1: French Revolution 1789:

Question 1

4 main things

Answer 1

1) Causes: continuity, economic, ancien regime, philosophy, public sphere
2) Stages of revolution:
3) legacy of rev

Question 2

1) Causes

Answer 2

a) Continuity: long term precedents: conflict between monarchy and powerful nobles since 15th c. e.g. french wars of religion.
b) economic weakness: economic cost in american independence war, subsidised by loans with increasing interest, exposed frances fiscal (tax) weakness.
c) Ancien Regime: system where clergy n nobles never paid taxes absolute monarchy, clergy owned 10th of land, nobility owned 1/4 of land and rarely paid tax,
d) emerging public: public opinion gaine vlaue in politics, fuelled by cultural encounters: e.g. with British and American revolutionaries
e) Philosophies: Rousseau: wrote of mans place in society ‘man was born free, and everywhere he is in chains’.

Question 3

stages of rev

Answer 3

a) start: national assembly banned from multiple places so sign tennis court oath and promsieto pursue constituion no matter what
b) 1789 women march on versailles, threaten royal family to move back to paris
c) defending the revolution: Napoleon Bonaparte: won wars against England, Austria and Prussia to defend the rev as Prussia and Austria wanted to suppress threat of revolution

Question 4

The reign of terror:

Answer 4

1793-1794:

16.5k death penalties, excess of 40,000 deaths. Rebellion in ‘the vendee’ led to civil war causing 500,000 casualties.

Question 5

Napoleon bonapartes legacy:

Answer 5

Saviour of revolution.

• seized power with coup in 1799
• pursued aggressive national/dynastic expansion.
• Napoleonic wars engaged nearly all European nations
• defeated at waterloo 1815

Question 6

Political legacies:

Answer 6

• new notions of citizenship
• liberty/equality/liberalism/nationalism
• reactions gave birth to modern conservative thought
• Napoleon: precursor to 20th c fascism.