A comprehensive review lesson analyzing the social inequities of the Old Regime, the major turning points from the Tennis Court Oath to the Reign of Terror, and the ultimate rise of Napoleon. Students synthesize vocabulary, chronological sequencing, and primary source evidence to prepare for summative assessment.
• January 1793: Execution of King Louis XVI eliminated compromise with European royal courts.
Robespierre's Logic
“If the spring of popular government in time of peace is virtue, the springs of popular government in revolution are at once virtue and terror.”
Committee of Public Safety: 12 men led by Robespierre wielding dictatorial power.
Cost: ~40,000 executed or died in prison without traditional due process.
Core Tension: Can liberty be protected by annihilating individual rights? Primary Source Focus
Phase 3: Stabilization to Empire
From Thermidor to Napoleon
1794 • 1799
1. Thermidor (1794)
Fall of Robespierre
Deputies fear they will be the next executed. Robespierre is arrested and sent to the guillotine. Terror ends swiftly.
2. The Directory (1795–99)
Weak Oligarchy
Five-man executive directory rules. Marked by runaway inflation, corruption, and increasing reliance on the military.
3. Coup of 1799
Rise of Bonaparte
General Napoleon Bonaparte overthrows the Directory, installs the Consulate, and names himself First Consul (later Emperor).
Historical Debate: Napoleon preserved legal equality (Napoleonic Code) and abolished feudalism, yet abolished democratic elections and free press.
Next Steps
Review Lab & Evidence Tasks
Collaborative Practice
Part 1: Chronology Puzzle
Arrange the 8 landmark events into exact chronological order with your partner. Identify the cause-and-effect link between each phase.
Tip: Watch the shifts from Moderate → Radical → Reactionary.
Part 2: Evidence Crucible
Read excerpts from the Declaration of Rights of Man (1789) vs. Robespierre's On Political Morality (1794).
Prepare for your 3-sentence synthesis claim on the Exit Ticket!
Turn to your Chronicles of Crisis Guided Notes and Reign of Evidence Activity Time: 25 Minutes
Key Consequence: Parisians seized arms, preventing the King from .
August 1789
Declaration of Rights of Man
Key Consequence: Abolished feudal estates; asserted all citizens are .
1793–1794
The Reign of Terror
Key Consequence: Suspended civil liberties; executed ~40,000 using the .
November 1799
Napoleon's Coup d'État
Key Consequence: Overthrew corrupt Directory; restored order through .
Part 4: Phase Contrast (Moderate vs. Radical vs. Napoleonic)
Category
Moderate Phase (1789–92)
Radical Phase (1792–94)
Napoleonic Era (1799–1815)
Type of Gov.
Constitutional Monarchy
Radical Republic / Dictatorship
Consulate / Empire (Authoritarian)
Leading Group
National Assembly (Bourgeoisie)
Jacobins & Sans-culottes
Military / Emperor Napoleon
Status of Rights
Enlightened natural rights protected by written constitution
Suspended in the name of wartime security and civic virtue
Legal equality (Civil Code), but strict censorship of press
Comprehension Check
Why did the French Revolution shift from moderate reform (1789) to extreme violence (1793)? Cite at least two specific internal or external pressures:
Chronicles of Crisis • Page 2 of 2 Review & Synthesis Artifact
Core Ideal: Universal rights, limitation of state power.
Source B: Radical Defense 1794
Robespierre on Political Morality
Speech before National Convention, Feb 5, 1794
“If the basis of popular government in time of peace is virtue, the basis of popular government in time of revolution is both virtue and terror: virtue without which terror is murderous, terror without which virtue is powerless.”
“Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible; it is therefore an emanation of virtue... Subdue by terror the enemies of liberty.”
Core Ideal: State survival justifies suspension of law.
1. Evidence Identification: Which specific article in Source A did Robespierre directly violate during the Reign of Terror? Explain the conflict using a direct quote or detail:
2. Perspective & Reasoning: How did Robespierre justify using violence against French citizens, according to Source B?
Task 4: Synthesis Claim Construction
Prompt: Did the Reign of Terror protect or betray the original goals of the French Revolution? Write a 2-part claim that includes both an argument and supporting evidence:
Reign of Evidence Activity • Page 2 of 2 Primary Source Analysis & DBQ Synthesis
