12-French Revolution 2

Question 1

Place in sequential order these major developments of the French Revolution period: National Assembly, Republic, Reign of Terror, Thermidor, Directory, Empire

Answer 1

• 17 Jun 1789-National Assembly
• 20 Sep 1792-Republic
• Summer 1793-Summer 1794-Reign of Terror
• July 22 – August 21 1794-Thermidor
• 1795-Directory
• Empire ???

Question 2

Connect the developments in 12.1 to the appropriate phases of the French Revolution (moderate, radical, conservative reaction)

Answer 2

• Conservative: Directory, Thermidor,
• Moderate: National Assembly
• Radical: Reign of Terror, Republic

Question 3

Explain the circumstances which brought forth the Reign of Terror

Answer 3

Mounting French defeats on the battlefield, along with revolts in some of the provinces against the revolutionary government, created an atmosphere of desperate urgency, super-heated patriotism, deep apprehension, and even paranoid hysteria. The homeland and the revolution had to be protected against enemies from without and enemies from within-Jacobin rule (Robespierre)

Question 4

Differentiate Girondins and Jacobins in the period 1791-1794

Answer 4

• The Girondins valued liberty above all else as the goal of the revolution. Therefore, their vision for France imagined a weaker, limited central government in Paris with most government being done at the local level under local control. This, they claimed, would help ensure the protection of freedom
• The Jacobins, on the other hand, valued equality above all else as the goal of the revolution. Therefore, their vision for France imagined a strong central government that would actively work to eliminate the obstacles to a more complete social and political equality

Question 5

Explain why 1799 makes sense as a place to divide the period from 1789 to 1815

Answer 5

Napoleon’s coup in 1799 marks the definite end of the French Revolution, seized control of the government of France

Question 6

Describe/state significance: Trafalgar; Continental System; Russian Campaign, Waterloo; Elba; Civil Code of 1804

Answer 6

• Trafalgar: October 1805 an allied French-Spanish fleet was destroyed at Trafalgar, just off the Spanish coast
• Continental System: Napoleon’s response to Britain’s paper blockage-His own “paper” blockade of British ports, and also warned that ships that complied with the British blockade would be seized, when they docked, by French authorities
• Russian Campaign: Russian army retreated in front of Napoleon’s advancing troops, but destroyed everything that could be of use to the French invaders
• Waterloo: Napoleon’s final defeat
• Elba: first exile, small Mediterranean island
• Civil Code of 1804: uniform code of laws for France. Mix of French Revolution and traditional understandings

Question 7

State the main results (impact) of the French Revolution (class)

Answer 7

It put an end to the French monarchy, feudalism, and took political power from the Catholic church. Although the revolution ended with the rise of Napoleon, the ideas and reforms did not die

Question 8

Distinguish between major interpretations of the French Revolution (class)

Answer 8

Conservative
Liberal
Marxist
Centralization