French Revolution Unit Test Flashcards
(27 cards)
The Old Regime
The political and social system of France before the Revolution
Tennis Court Oath
Representatives of the 3rd Estate vowed that they would not adjourn until they had written a new constitution in France.
The Storming of the Bastille
Rumors spread that the king had hired mercenaries to c ome into Paris and kill the people. The people stormed the Paris Prison (Bastille) looking for ammunition.
The Great Fear
In 1789 the peasants, fearing nobles had hired thugs to attack them, broke into manor homes of the nobles and destroyed legal papers that had bound them to their feudal dues & obligations.
March of the Women
In Oct. 1789 6,000 women marched to the Palace of Versaille to bring their complaints directly to the king. They forced the king and his family to return to Paris.
National Assembly
The representatives of the 3rd Estate declared themselves a National Assembly or the true representatives of the French. This was the FIRST ACT Of THE REVOLUTION!!!
Jacobins
A radical political club that wanted to remove the king and establish a republic. Jean Paul Marat was one of their leaders. (RADICAL)
Girondists
They did not want to execute the king. They wanted to keep the Limited Constitutional Monarchy
(Moderates)
The Monarchists (Royalists)
The did not want to make any political changes. They wanted to return to the Absolute Monarchy
(Conservatives)
National Convention
The legislative branch of both the radical and moderate republics of France during the Rev
Reign of Terror
Attempt by the Committee for Public Safety to destroy the internal enemies of the new French Republic. 40,000 people were guillotined.
The Directory
The last government during the French Revolution. It was a moderate 5 man executive branch that was corrupt and incompetent. Napoleon overthrew them.
Committee for Public Safety
Led by Robespierre this organization was given dictatorial powers. It was responsible for the Reign of Terror.
Law of the 4th of August
- Written to appease the peasants. Serfs were granted freedom from feudal dues and obligations and church tithes.
- The nobles lost their feudal privileges
- The church lost its 10% tithe
The Declaration of the Rights of Man
It reflected the ideals of the Philosophes.
The 3rd Estate gained equal rights before the law.
Everyone gained freedom of speech and religion.
The nobility lost their special privileges and position before the law
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy
The church lost its lands and its political independence.
The clergy had to obey French law.
The clergy had to swear allegiance to the provisions of the new constitution or could not continue to practice.
The people gained the right to select their religious leaders.
Many priests & bishops left France. This drove a wedge between the devout peasants & the bourgeoisie. The peasants began to oppose further revolutionary changes of the middle class.
The Constitution of 1791
This was the first constitution of the French Rev. The King lost his absolute authority as his power was limited by law.
He could veto a law, but not block it absolutely, he could propose war, but not declare it, & he could select ministers.
The Legislative Assembly-Made laws, levied taxes, spent public funds, declared war.
Only males who paid a specific amount of taxes could elect members to the legislature.
Citizens were equal before the law
Maximilien Robespierre
A Jacobin and leader of the Paris Commune (city govt. of Paris) and the leader of the Committee for Public Safety. He was responsible for the Reign of Terror. His death by the guillotine ended the Reign of Terror and led to a more moderate Republic, the Directory
Abbe Sieyes
An abbot who encouraged the Third Estate representatives to declare themselves a National Assembly, the true representatives of the French people
Jean-Paul Marat
He founded the radical French newspaper “The Friend of the People” and verbally attacked the Girondists. He was stabbed by a royalist sympathizer, Charlotte Corday, while in the bathtub.
Georges Jacques Danton
He was a member of the Paris Commune and a Leader of the Girondists. He was devoted to helping the poor of Paris. He verbally attacked the dictatorship of the Committee for Public Safety & the Reign of Terror run by Robespierre and was tried and beheaded.
Political Causes of the Revolution
Absolute Monarchy (Divine Right Rule)
People had no voice in the government
Legal inequality before the law (nobles had preferential treatment)
Legislative branch had not met almost 200 years
No other legal recourse (no trial by jury, no court of appeals)
Economic Causes of the French Revolution
French government was going bankrupt
- Expenditures of the Queen, Marie Antoinette
- Financial aid for the American Revolution: $250 Million
- Inefficient economic policies of previous Kings Louis XIV & XV
- 7 Years War/French and Indian War
- Versailles Palace – 300 Billion dollars
Inflation
- Poor harvest (drought) caused an increase in food prices which led to an increase in other goods
- Nobles increased the feudal dues and rent paid by the peasants.
- Goods once free now cost money (firewood)
Social Causes of the French Revolution
Social differences defined by law
Legal stratification (division) of the 3 classes
No social mobility
No intermarriage between the social classes
Tension between the rich and the poor
