Question

5.06 French Revolution and Napoleonic Era Assessment

Name:
Date:
You will be analyzing sources during and after the French Revolutionary Era. You will use the documents to evaluate how the different eras during the late 18th and early 19th centuries shaped the identity and character of the people of France. You will need to answer each analysis question in a short paragraph of complete sentences. You will first analyze each of them with two separate questions and then you will consider the big picture of the 26 extraordinary years of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Era with a reflection question.
Step 1: Analyze each source.
Sources
Analysis
The French Revolution Era, 1792. - A chained member of the Third Estate rises up against the clergy and nobility.

How does the source depict the identity and character of individuals during this era?






What perspective do you think the cartoonist had? How might the cartoon have been drawn differently if they had the opposite perspective?
Had France remained at peace, her peaceful citizens, her idle warriors would have observed the despot, would have judged him, and would have communicated their judgments to him. Truth would have passed through the ranks of the people. Usurpation would not have long withstood the influence of truth. Thus Bonaparte was compelled to distract public attention by bellicose enterprises. War flung onto distant shores that part of the French nation that still had some real energy. It prompted the police harassment of the timid, whom it could not force abroad. It struck terror into men's hearts and left there a certain hope that chance would take responsibility for their deliverance: a hope agreeable to fear and convenient to inertia. How many times have I heard men who were pressed to resist tyranny postponing this, during wartime till the coming of peace, and in peacetime until war commences!
*Note that in this context, “usurpation” means “wrongful seizing of power”
The Napoleonic Era, Benjamin Constant, excerpt from The Spirit of Conquest and Usurpation, 4th ed. (1814)
How does the source depict the identity and character of individuals during this era?





What do you think Benjamin Constant thought of Napoleon and why?
The Bourbon Restoration, July Revolution / Porte St. Martin France, July Revolution, 27-29 July 1830. Uprising of middle and working classes against the Bourbon Royal Family.
How does the source depict the identity and character of individuals during this era?




Does this artist seem to support the renewed revolution against the Bourbons in 1830? How might an artist of the opposite perspective have depicted this scene differently?


Step 2
Reflection question: Which part of the French Revolution was worst to you personally?
· The chaos before and after the Reign of Terror
· The governmental terrorism of the Reign of Terror
· The Napoleonic Wars
Whichever you select, explain why in one paragraph below, and refer to specific aspects of the event from the lesson in your explanation.

Answer 1

Analysis of Sources:

Step-by-step explanation:

Source 1: The French Revolution Era, 1792 - A chained member of the Third Estate rises up against the clergy and nobility.

This source depicts the identity and character of individuals during the French Revolution Era as representing the oppressed Third Estate. The chained member rising up against the clergy and nobility symbolizes the struggle and uprising of the common people against the privileged classes. It signifies their desire for equality, justice, and liberation from the oppressive feudal system.

Source 2: The Napoleonic Era, Benjamin Constant, excerpt from The Spirit of Conquest and Usurpation, 4th ed. (1814)

This source suggests that during the Napoleonic Era, individuals had limited freedoms and were subject to Napoleon's rule. The passage reflects a critical perspective, stating that Bonaparte sought to distract public attention through warfare and suppress dissenting voices. It implies that fear and inertia prevented people from resisting tyranny and that war provided a convenient cover for Napoleon's actions.