23rd November 2011

Napoleon's portrait

The guillotine was very famous

Today in Social Sciences at the beginning of the class Laura’s sister and his friend were talking with Paqui, and when we were all sitting in our places, some people have come late to the class because they were doing the computing exam and Laura’s sister and his friend have come also into the class. Paqui has said to them that they have to be in silence. 

After that we have check exercise ten on the book about the Age of Terror and about the Jacobins. Daniel has checked this exercise. Paqui has written the correct answer in the blackboard: this period was called the Age of Terror due to the Law of Suspects. In July 1794 some conservative deputies took control of the Convention, amonested the Jacobins leaders and executed them by guillotine.

Them, we have continued with the class. We have continued reading point C on the book about The Directory (1794-1799), the Directory was the new government that was established during 5 years. We have copied some notes about that. We were talking about the guillotine and about the death penalties in this period and Paqui has said that Laura’s sister was in favour of the death penalty. In this period they were very radical, they killed every one and the people went to see that! They had a different mentality.

A very curious thing we have talked has been the new calendar that was established in France after the Thermidorian Reaction. There were 12 month and every one with 30 days and the month was divided into three periods of ten days (not weeks) and the names were established following the type of weather in Paris during every month:

·         Vendémiaire September  Grape harvest

·         Brumaire  October  Fog

·         Frimaire  November  Frost

·         Nivôse December  Snowy

·         Pluviôse January  Rainy

·         Ventôse February Windy

·         Germinal March  Germination

·         Floréal April  Flower

·         Prairial May Pasture

·         Messidor June Harvest

·         Thermidor  July Summer heat

·         Fructidor August Fruit

The Directory had some problems from two sides; the counter-revolutionaries and the popular protests, and some internals problems also: huge inflation, corruption and less prestige to the Republic.

After that, we have talk about the beginning of the Napoleonic era. Paqui has made a small representation with us about the problems that had Napoleon to take the power and to do the “coup d’Etat”. Paqui has said to us a Napoleon’s quote because we have said to Paqui that Napoleon was very small: “The stature of the men should be not measure from feet to the head, but from the head to the sky”. That’s a good quote!

Today, we have not homework! That’s great thank you Paqui!

Bye Bye

Cu2 morrow

Interactive activities about the French Revolution

Here you have the result of some days of work. Click on the picture below to start reviewing the contents we have already studied:

Enjoy and learn!

21st/ November/ 2011

http://tejiendoelmundo.wordpress.com/tag/guillotina/

Today in Social Sciences , at the beginning of the lesson I have showed the poster of The musical of Evita to Paqui and the classmates. Afterwards Sara has checked the exercise nine about the disappearance of the Monarchy in 1792 and the consequences to the King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, but she has had the exercise wrong so Paqui has explained us and we have copied the answer. The King Louis XVI conspired against France and the European absolute monarchies attacked France. The people discovered what the King had done and stormed his palace (Tuilleries) and he was arrested. The Assembly decided to end Monarchy and to establish a Republic. Then the Monarchs were accused of treason and condemned to death and executed by guillotine. For this reason was decided to didn´t have more Monarquies in France.

We have continued with the unit and we have started a new point: The Democratic Republic from 1792 to 1794. After the arrest of the King, Republic was proclaimed and a new assembly was chosen with a different name: Convention, it concentrated the executive and the legislative power. The Republic was divided into two periods, the Girondist Convention (1792-1793) and the Jacobins Convention (1793-1794). The Girondists decided to execute the King by guillotine. (Usually the nobles were executed with an ax and the poor people died hanging). This decision provoked a counter- revolutionary revolt in the Vendée and a European coalition against France, a war. It was the first coalition. In June 1793 the sand culottes gave the power to the Jacobins. The Jacobin Convention gave the executive power to the Committee of Public Safety some members were Robespierre, Saint Just ( he was the most radical), Couthon and Danton. They took some important decisions:

      - Mass conscription.

      - New Constitution including universal male suffrage, popular sovereignty, equality and social rights.

