19th Century (1800s)

Question 1

Where was Napoleon Bonaparte born, and what was the recent history of Corsica before his birth? (1769)

Answer 1

• Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Corsica in 1769.
• Corsica was independent one year prior, and under the dominion of Italy earlier in the decade.

Question 2

What was Napoleon Bonaparte’s role in France from 1800 to 1815, and what is its significance?

Answer 2

• Role:
  
  • First Consul. Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power as First Consul in 1800.
  • Declared himself Emperor of the French in 1804, and ruled until his defeat in 1815.

Question 3

What was the Egypt Campaign and its significance for France and translators?(1798-1801)

Answer 3

• What It Was:
  
  • The Egypt Campaign was a military expedition led by Napoleon aimed at underming British influence and protecting trade interests in the Middle East.
  • Discovered the Rosetta Stone (1799), which inscribed the same text in three languages (Greek, Demotic, and Hierogylphic).

Question 4

What was the Napoleonic Code, and its significance? (1804)

Answer 4

• What It Was:
  
  • A comprehensive legal code established under Napoleon Bonaparte’s rule that has influenced legal systems worldwide.
• Significance:
  
  • Standardized laws across France, removed feudal rights, protected proprety.
  • Expanded suffrage (voting).

Question 5

What were the Napoleonic Wars, and their significance in France and Europe? (1803-1815)

Answer 5

• What They Were:
  
  • A series of wars between Napoleon’s French Empire and various European coalitions for his territorial ambitions.
• Significance:
  
  • Major initial victories for Napoleon, France gains most of the European continent.
  • Set the stage for the decline of monarchies and the rise of modern states.

Question 6

What was the Haitian Revolution, and what were its brutal and economic impacts? (1791-1804)

Answer 6

• What It Was:
  
  • A successful slave revolt in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti)that led to the establishment of Haiti as the first independent black republic.
• Impact:
  
  • France receives massive reparations in exchange for recognizing Haitian independence.
  • Haiti still destitutely poor today. (LMAOO)

Question 7

What was the Battle of Austerlitz and why is it significant? (Dec. 2, 1805)

Answer 7

• What It Was:
  
  • AKA The Battle of the Three Emperors was a decisive victory for Napoleon against the Russian and Austrian armies.
• Significance:
  
  • Solidified Napoleon’s reputation as a military genius and secured his dominance in Europe.
  • Led to the Treaty of Pressburg, weakening Austria and dissolving the Third Coalition.

Question 8

What was the Continental System and its impact on France and Europe? (1806-1814)

Answer 8

• What It Was:
  
  • The Continental System was an economic blockade against Britain, initiated by Napoleon.
• Impact:
  
  • Aimed to weaken Britain economically by banning trade but hurt European economies, particularly France.
  • Contributed to tensions that led to Napoleon’s downfall.

Question 9

What was the Battle of Trafalgar, and why is it significant? (Oct. 21, 1805)

Answer 9

• What It Was:
  
  • The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval battle where the British Royal Navy, led by Admiral Horatio Nelson, defeated the combined fleets of France and Spain.
• Significance:
  
  • Ensured British naval supremacy for the rest of the Napoleonic Wars.
  • Horatio Nelson becomes a national hero.

Question 10

What was the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and its significance? (1806)

Answer 10

• What It Was:
  
  • The dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 marked the formal end of the empire after a millennium of existence, when Francis II abdicated.
  • Significance:
  • Triggered by Napoleon’s victories and the formation of the Confederation of the Rhine.

Question 11

What was the Peninsular War, and why is it significant in the context of the Napoleonic Wars? (1808-1814)

Answer 11

• What It Was:
  
  • The Peninsular War was a conflict in the Iberian Peninsula involving France against Spain, Portugal, and Britain.
  • drained vital French resources that could’ve been stationed elsewhere.

Question 12

What was Napoleon’s Russian Campaign, and its significance to the Napoleonic Wars? (1812)

Answer 12

• What It Was:
  
  • Napoleon’s ill-fated Russian Campaign was an invasion of Russia by Napoleon’s Grande Armée, aimed at forcing Russia back into the Continental System.
• Significance:
  
  • The campaign ended in disaster, with the majority of Napoleon’s army destroyed due to harsh winter conditions, poor logistics, and Russian tactics.
  • Marked the turning point in the Napoleonic Wars.

