French Revolution Flashcards
What were the causes of the French Revolution?
Economic crisis
Inequality from the Old Regime
Monarchy wasn’t very strong
Enlightenment values became prevalent (French philosophs)
What was the political aspect of the beginning of the Revolution?
Bourgeoisie started it
The Estates General was the political system (inequality)
The Third Estate formed their own assembly at a tennis court (National Assembly)
They took an oath that they wouldn’t disband until they got a constitution
The King didn’t stop them but order the other Estates to join them
Why did the population of France start to become radical?
Nothing was getting changed fast enough
They were mad cause there was no bread
July 14, 1789 they stormed the Bastille
This lead to uprisings all over the country
The National Assembly makes a constitution and the Declaration of Rights of Man
Why was the storming of the Bastille symbolic?
The Bastille was a symbol of the kings power
Symbolically the people have taken over
It was the spark that started the people’s revolution
What was the slogan of the Revolution?
Liberty, equality, fraternity
How did Robespierre and the Jacobeans gain control of France?
In June 1791, the King and Queen try to flee France but are brought back and put under house arrest
This spilt the Revolutionaries
The Jacobeans demanded an end to the monarchy and the start of a Republic
They took over the National Assembly, making it radical
Why did countries start to invade France?
Other countries heard about the revolution and didn’t want it to spread to their country so they tried to stop the French
A serge of nationalism came from the French because the people were fighting for themselves and for freedom and to stop the Old Regime
Why did the idea of Counter-Revolutionaries start?
The National Assembly was taken over by radicals and they took away the Kings power and demanded that France become a Republic
They found that the King had written letters asking for other countries to invade France to stop the revolution which was treason
Him and the Queen were executed.
This shocked the country and people started to think they had gone to far
What was the Reign of Terror?
The convention took drastic measures to save the revolution (they set aside the constitution)
The Committee of Public Safety was formed meaning France wasn’t a Democracy
They passed the Law of Suspects: people who were suspected of counter-revolution could be arrested without trial
What were some good things the Committee of Public Safety did for France?
They were very successful in beating back the invading armies
They took control of the economy and were able to ration out food and get rid of inflation
What happened at the end of the Reign of Terror?
The French people were sick of the executions so they arrested Robespierre and his committee
He was the final victim of the Reign of Terror (ironic)
National Convention takes a shift to the right
They rewrote the constitution to be more conservative
In 1795 the had a new form of government: The Directory
They had five directors and only men who could read and owned land could vote
What was Napoleon’s early life like?
He was from Corsica (minor noble but was educated)
He rose through the ranks of the military because he was skilled
He defeated the Austrians in Northern Italy
He married well so he had connections in politics
What did Napoleon do domestically in France?
He made friends with two of the directors and formed a coup
Napoleon becomes First Console (he later appoints himself first console for life)
France becomes leading country in the field of education (emphasis on science)
His army is the best because of nationalism and technology
He established the Napoleonic Code
What did Napoleon do when he was at his height in power?
First he conquered most of Europe (spread nationalism and technology)
He couldn’t invade Britain because he didn’t have any ships because they got destroyed in a battle against Britain
He established the continental system (everyone trades with each other and not Britain)
Everyone is in economic crisis because of this, and people are mad so nationalism increases for their own country, not France
What lead to Napoleons downfall?
Czar Alexander traded with Britain which made Napoleon mad so he decided to fight Russia
The Russians refused to fight and enforced a Scorched Earth policy
France beats Russia at Moscow but everything is on fire so they don’t win much
France retreats (Russia sneak attacks)
When they get out, Britain, Prussia, and Austria are waiting
Napoleon gets excited to Elba (A King is put back in charge of France)
He comes back and gathers some of his soldiers back to fight the Battle of Waterloo. Prussia helps Britain defeat France
He is excited again to St. Helens and dies there
