1 2 The origins and onset of revolution, 1774-89 Flashcards
(33 cards)
What is absolute monarchy?
Form of government where the king had absolute power and was responsible only to God and answerable to no one on Earth.
What was the divine right of kings? How did the political doctrine defend monarchical absolutism?
political doctrine in defence of monarchical absolutism, which asserted that kings derived their authority from God and therefore could not be held accountable for their actions by any earthly authority.
What right did Louis XVI have which exemplified his absolute power?
The king had the right of arbitrary arrest and imprisonment, where someone is arrested and detained without trial, by issuing a lettre de cachet, similar to an arrest warrant.
What were the parlements?
Local law courts and councils in administrative centres, whose main function was to ratify the king’s laws and had the responsibility to ensure that the populace performed their civic duties which included the prosecution of those who did not
How did the parlements limit King Louis XVI’s power?
The parlements could refuse to register and implement laws created by the king if they felt them to be against the traditions and values of the ancien regime.
Therefore, they were an independent body whose rights were guaranteed by law, and the king could not interfere with these.
How could Louis XVI overrule the parlements?
The king could issue a lit de justice which was essentially an edict overruling the parlements and demanding that the law was registered.
Why was the support of the parlements important to the king for the ratification of laws?
Without the support of the parlements, it would be very difficult for the monarch to ensure that a law was implemented.
How was French society organised during the ancien regime?
French society was divided into three orders (which were not necessarily indicators of wealth) called the Estates of the Realm.
What were the Estates of the Realm?
First, Second and Third Estate
What did the First Estate mainly consist of?
the clergy
What did the Second Estate mainly consist of?
the nobility
What did the Third Estate consist of?
Every French person who did not have a noble title or was not ordained by the Church.
How was the Third Estate divided into the rural and urban population?
Third Estate which was divided into the rural population, consisting of peasants, and the urban population which consisted of the middle-class bourgeoisie and wage-labourers.
What percentage of the population did each Estate represent?
First Estate constituted about 0.5% of the population and the Second Estate constituted approximately 1.5% of the population. The higher Estates effectively made up 3% of the French population.
What rights and privileges were awarded to the nobility and the Church?
- Nobility usually accumulated their wealth through hereditary aristocracy
- First Estate had significant power over the people as France was a Catholic nation
- Higher positions in the Church were reserved for the nobility which meant that the poorer lower clergy could not advance within the religious hierarchy due to a lack of wealth
What was the Enlightenment?
Intellectual movement that challenged the old ways of thinking and inspired revolutionary ideas
How was the Enlightenment significant in generating revolutionary sentiment?
The emergence of the Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, caused the writers, philosophers and artists to question the traditional authority. This caused the people of France to question the corruption and inequalities of their society. As a result, the cultural movement created an atmosphere of criticism and opposition to absolute rule.
How did the ideas of the enlightenment influence the dissatisfaction of the bourgeoisie?
Influenced by enlightened ideas, members of the bourgeoisie were dissatisfied by the fact that they were contributing a significant amount to the French economy, with their wealth often rivalling that of the nobility, but had no political rights or freedoms.
How did enlightened philosophy challenge absolute monarchy and the ancien regime established in France?
Enlightened ideas included the rejection of religion, in relation to the absolute monarchy and the divine right of kings, and the emergence of new (scientific) ideas.
Advocates of enlightened philosophy strongly believed in liberty, which meant freedom of religion, freedom of the press and freedom from unreasonable government.
What did the enlightened belief in liberty involve?
Advocates of enlightened philosophy strongly believed in liberty, which meant freedom of religion, freedom of the press and freedom from unreasonable government.
What were Rousseau’s beliefs towards absolute monarchy?
Believed that monarchies only served the interests of the ruling class
Believed that absolute monarchy was ‘vain and contradictory’ as the monarch does not ‘have the right to demand everything’ and therefore disliked the unequal power distribution between the king and his subjects
Argued against the political doctrine of the divine right of kings: ‘no man has natural authority over his fellow men’
What arguments did Rousseau make in the Social Contract (1762)?
In Rousseau’s most influential political work, Social Contract (1762), he argued that everyone within a society has a right collectively to choose the laws under which they live and placed value on political liberties, the right of individuals to participate in government by voting and by holding public office. This is in relation to his claim that “to renounce one’s liberty is to renounce one’s quality as a man” (Rosseau) demonstrating his belief that freedom is synonymous with man.
What arguments did Montesquieu make in the Spirit of Laws (1750)?
Montesquieu pleaded in favour of a constitutional system of government and the separation of powers, the ending of slavery, the preservation of civil liberties and the law, and the idea that political institutions ought to reflect the social and geographical aspects of each community.
Why did Montesquieu favour aristocratic government/constitutional monarchy?
He said ‘an aristocratic government has an inherent vigour, unknown to democracy’ as he favoured the British model of government, constitutional monarchy, where the monarch’s power is restrained by an assembly
