The French Revolution

Use this Web Quest to complete the accompanying worksheets. The content will explore French society leading up to the French Revolution, the events of the Revolution, and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Use the readings and links to complete the worksheet activities.  Turn in worksheets as you complete them. You may work with a partner or independently. Each class will be given 2 class periods to work on the content. Any work not completed at the end of the 2 periods will need to finish the web quest as homework and the assignments will be marked as late work.

Lesson 1. Life in France before the Revolution

In 1789, France was one of the wealthiest and most powerful nations in the world. However, the structure of French society was essentially unchanged since the medieval period. The King, Louis XVI, was an absolute monarch, with no permanent Parliament. The aristocracy and the clergy were extremely rich, but paid no taxes. The taxes were paid by the ordinary people, many of them poor peasants doing backbreaking labor. After the American War of Independence, France sank deeply into debt, so with bankruptcy nearing and a bad harvest leading to food shortages, people started to demand change.

• Click Here to view information on the 3 estates to complete the chart on worksheet 1.
• Click Here to view a famous cartoon of the 3 estates. On worksheet 2, color in each feature box that you can locate in the cartoon. 
• Use the reading above and worksheets to complete the review questions on worksheet 2.

 Lesson 2. The French Revolution

The French Revolution was one of the most important events in world history. In 1789, the people of France rose up against Louis XVI, the absolutist King of France. Four years later, Louis XVI and his Queen Marie Antoinette were beheaded. France was declared a Republic, and ideas such as ‘liberty’, ‘equality’ and ‘fraternity’ were developed. The French people tried to export these ideas to the rest of Europe using force, particularly from 1799 on wards under the military leadership of Napoleon. The French Revolutionary Wars spread across Europe, sucking in Britain and leading to the battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo.

• Click Here to watch a music video parody that describes the events of French Revolution.
• Click Here to complete the timeline of major events listed on worksheet 3.
• Click Here to view a famous depiction of the execution of Louis XVI. Using worksheet 4, color in each feature box that you can locate in the image.
• Click Here to watch a brief review video of the French Revolution.
• Using the reading and videos above and the completed worksheets, answer the review questions on worksheet 4.

 Lesson 3. The Rise of Napoleon

After the execution of Louis XVI in 1793, France entered a period of instability. There was disagreement over how the Republic should be governed, and France was having to fight wars against much of the rest of Europe to export their revolutionary ideas, and to prevent other monarchies from re-establishing a French monarchy. Within this confusion, a talented young general took power in Paris in 1799 aged only twenty-nine years old. He was named Napoleon Bonaparte, and would rule France until 1815. He modernized France, conquered much of Europe, and is one of the most important figures in world history.

• Click Here to read through a brief biography of the life of Napoleon.
• Click Here to annotate the map of Europe with all of the most significant moments in Napoleon's life.
• Click Here to watch the TedEd video "History vs. Napoleon Bonaparte" and answer the accompanying questions on the back of worksheet 5.

 Lesson 4. The Battle of Waterloo

In a series of military victories, Napoleon spread his power across Italy, Spain, Holland, Poland and Germany. After his catastrophic loss in Russia in 1812, Napoleon’s power began to fade, and he was defeated and exiled in 1814. Only a year later, he escaped from exile and returned as French Emperor. An army led by the British and allied with Holland and Prussia met Napoleon’s French army at Waterloo, where he was defeated. Napoleon was exiled to St Helena, one of the most remote islands in the world.

• Click Here to watch a video on the Battle of Waterloo. Use the information from the video to write newspaper story about the battle on worksheet 6. The story should include:
  • headliner
  • draw an image in the box
  • details that summarizes the battle (who, what, where, when, and why)
•  Use the reading and video above to help you answer the questions on the back of worksheet 6.

Congrats! You have reached the end! Make sure you have completed all activities above before moving on.

Upon completion of this web quest, you should be able to perform the following objectives to demonstrate your knowledge of the material on a unit test:

1. Analyze the extent to which the Enlightenment impacted the French Revolutions.
2. Summarize the important causes, events, and effects of the French Revolution including the rise and rule of Napoleon.

All the worksheets are based on suggested activities from coreknowledge.org.uk 

Included videos are from Epic History TV, TedEd, NutshellEDU and other channels.

All images are public domain through Wikipedia. 

by Diane Dreskler, Winter Haven High School

This web quest is geared toward 9-12th graders toward the study of the causes, effects, events, and key figures of the French Revolution. It covers the Florida state standards for this content along with the following National Council of Social Studies themes:

2. Time, Continuity & Change

4. Individual Development & Identity

5. Individuals, Groups & Institutions

6. Power, Authority & Governance

9. Global Connections

10. Civic Ideals & Practices