Question 13

What was the Battle of Leipzig, and why is it significant? (Oct. 16-19, 1813)

Answer 13

• What It Was:
  
  • Also known as the Battle of Nations, a decisive defeat for Napoleon’s forces by the Sixth Coalition, consisting of Austria, Prussia, Russia, and Sweden.
• Significance:
  
  • Largest battle in Europe before World War I, involving 600,000 troops.
  • France loses its territory in Germany, Central Europe.

Question 14

What was the Treaty of Fontainebleau, and why is it significant? (Apr. 11, 1814)

Answer 14

• What It Was:
  
  • The treaty that formalized Napoleon’s abdication as Emperor of the French and his exile to the island of Elba.
• Significance:
  
  • Allowed Napoleon to retain the title of Emperor with sovereignty over Elba.
  • Napoleon escapes > a year later.

Question 15

What was the Battle of Waterloo and why is it significant? (June 18, 1815)

Answer 15

• What It Was:
  
  • The final battle of the Napoleonic Wars, where Napoleon was defeated by the British Duke of Wellington and Prussian forces.
• Significance:
  
  • Marked the definitive end of Napoleon’s rule and his second exile, to St. Helena.
  • The Bourbon monarchy is restored in France.
  • Waterloo becomes synonymous with final defeat.

Question 16

What were the Hundred Days, and what was their significance? (March 20 - June 22, 1815)

Answer 16

• What It Was:
  
  • The Hundred Days refer to the period between Napoleon’s return from exile on Elba to his final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.
• Significance:
  
  • Napoleon’s return shocked the European powers, who quickly formed the Seventh Coalition to oppose him.
  • The period ended with the Battle of Waterloo, where Napoleon was decisively defeated, leading to his final exile to Saint Helena.
  • The Hundred Days demonstrated the enduring loyalty and popularity of Napoleon.

Question 17

What about the isles of Elba and St. Helena is relevant to the Napoleonic Wars?

Answer 17

• What They Were:
  
  • The islands where Napoleon was exiled.
  • Elba, in the Mediterrean. Napoleon escapes, leading to the Hundred Days.
  • St. Helena, in the Atlantic: Final exile after Waterloo.

Question 18

What was the French conquest of Algeria, and its significance? (1830-1847)

Answer 18

• What It Was:
  
  • A military campaign that established French colonial rule in North Africa.
• Significance:
  
  • Marked the beginning of French colonial expansion in Africa.

Question 19

What was the July Revolution and its significance? (1830)

Answer 19

• What It Was:
  
  • A three-day uprising that led to the overthrow of Bourbon King Charles X.
• Significance:
  
  • Established the July Monarchy under King Louis-Philippe, “The Citizen King”.
  • Inspired other revolutionary movements across Europe.

Question 20

What was the Revolution of 1848, the Second Republic, and their significance in France?

Answer 20

• What It Was:
  
  • A popular uprising that led to the overthrow of King Louis-Philippe and the establishment of the Second Republic.
• Significance:
  
  • Overthrew the July Monarchy.
  • Established universal male suffrage.
  • Ended with Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte’s coup, leading to the Second Empire.

Question 21

Who was Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte (Napoleon III), and what is his significance? (r. 1848-1870)

Answer 21

• Who He Was:
  
  • Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, nephew of Napoleon, became the first President of the French Second Republic and later Emperor, ruling as Napoleon III.
  • Significance:
  • Established the Second Empire after a coup in 1852.
  • His defeat in the Franco-Prussian War led to the collapse of the Second Empire.

Question 22

What was the June Days Uprising, and its significance? (1848)

Answer 22

• What It Was:
  
  • The June Days Uprising was a workers’ revolt in Paris against the closure of national workshops.
• Significance:
  
  • Crushed by the French government, leading to thousands of deaths.
  • Contributed to the fall of the Second Republic and the rise of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte.

