Analysis

HIST 224: French Revolution to WWI

Prof. Anjali Malhotra

Examining Primary Sources: Perspectives on Power and the Peasantry during the French Revolution of 1789

Spring Term 2021

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)

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The French Revolution of 1789: Examining Perspectives on Power and the

Peasantry

Primary Source Analysis (15%)

Due: Friday, May 21, 2021 before 11:59pm Canvas Inbox. No late submissions

beyond 12:10am will be accepted under any circumstances.

Primary Source Analysis: 4-5 pages in length, typewritten, double spaced, 12 font, numbered by

pages, Title page with the name of the Primary Source, Student Name, ID

You must use the essay structure provided below and the guiding questions to answer Section 3 of

your Primary Source Analysis

You should avoid summaries and try to interpret the document and analyze it carefully

Pay close attention to grammar, spelling, punctuation, and paragraphing

Your document must use only CMS style footnoting and contain a proper bibliography, any other

formatting or citation style, your paper will be penalized. You are permitted to use 1-2 outside

sources for this assignment

HIST 224: French Revolution to WWI

Prof. Anjali Malhotra

Examining Primary Sources: Perspectives on Power and the Peasantry during the French Revolution of 1789

Spring Term 2021

You must also attach a WLC appt with your submission. Any paper that does not have a WLC

visit will be penalized.

Primary Sources:

There are TWO primary sources contained in this assignment, please choose ONE to analyze.

You are given two different accounts of the French Revolution of 1789, one on the eve of

French Revolution, written by Arthur Young and the other, written by the French emperor and

leader during the last stages of the French Revolution (1799-1815), Napoleon Bonaparte.

These accounts vary in their ideas of power, politics, and the social ideals that constitute the

French Revolution of 1789.

Choose ONE source to analyze and write from the following choices:

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Source 1: Arthur Young, “The Condition of the French People,” from Travels in France (1792)

Link:

https://wwnorton.com/college/NRL/epack_ancillaries/western-civilizations18/ch18_documents.html

Arthur Young (1741–1820) was the voice of agricultural improvement in the late eighteenth

century and spent most of his life traveling in England, Wales, Ireland, and France, observing

agricultural methods and arguing for scientific improvement. He was in France from May through

November 1787, again in 1788, and a third time the following year. His Travels in France (1792)

stands as an excellent source of information concerning the actual social conditions of the French

people at the time of the French Revolution.

HIST 224: French Revolution to WWI

Prof. Anjali Malhotra

Examining Primary Sources: Perspectives on Power and the Peasantry during the French Revolution of 1789

Spring Term 2021

Source 2: Napoleon Bonaparte: extracts taken from: Johnston, R. M. The Corsican: A Diary of

Napoleon's Life in His Own Words. New York: Houghton Mifflin, Company, 1910 in Sources of

Western Tradition, Volume II: Renaissance to the Present. Marvin Perry, (ed), Boston: Cengage

Learning, 2019. 112-117.

The primary source will be scanned as a PDF and are available in the Primary Source

Assignment Canvas Modules.

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) was born on the island of Corsica, Italy. In 1799, members of

the Directory conspired with Napoleon to take over the French government by means of a coup

d'état (this event is known as the 18th Brumaire, November 9, 1799). It was successful, and

Napoleon quickly asserted his superior intelligence and will over others.The period of European

history from 1799 to 1815 is generally known as the Napoleonic Age. Napoleon gained power

not only in France, but directly and indirectly throughout much of continental Europe. Within France

he crushed threats from both radicals and royalists who wanted to extend or reverse the gains of

the French Revolution. Through administrative reforms, codification of laws, and settlement with the

Church, he institutionalized some of the changes brought about by the revolution and rejected

others. Backed by the ideological force of the revolution and strong nationalism, Napoleon's

armies extended French rule, institutions and influence throughout Europe.

While reading the primary source:

● Consider the original author's purpose and biases. ● Did the author have first-hand knowledge of the events? ● How did the author collect the information? ● Who was the audience? Which side appears in the most favorable light? ● Also consider the hidden potential of the source. ● What assumptions does the author make about attitudes and society? ● What aspects of daily life, government, or religion does the author mention?

HIST 224: French Revolution to WWI

Prof. Anjali Malhotra

Examining Primary Sources: Perspectives on Power and the Peasantry during the French Revolution of 1789

Spring Term 2021

Guiding Questions for Analysis: Section 3 of the Primary Source Analysis:

You must aim to answer at least 2-3 questions in your analysis and cite direct

evidence from the source.

Source 1: Arthur Young, “The Condition of the French People,” from Travels in France (1792)

1. What did Young observe as the primary source of social and economic discontentment

amongst the French peasantry in the countryside?

2. What kinds of facts and details does Young use to examine the social and economic

conditions of the French peasantry? Is his knowledge accurate? Are there any missing

perspectives in this account?

3. What particular social, economic, political, and historical value does this document

contain in regards to the situation prior to the French Revolution of 1789?

4. According to Young’s account, can it be argued that the French Revolution of 1789 had

started in the French countryside much earlier than otherwise known?

Source 2: Napoleon Bonaparte: extracts taken from: Johnston, R. M. The Corsican: A Diary of

Napoleon's Life in His Own Words.

1. What evidence in the document suggests that Napoleon used propaganda to achieve his

goals?

2. What were Napoleon’s intentions in citing the Imperial Catechism of 1806?

3. What can you infer about Napoleon Bonaparte from his letters and speeches?

(personality, leadership, and his psychology or his understanding of human nature)

4. Do these letters contain any historical value in providing a deeper glimpse into Napoleon

Bonaparte, as a tactician of war, leader, and as an individual?

5. Do Napoleon’s writings reveal anything more about his attitudes towards the events of the

French Revolution of 1789 or the Enlightenment?

HIST 224: French Revolution to WWI

Prof. Anjali Malhotra

Examining Primary Sources: Perspectives on Power and the Peasantry during the French Revolution of 1789

Spring Term 2021

The Structure and Process of Writing your Primary Source Analysis

For Sections 1 and 2, you may use one or two secondary sources for background information.

Acceptable sources include course materials, peer-reviewed articles from JSTOR,.

Section 3 must be ENTIRELY based on what the primary source says. Aim to answer the

guiding questions provided to you which will help you to avoid a summary and aim to move

you towards analysis.

Your paper should include the following information presented in numbered subsections:

For Sections 1 and 2: You are permitted to use secondary or outside sources (1-2). Acceptable

sources include course materials, peer-reviewed articles from JSTOR, Google scholar, journal

articles that contain a specific author, taken from academic sources, etc.

Sections of your Primary Source Analysis

1. Historical Background of the source: What was happening at the time that the source was

written? Be sure to indicate the source(s) of your information. Give priority to information that is

likely to have a direct bearing on how you interpret the source. [about half a page]

2. Context for writing the source. Who wrote it? When? Why? What is it about? For whom did the

author write? [about half a page]

3. Usefulness of the source. Answer the Guiding Questions in this section. What can be learned

from the source? Give actual examples. Give specific examples of statements that are particularly

biased. Does the author include a wealth of details that tell about what was happening around

him or her? Does the author reveal anything about the general societal attitudes (e.g. towards

religion, kingship, family life)? Try to go beyond a consideration of the basic facts presented in the

source to analysis of larger insights into history which might be gained from the source. [at least

two or three pages]

4. Conclusion. What is your overall assessment of the source? What are its strongest and weakest points? [up to one page, but at least half a page] Address only those that are relevant and

reorganize to create a coherent whole within each section.