      - Distribution of properties of the counter-revolutionary for the poor people and sell of the Church properties.

      - Law of the maximum, to control the prices.

      - Closure of Churches and cult of Reason.

    - Law of suspects: The Committee Of General Security was in charge of arresting, judging and quickly executing all the suspected counter-revolutionary.

      16,000 people were executed by guillotine in nine months.

    Paqui has explained us that a way of kill the people was extracting the intestine and put it around a tree. In this way you suffered a lot because you died slowly. When people were decapitate was like a show, people went to see that. The guillotine in France was used until 1979 because death penalty was abolished in this date. 

    One feauture of the guillotine is that it had a cross-cutting blade to kill the people better. In Spain was used the Garrotte Vil. In consisted of sitting the people and putting an iron ring around their neck. They pressed your neck and you died because your neck was broken. It was used until 1960.

One sentence that refers to the Reing of Terror was: It´s dreadful, but necessary.

No we think our ideas without violence but in that period they didn´t think in this way.

We have learn some new words:

Desembowelment: desentrañamiento

Blade: cuchilla

Threat: amenaza

Mass Conscription: reclutamiento forzoso.

Law of suspeots: ley de los sospechosos

We have an exercise for homework.

Breaking news:results of Spain´s general elections

Source: http://excitingjourney.wordpress.com/2011/04/02/decision-2011-on-voting-49-o-and-tender-ballot/

Here you have a link to follow the votes´ count of today´s general elections in Spain. You can look up the evolution of the results in the whole State, in the Autonomous Communities and in every municipality. If you want to get the last results, click on "update": 

- Elections to the Congress of the Deputies:

http://www.generales2011.mir.es/99CG/DCG99999TO_L1.htm

- Elections to the Senate: 

http://www.generales2011.mir.es/99SN/DSN99999TO_L1.htm

Presentation about the French Revolution

Here you have the PowerPoint presentation we are using to study this unit. Use it if you need to complete some exercises and take advantage of it to review the pictures. See you on Monday.

2011-2012 Challenges. Number 9

Source: http://boisdejustice.com/History/History.html

This week´s research will be dedicated to the guillotine, the execution device that started being used in France during the French Revolution. Here you have the questions:

QUESTION 1

Where does the name "guillotine" come from? What is the relation between this execution device and the man who gave name to it?

QUESTION 2

Who were the inventors of the guillotine? From what previous execution devices did they draw inspiration?

QUESTION 3

What were the execution methods used in France before the Revolution? Were there differences between the different estates?

QUESTION 4

Who was the first person to be executed by guillotine in France? What was his crime?

Execution of Queen Marie Antoinette, 16th October 1793

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ex%C3%A9cution_de_Marie_Antoinette_le_16_octobre_1793.jpg 

QUESTION 5

During the Reign of Terror some illustrious people were executed by the guillotine. One of them is considered to be the father of modern chemistry. Who was this scientist? What were his main contributions to science?

QUESTION 6

The rights of women were not recognized during the French Revolution, but some of them were guillotined for their participation in politics. Two of the most important fighters for the rights of women of that time were executed during the Reign of Terror due to their relationship with the Girondists. One of them was the writer of the Declaration of Rights of  Woman and the Female Citizen. The other one pronounced this sentence before her head was placed on the block to be executed: "Oh Liberty, what crimes are committed in your name!". Who were these two women?

17th of november

Today in Social Sciences we have learnt a lot.

At first Paqui has asked for a volunteer to write the reflective journal here in the blog, and all the class has been saying my name....THANKS....so Paqui has thought in me and she has said: YOU HAVE TO WRITE DE JOURNAL...I have answered her because I couldn't write the journal today....

After this dramatic moment for me.... =( we have checked two exercices of the review:

5.-What important events took place in the summer of 1789? Why did the Ancien Régime disappear in France after these events?

-Storming of the Bastille(14th july 1789): popular attacked to the Bastille prison, symbol of absolutism.

