In the northen
colonies,economy
was based on
agriculture and trade
In the southern
colonies,the main
activities were
tobacco farming
Britain held a monopoly on
trade,wich made trade
difficult with some areas of
America
There were political
tensions.Colonial
assemblies had significant
powers,such as collecting
taxes
Between 1764 and
1766,King George III
tried to impose new
taxes on the colonies
In 1733,the British parliament
pased the Tea Act,wich gave the
English East India Company a
monopoly on the sale of tea in the
colonies
This hurt American traders who attacked British
ships loaded with tea. This event is known as
the Boston Tea Party and was followed by the
outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in
1775
In 1776,Thomas Jefferson wrote the
Virginia Declaration of Rights
On 4th July 1776,the representative of the
Thirteen Colonies met to sign the
Declaration of Independence
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR
It was in (1775-1783)
The American colonies
were supported by
Spain and France
Britain recognised the United States as
an independent nation in the Treaty of
Versailles(1783)
The United States Constitution was signed in 1787
In 1789 George Washington became
the first president of the United
States
THE OUTBREAK OF THE FRENCH
REVOLUTION(1789-1792)
THE FAILURES OF THE OLD REGIME
The old regime was destroyed by the
French Revolution(1789-1799),wich had its
origins in the failures of the system:
SOCIAL UNREST. The Third Estate,wich
paid taxes,resented the privileged
estates.
THE ECONOMY. A tax crisis was caused by overspending on the
American Revolutionary War,as well as high expenditure at the court
THE ENLIGHTMENT. The political thought of the Enlightment
encouraged people to question royal authority whn it was considered
unfair and inefficient
Attemps at reform only made things worse. Commoners
considered Louis XVI's reforms ineffective
THE RISE OF THE THIRD ESTATE
An Asembly of Notables,rejected reforms on
1787
The king then called the Estates-Genral,wich was an assembly of
all three estates,in May 1789 at Versailles.People from all three
estates presented their problems to the assembly in Lists of
Grievances (Cahiers de Doléances)
In June,the representatives of the Third Estate formed a National Assembly because they
were the legitimate representatives of the French people. They met in an indoor tennis
court and took the Tennis Court Oath to stay together until France had a constitution.
THE END OF THE OLD REGIME(1789-1791)
In July and August 1789,opposition to the Old
Regime became more radical.
On 14th July 1789,the people of Paris attacked the Bastille.In
rural areas,there was a climate of great tension called the Great
Fear,when peasants attacked nobles castles
The National Constituent Assembly introduced a series
of measures that marked the end of the Old Regime
On 4th August 1789,it abolished
feudal rights
The Declaration of the Rights of
Man and of Citizen
In September 1791,France's first written constitution
ended royal absolutism,establishing a constitutional
monarchy.Legislative power was held by the
Assembly,executive power by the king and judicial
power by the independent courts
OPPOSITION TO THE
CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY
(1791-1792)
A Legislative Assembly was formed in
1791.This assembly lasted for less than a
year:
There was fierce opposition
from the nobility and the
clergy
These radical revolutionaries
were supported by the
sans-culottes
THE FIRST FRENCH REPUBLIC(1792-1799)
THE BIRTH OF THE
FRENCH REPUBLIC
A National Convention governed France from September
1792.The Convention abolished the monarchy,and France became
a republic.
The Convention judged Louis XVI for treason and was executed
in 1793.Britain and the Dutch republic joined the other countries
that were fighting France.
THE REIGN OF TERROR 1793-1794
The revolutionaries or Jacobines used support from
the sans-culottes.The internal threat from French
opponents of the revolution led to the Reign of
Terror.
The Committee of Public Safety was established.Robespierre tried to ease the
economic crisis by establishing maximu prices for basic items.
THE DIRECTORY 1795-1799
A moderate goverment was
led by a five-member
Directory:
Radicals conspired against the
goverment.The Conspiracy of the Equals,led
by Babeuf.
The royalists also led revolts and
counter-revolutionary activities with the aim of
restoring the Bourbon dynasty
In Europe,France won a series of victories against its
enemies.Napoleon Bonaparte conquered almost all Italy.
EUROPE UNDER NAPOLEON
REFORMS UNDER NAPOLEON
He became First Consul in 1799.In 1802,he
became Consul for Life
The Napoleonic Code was a legal code thet prohibited certain
privileges,allowed freedom of religion,and simplified the range of laws
that had existed before the Revolution
The Concordat of 1801 mantained stat control over the
Church,and confiscated church lands were not returned
THE NAPOLEONIC EMPIRE
In 1804,Napoleon proclaimed himself Emperor of
the French.He was defeated by the British in the
Battle of Trafalgar 1805
Britain was now France's main enemy,and
the Continental Blockade was an attemp
to stop British trade in Europe
Napoleon's forces unsuccessfully invaded
Russia.Napoleon abdicted in april 1814 and went into
exile