its set of laws and constitution, the violent disregard and active opposition of these laws by the governing system for their own profit(removing opposers of their political system)

Napoleonic Code (21 March 1804)

The Napoleonic Code was a civil legislative reform passed in March 1804 after four years of debate. A major stress in the writing of the code was in the streamlining of policies, making it much more accessible and understandable for the general populace compared to the previous feudal laws. It eradicated the formal system of laws were rulers required no time frame to create laws and required a duly process for legislation and the judicial interpretation of laws

Fun Fact!: One part of the criminal code was that people couldn’t be charged for “phoney crimes” such as blasphemy, witchcraft, incest, and homosexuality!

Napoleonic Code

This Code was ranked a seven because it was a revolutionary(haha get it?) reform of laws that is still used today, albeit heavily modernised(like the Bible). While it is a good degree away from modern nationalism, considering its reduction of women’s already minimal rights and condoning of slavery, it was a step in the right direction.

Napoleon becomes Emperor (2 December 1804)

Napoleon becomes Emperor

In 1804, Napoleon was crowned as the Emperor of France. During the coronation, Napoleon took the crown from the pope and crowned himself. Normally, the Pope was the one who crowns the newly appointed emperor, however to symbolise the secularism of the nation and removal of a “chosen by God” monarch, Napoleon crowned himself. This was representative of the difference between Napoleon’s rule and the previous Ancien regime. When Napoleon was asked “Who is the state?” and unlike King Louis XIV, he said “The French”.

Fun Fact!: This coronation, while mainly French Catholic, went through many changes by Napoleon, incorporating ceremonies from the Ancien regime and French Revolution.

As Napoleon’s most prolific form of patriotic media(propaganda), this coronation was ranked nine based on the national spirit it developed in the populace. The expert combination of Roman and Old and New French traditions allowed Napoleon to inspire the hearts of everyone in French with his ideals. Although he did move towards monarchical rule, what is more important was how he unified all of France not to serve him, but to serve France with him.

Napoleon controls most of Western Europe (18 December 1804 - 19 October 1813)

Following the defeat at Trafalgar, Napoleon set his sights on terrestrial conquest, rather than naval. He won an impressive succession of victories against Russia, Austria, Sweden and Prussia, culminating in the Treaties of Tilsit in 1807 and the Treaty of Schonbrunn in 1809. These treaties made it so that a heavy majority of Europe was now directly controlled by France, or allied via treaty to it.

Napoleon controls most of Western Europe

Considering the pure conquest alone, this is a national feat worthy of a nine. The more important reason than that, however, is how the wars differentiate from wars fought by previous monarchs. Previous wars were fought at the expense of the population, where a victory and loss still just meant less food on the table, however the unified system of Napoleon set a different meaning to wars to the general public. Now wars were a unifying global display of France’s power, where the French people were now spreading their nationalism across most of Europe.

Battle of Trafalgar(21 October 1805)

The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval battle between France and Britain that occured at the Cape of Trafalgar. British Admiral Horatio Nelson led the British fleet and advanced with a strategic manoeuvre that caught the French off-guard. With the surprise attack, Nelson won, which put naval supremacy in British hands for more than 100 years.

Fun Fact!: Admiral Nelson was mortally wounded by a sniper during the battle, however by the time he died he was already certain of victory, so he died in the glory of victory i guess?

Battle of Trafalgar

This is a three because this battle resulted in a devastating defeat for the French and put naval superiority in the British hands. Through this battle, the British became unchallenged in naval combat for a century as France or its ally, Spain, fight for naval control. This defeat was a heavy blow for France’s people as the battle most likely has affected their pride for their country, and their trust in their leader Napoleon.

The Building of the Arc of Triomphe (15 August 1806 - 29 July 1836)

The Building of the Arc of Triomphe

The Arc of Triomphe was commissioned in 1806 by Emperor Napoleon after the victory at Austerlitz. The Arc of Triomphe was built to honour the fallen in the name of France during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. It was meant to preputate the victories of the French, and commemorate the soldiers whose lives were lost during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.

Fun Fact!: The Arc De Triomphe was the tallest triumphal arch until 1938, when it was beaten by the Monumento a la Revolución in Mexico City.

