07 The French Revolution and Napoleon, 1789–1815 Flashcards
Old Regime
the political and social system that existed in France before the French Revolution
estate
one of the three social classes in France before the French Revolution—the First Estate consisting of the clergy; the Second Estate, of the nobility; and the Third Estate, of the rest of the population
Louis XVI
weak king who came to the French throne in 1774
Marie Antoinette
unpopular queen; wife of Louis XVI
Estates-General
an assembly of representatives from all three of the estates, or social classes, in France
National Assembly
a French congress established by representatives of the Third Estate on June 17, 1789, to enact laws and reforms in the name of the French people
Tennis Court Oath
a pledge made by the members of France’s National Assembly in 1789, in which they vowed to continue meeting until they had drawn up a new constitution
Great Fear
a wave of senseless panic that spread through the French countryside after the storming of the Bastille in 1789
Legislative Assembly
a French congress with the power to create laws and approve declarations of war, established by the Constitution of 1791
émigrés
people who leave their native country for political reasons, like the nobles and others who fled France during the peasant uprisings of the French Revolution
sans-culottes
in the French Revolution, a radical group made up of Parisian wage-earners and small shopkeepers who wanted a greater voice in government, lower prices, and an end to food shortages
Jacobin
member of the Jacobin Club, a radical political organization
guillotine
a machine for beheading people, used as a means of execution during the French Revolution
Maximilien Robespierre
revolutionary leader who tried to wipe out every trace of France’s past monarchy and nobility
Reign of Terror
the period, from mid-1793 to mid-1794, when Maximilien Robespierre ruled France nearly as a dictator and thousands of political figures and ordinary citizens were executed
Napoleon Bonaparte
military leader who seized power in France in 1804
coup d’état
a sudden seizure of political power in a nation
plebiscite
a direct vote in which a country’s people have the opportunity to approve or reject a proposal
lycée
a government-run public school in France
concordat
a formal agreement—especially one between the pope and a government, dealing with the control of Church affairs
Napoleonic Code
a comprehensive and uniform system of laws established for France by Napoleon
Battle of Trafalgar
an 1805 naval battle in which Napoleon’s forces were defeated by a British fleet under the command of Horatio Nelson
blockade
the use of troops or ships to prevent commercial traffic from entering or leaving a city or region
Continental System
Napoleon’s policy of preventing trade between Great Britain and continental Europe, intended to destroy Great Britain’s economy
guerrilla
a member of a loosely organized fighting force that makes surprise attacks on enemy troops occupying his or her country
Peninsular War
a conflict, lasting from 1808 to 1813, in which Spanish rebels, with the aid of British forces, fought to drive Napoleon’s French troops out of Spain
scorched-earth policy
the practice of burning crops and killing livestock during wartime so that the enemy cannot live off the land
Waterloo
battle in Belgium that was Napoleon’s final defeat
Hundred Days
the brief period during 1815 when Napoleon made his last bid for power, deposing the French king and again becoming emperor of France
Congress of Vienna
a series of meetings in 1814–1815, during which the European leaders sought to establish long-lasting peace and security after the defeat of Napoleon
Klemens von Metternich
key leader at the Congress of Vienna
balance of power
a political situation in which no one nation is powerful enough to pose a threat to others
legitimacy
the hereditary right of a monarch to rule
Holy Alliance
a league of European nations formed by the leaders of Russia, Austria, and Prussia after the Congress of Vienna
Concert of Europe
a series of alliances among European nations in the 19th century, devised by Prince Klemens von Metternich to prevent the outbreak of revolutions
Bastille
a prison in Paris
Committee of Public Safety
committee led by Robespierre that tried “enemies of the Revolution” and had them executed
conservatives
in the first half of the 19th century, those Europeans—mainly wealthy landowners and nobles—who wanted to preserve the traditional monarchies of Europe
Declaration of the Rights of Man
French revolutionary statement guaranteeing rights such as liberty and property
radicals
in the first half of the 19th century, those Europeans who favored drastic change to extend democracy to all people
liberals
in the first half of the 19th century, those Europeans—mainly middle-class business leaders and merchants—who wanted to give more political power to elected parliaments
Versailles
site of the extremely luxurious palace of the kings of France
7.1 Why were members of the Third Estate dissatisfied with life under the Old Regime?
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7.2 What major reforms did the National Assembly introduce?
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7.3 How did Napoleon become a hero in France?
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7.4 Why was Napoleon’s delay of the retreat from Moscow such a great blunder?
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7.5 What were the three points of Metternich’s plan for Europe?
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