Question 23

What was the Second Opium War, and what was its significance for France? (1856-1860)

Answer 23

• What It Was:
  
  • The Second Opium War was a conflict between China and a coalition of Western powers, including France.
• Significance
  
  • France sought to expand its influence in China and gain trade concessions.
  • Resulted in the Treaty of Tientsin, opening more Chinese ports to French trade.
  • Weakened China’s Qing dynasty, increasing Western dominance in Asia.

Question 24

What was the Suez Canal and its significance? (Completed in 1869)

Answer 24

• What It Was:
  
  • A man-made waterway connecting the Mediterranean and Red Sea, completed under the leadership of French engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps.
• Significance:
  
  • Increased European colonial influence in the Middle East.
  • Became a strategic asset for European powers, particularly Britain and France.

Question 25

What was the Franco-Prussian War, and what is its significance? (1870-1871)

Answer 25

• What It Was:
  
  • A conflict between France and the Kingdom of Prussia, resulting in a decisive Prussian victory.
  • Significance:
  • Led to the unification of Germany under Prussian leadership.
  • Ended the Second French Empire and cedes Alsace-Lorraine to Germany.

Question 26

What was the Paris Commune of 1871, and why is it significant?

Answer 26

• What It Was:
  
  • A radical socialist government that briefly ruled Paris from March to May in 1871, following the Franco-Prussian War.
• Significance:
  
  • Marx declares it the “first dictatorship of the proletariat.”
  • Served as an inspiration for future socialist and communist movements.

Question 27

Who was Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, and what was his significance in socialist thought? (c.1809-1865)

Answer 27

• Who He Was:
  
  • A French philosopher, economist, and an influential early socialist.
• Significance:
  
  • Known for declaring, “Property is theft!” in his critique of capitalism.
  • Considered one of the founders of anarchism.

Question 28

Who was Honoré de Balzac, and what was his contribution to literature? (c.1799-1850)

Answer 28

• Who He Was:
  
  • Honoré de Balzac was a French novelist and playwright.
• Significance:
  
  • La Comédie Humaine: This series offers a detailed, panoramic view of French society during the Restoration and July Monarchy, capturing the complexities of human behavior and social dynamics.

Question 29

Who was Alexis de Tocqueville, and what was his significance in political theory? (1805-1859)

Answer 29

• Who He Was:
  
  • Tocqueville was a French political historian best known for his Democracy in America.
• Significance:
  
  • Best known for Democracy in America, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of American democracy.
  • His ideas on liberty, equality, and civil society have had a lasting impact on political thought

Question 30

Who was Victor Hugo and why is he significant in French literature? (c.1802-1885)

Answer 30

• Who He Was:
  
  • Victor Hugo was a renowned French writer and poet who exemplified the Romantic movement.
• Significance:
  
  • Authored classic works like Les Misérables (1862) and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831).
  • His writings addressed social injustice, human rights, and the struggles of the poor.

Question 31

Who was Louis Pasteur, and what were his contributions to science? (c.1822-1895)

Answer 31

• Who He Was:
  
  • Louis Pasteur was a pioneering French microbiologist and chemist.
• Significance:
  
  • Developed the germ theory of disease.
  • Invented pasteurization to prevent spoilage in food.
  • Created vaccines for rabies and anthrax, revolutionizing medicine.

Question 32

List the years of the First French Republic, add crucial information/context.

Answer 32

• First French Republic: 1792 - 1804
  
  • Established after the fall of the monarchy, ended with Napoleon declaring himself Emperor.

Question 33

List the years of the Second French Republic, add crucial information/context.

Answer 33

• Second French Republic: 1848 - 1852
  
  • Established after the February Revolution, ended with Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte declaring himself Emperor.

Question 34

List the years of the Third French Republic, add crucial information/context.

Answer 34

• Third French Republic: 1870 - 1940
  
  • Established after the fall of the Second Empire because of the Franco-Prussian War, ended with the German occupation during World War II.

Question 35

List the years of the Fourth French Republic, add crucial information/context.

Answer 35

• Fourth French Republic: 1946 - 1958
  
  • Established after World War II, ended due to instability and the Algerian crisis.

Question 36

List the years of the Fifth French Republic, add crucial information/context.

Answer 36

• Fifth French Republic: 1958 - Present
  
  • Established by Charles de Gaulle, remains the current government structure of France.