-Great fear: in the countryside many peasants attacked castles and manois and they destroyed the property of the lands.

-4th August (1789): The National Constituent Assembly made 2 important decisions:

• Declaration of the Rights of men and the citizen.


• Abolition: seigmeurial rights and they were abolished.

The Ancien Régime ended, because estates disappeared, all the citizens had to pay taxes and peasants had to pay for working.

6.-What were the most important decisions of the National Constituent Assembly and the legislative Assembly?

• National Constituent Assembly:

-Declaration of the rights of men and citizen
-Abolition: seigneurial rights and they were abolished.

• Legislative Assembly:

-The Constitutional Monarchy
-The democratic Republic
-The Directory
-The Napoleonic era.

Afterwards, we have copied a scheme about the political factions in the assembly which included:


-Constitutional Monarchists: limited monarchy.


-Girondists: they wanted a free market economy and exporting the revolution. Representatives of a commercial bourgeoisie.

-Jacobins: they wanted a Republic, universal suffrage and more reforms. They were supported by the sans culottes.

Paqui has explained us a project of the french women in the revolution in which we have to explain our life in 1st person us if we were a woman.

We have read in the book and Paqui has explained as this with representations between us.We have learnt new words:

• To pass a law: aprobar una ley


• Flight: huída


• To flee: huir


• To brind back: devolver


• Treason: traición


• Traitor: traidor

Finally Paqui has gave as homework: exercice 9 from the review.
This is all we have done!

Sources of photographs:
1ª:http://www.tfo.upm.es/ImperialismoWeb/Prise_de_la_Bastille.jpg
2ªhttp://www.laguia2000.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/ropa-de-los-sans-culottes.jpg

Summer of 1789

Today in Social Sciences, we have started checking the exercises about the beginning of the French Revolution. Yolanda Rubio has checked the exercise 2 and Paqui has continued explaining it. She has said that the reason which King Louis XVI decided to call the Estate General was because the privileged demanded the call of Estate to discuss the tax reform. The exercise 3 has been corrected by Laura Muñoz, while she has been saying that the main discussions in the initial meetings of the Estates General were that every estate had to meet separately, had to have similar number of representatives and had to have a vote, Paqui has had to move from seat to Manuel and Juan Carlos, because they were talking. After that, Yolanda Rubio has explained that, she had an argument with her mother, and Paqui has compared their parents with the privileged and she with someone of the Third Estate (hahahaha). To finally check the exercises, Silvia has corrected the last exercise, that it was about what did the members of the Third Estate do when the king closed the Estates General meeting room. Paqui has explained us that they looked for an alternative meeting place, the Tennis Court Oath and they formed a National Assembly where they declared themselves as the legitimate representatives of the French people and they promised to stay there until France had a Constitution.

When we have finished to check the exercises, we have continued reading the beginning of the revolution. First, Paqui has explained us what was tithe (diezno), it means the people who had to pay to the Church (10%) and she has also translated us some words as:

· seigneurial -> señoral

· in force -> vigente

· manor -> casa solariega/casa de campo

· to storm -> asaltar en grupo

Later, Paqui has started writing on the blackboard what had we read about the Summer of 1789 to copy it in our notebooks and then, she has explained it comparing the situation with us. There were two important events where took place in this summer: Storming of the Bastille and Great Fear.

- Storming of the Bastille, the people of Paris attacked the prison of the Bastille and they decided to fight to defend the reforms. (14th July 1789)

- Great Fear: in the countryside many peasants attacked castles and manors and destroyed the property titles of the lands. Paqui has explained it comparing Laura Muñoz with a peasant.