The Arc of Triomphe as a eight because it symbolises the strength and greatness of France as a nation and not a monarchy. As a public project, this was a drastic contrast from the glorious palaces built by former French monarchs for the purpose of showcasing THEIR wealth as individuals, as opposed to the glory of France as a whole. Citizens could see the Arc and see their own contributions to it, and feel their own pride in a country they had built.

Napoleon Retreats from Russia (October 1812)

Napoleon Retreats from Russia

As Russia failed to follow the Continental System(they were trading with Britain, which was not ok), so Napoleon decided to invade Russia with the Grande Armée, consisting of about 600 000 soldiers. This was a catastrophic invasion, as he reaches Moscow to find the city abandoned, and on fire. Due to weather conditions, Napoleon is forced to retreat rather than stay in the harsh winter conditions. Due to all of these factors coupled with ill-preparedness and food shortages, Napoleon returned with less than 10 000 men.

The key difference between the Battle of Trafalgar and this defeat, as well as why it is ranked a two, is due to the severity of the consequences. While the former’s defeat was catastrophic, it only affected the French people. The latter affects the entire world’s perception of French, crippling its sense of nationalism not only in the country, but also in allied and enemy nations’ eyes.

Congress of Vienna (September 1814 - June 1815)

Congress of Vienna

The Congress of Vienna was a meeting between ambassadors of various European states that was held in Vienna. This assembly lasted from 1814 to 1815 with the sole purpose of re-organizing Europe and creating a long-term peace plan for the continent after the destruction of the Napoleonic wars. It also was a re-institutionalising of the monarchy, to reverse the damage the French Revolution had on European monarchy.

Fun Fact!: This congress was the first time in history where national representatives came together on a continental scale, as opposed to relaying messages among each other.

The Congress of Vienna is ranked as a one due to its damage to the progress of French Nationalism that Napoleon had achieved. The entire purpose of the congress was to remove as many revolutionary ideals as possible, in order to keep their monarchies from revolting. The movement was a reaction to the emergent liberalisation of Europe, and it was neophobic and against the modern ideals of French Nationalism.

Napoleon’s Hundred Days (20 March 1815 - 8 July 1815)

Napoleon’s Hundred Days is referring to the days Napoleon returned from his exile. Napoleon left his island of exile with 1,500 supporters and embarked on a long journey to Paris. During this time, King Louis XVIII fled to Gheng on March 13 with Napoleon arriving in Paris one week later. Napoleon made many changes to the Imperial Constitution which made a number of his old opponents rally to Napoleon to help his cause. Later on March 15, Austria, Prussia, Russia and Britain allied together to take down Napoleon in the upcoming Battle of Waterloo.

Fun Fact!: During his return to Paris, Napoleon had at one point fell overboard a ship, and his heavy general suit and metal sword threatened to drown him, but a sailor’s dog swam to the general and kept his head afloat, saving his life.

Napoleon’s Hundred Days

While it was an attempt at regaining the legacy he had formerly held, Napoleon’s Hundred Days was ultimately a three in terms of its impact on nationalism. The decisions made following it were ill-planned and idealistic, and only made the defeat at Waterloo more harsh in contrast. Nationalism thrives on the pride of your nation’s work, which is hard to do when your nation is rushing into a questionable battle against much stronger opponents.

Battle of Waterloo (18 June 1815)

The Battle of Waterloo was a conflict between Britain, Prussia, Russia, Austria, and France. Britain, Prussia, Russia, and Austria temporarily joined forces to overthrow Napoleon and reinstate the monarchy in France. Napoleon was defeated and exiled to St.Helens, where he would live out his remaining years.

Fun Fact!: Great ABBA song.

Battle of Waterloo

This is a zero because even though Napoleon was trying to defend his country, he lost in the long run and there were heavy casualties in the French Army. This was yet another heavy blow to the nation. As Napoleon starts to lose power, so do his ideas of nationalism. The people fall back into the monarchy where King Louis XVIII imposes and enforces strict laws and hierarchy. Napoleon’s abdocation results in France losing its ideals on a nationalistic society.

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