The French Revolution and the Empire of Napoleon
Chapter 33 – Part 2
Pages 439-446
(From the Reaction and Consolidation through Overall Estimate of the Vienna Settlement)
Instead of outlining – I am giving you key questions to take you through Chapter 33. These are your
notes for class and for note reprieves. I encourage you to make your answers detailed.
Please write out the question before answering it. All work should be done as a formal assignment on
notebook paper or typed.
1. What was the Thermidorean Reaction? What changed in France because of it?
2. What problems were faced by the Directory?
3. How did Napoleon Bonaparte come to be known in France?
4. How did Napoleon become “First Consul” of France and what powers did he hold? What did he
do as First Consul to strengthen his control over France? Be specific!
5. Why was Napoleon able to crown himself Emperor of France? Why didn’t the people of
France, who fought to get rid of the monarchy, try to stop him? Why did he choose emperor
instead of king?
6. Which two countries could not be fully defeated by Napoleon? Which one led to his ruin and
why?
7. Read the Napoleon: Pro or Con section of your text and create a pro-con chart based on it.
Then decide for yourself whether Napoleon was a great leader of the Revolution or an
oppressive dictator only concerned with his own glory.
8. Explain what happened to France after Napoleon was exiled to Elba. How did the government
change?
9. What was the significance of the Battle of Waterloo? Why was it fought? How did it end?
10. What was the Congress of Vienna? Why were European powers meeting in Vienna and what
did they decide? Who were the leading players & what did they want?
11. How did the shift back to conservatism impact “the Big Four” Europe? What was going on in
the rest of Europe after the Napoleonic Wars?
12. What are the critiques of the Treaty of Vienna? Why is it still considered a successful treaty,
regardless of its flaws?