Then we have seen that on the 4th of August of 1789 the National Constituent Assembly made two important decisions: the declaration of the Rights of Men and the Citizen and the Abolition of feudalism, seigneurial rights and tithe were abolished. It means that everybody had to be equal, everybody had to pay taxes and the peasants became happy. To understand it we have started acting the action in the class. Paqui has said that in her opinion it is a very important event in history, a big progress. After that, we have started the different stages can be divided the revolution, and we have seen a little bit of the Constitutional Monarchy (1789-1792). To explain it, Paqui has divided the class into 3 groups as the last day, one of them was the nobles, other the clergy and the last one the peasants and she has been the king. The situation has been do:

· King: "What do you prefer in your country? I want an Absolute Monarchy"

> Clergy: "We want a monarchy!"- except one of them (Isabel) who wanted a revolution.

* Nobles: "We want an Absolute Monarchy!" - except one of them (Alejandro) who wanted a limited monarchy.

# Peasants: "We want the voting per person!!!"

[IT WILL CONTINUE...]

At the end of the class Paqui has given us two exercises to do at home, on page 22 (5 and 6) and the last two minutes has been dedicated to see the videos about the French Revolution.

Two music videos about the French Revolution

Here you have two music videos about the French Revolution made by the Honolulu History Teachers for Music Lovers. They used Lady Gaga´s Bad Romance and the Violent Femmes´ Gone, daddy, gone songs. The first one is a general overview of the French Revolution and the second one is about Napoleon Bonaparte. 

14th of November

http://www.google.es/imgres?q=beginning+of+FRENCH+REVOLUTION&hl=es&sa=X&gbv=2&biw=1280&bih=880&tbm=isch&tbnid=IupDWf9LOj6lxM:&imgrefurl=http://timerime.com/es/periodos/494246/The%2BFrench%2BRevolution/&docid=raQrRz3k43xZeM&imgurl=http://timerime.com/user_files/44/44158/media/french%252520revolution.jpg&w=489&h=453&ei=AlHBTsqAEc6g8gPFvIWHBA&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=428&sig=111542651397469364758&page=1&tbnh=159&tbnw=173&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0&tx=120&ty=36
http://www.google.es/search?tbm=isch&hl=es&source=hp&biw=1280&bih=880&q=tennis+court+oath&gbv=2&oq=tennis+court+oa&aq=0&aqi=g1&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=3054l12311l0l13305l14l14l0l1l1l0l362l2424l0.10.2.1l13l0

Today we have started the class checking exercise 1 from page 22, Daniel Pintado has done it. The exercise was about the causes of French Revolution.

- Economic crisis (bad harvest, increase of food prices)

- Constant wars and money waste.

- Discontent of the bourgeois

- Influence of the ideas of Enlightenmen.

Paqui has explained, that Maria Antoinette was called Madame Dèficit because she waste money in stupid things

After that we have contiuned with the unit Mariluz and Beatriz Antequera have read THE BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION:

Turgot, Nester, Calome, Brienne decided, privileged paid but all of them were dismissed. Louis XVI, advised by his finance ministers, started thinks about reforming tax system and eliminating privileges.

Call of the Estates General ( Parliament) 5th of May in 1789, the privileged met to discus the tax reform, and the book of grivances (cuaderno de quejas) were written to collect the demands of every Estate. They met by a traditional way:

- every estate met separately

- every estate had similar number of representatives

- every estate had a votte.

But the third Estate demanded double representation and voting per person, and the King gave double representation:

- Third Estate 578 deputies

- Clergy 291 deputies

- Nobles 270 deputies.

Discontent was boiling peasants nobles, clergy and bourgeois were discontent. The third Estate went on protesting and the king closed the Estates General.

TENIS COURT OATH (20th June 1789)

The representatives of the third Estate+ some nobles+ some members of the clergy

-declared themselves as the legitimate representatives of France

- created a National Assembly

- swore staying together until France had a constitution.

The king reluctantly accepted and ordered the nobles and clergy to join the third Estate and start writting a Constitution (National Constituent Assembly)

To explain that Paqui has divided the class into three parts: nobles, peasants, clergy and Paqui was the King. Also We have learnt new words:

-Swear (jurar)

- Oath ( juramento)

- Reluctantly (a regañadientes).

At the end of the class Paqui has given us for homework exercises 2,3,4 from page 22.