Chapter 3 Flashcards
What kind of society was France before 1789?
An absolute monarchy and feudal society that favored aristocracy and catholicism
What is absolutism?
A system where the absolute monarch is given the power to rule the lan and the people by the divine right of kings
What caused a shift to France’s economy and began to change things?
When the middle class began to question their loyalty to the kind
How did French families live during the medieval times?
Generations of families lived in small, tightly knit communities with little external contact with the larger world
What was the political system prior to the French revolution?
The Ancien Regime
What are the groups w/ in the feudal system?
Peasants, Knights, Nobles, king
What falls under the first estate in the Ancient Regime?
The Roman Catholic clergy Make dominated estate 250000 people Exempt from paying taxes Had political power to make decisions
What falls under the second estate?
Nobility 250000 Land owners exempt from paying taxes Had political power to make decisions Enjoyed privileges not enjoyed by the 3rd estate ex. Hunting, access to high ranks, in clergy and military
What falls under the third estate?
Serfs, peasants, merchants, artisans and workers 25000000 Could not own land Paid heavy taxes Little/no political power
Which people fell under each estate in the Ancien regime?
First Estate - The Roman Catholic Clergy
Second Estate - The nobility
Third Estate - serfs and rest of population
Which group had a major influence in France?
The Catholic Church
What was a source of wealth and power for the Catholic Church?
Land, the church owned 20% of land in France
Who was the clergy of the church?
Priests and monks drawn from the second and third level
What legislation did Francis I, King of France sign?
In 1539, a legislation called the Ordinance of Villers-Cotteretês
What was the major goal of the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts?
To discontinues the use of Latin in official French Documents
What set the stage for French to become the official language in France?
The signing of the ordinance of Viillers-Cotterêts
What would happen as a result of French becoming the official language in France?
French would be used in all court proceedings and governed administration
Who demanded that the Ancien Regime change in France?
The bourgeoisie
Who are the bourgeoisie?
The middle class
What did the bourgeoisie dislike about the ancient regime?
They resented the arrogance of the first and second estates and the heavy taxes that they are forced to pay. They also hated being dictated by the clergy and nobility
Why was France on its way to bankruptcy?
Because of Wes wages by monarchs Louis XV and Louis XVI
Who had to hold much of the debt from the wars?
The Third Estate because they paid the taxes
Why did people start to question the power of the king?
They were inspired by the philosophies that challenges the old regime and the recent revolution in the states
What were the bourgeoisie unsatisfied with?
The economic, legal and political implications imposed on them and wanted a voice that more closely reflected their numbers
How much of the population did the bourgeoisie make?
90% of the population
How did the first and second estates vote?
Hey each had one vote and they voted together to overthrow the third estate
Why was France in a financial crisis?
Frances participation in wars contributed to a national debt
Why was France unable to get out of debt?
Because members of the government could not agree on a solution and Louis XVI prevented a vote on loans
What did the disagreements about the war incite?
A meeting of representatives from each estate at the palace of Versailles
What did the representatives of each estate bring to the treaty of Versailles?
A list of grievances to share with the king
How much was settled during representative meetings at at the palace of Versailles?
Little because of disagreements between the king and the 3 estates
What caused the creation of the National Assembly?
After failure of the meetings of the estates-general
What created the tennis court oath?
The king locked the National Assembly out of their regular meeting place and they assembled on a nearby tennis court
What is the tennis copyright oath?
The swearing of the National Assembly to not disband until France a constitution
What was the storming of Bastille?
The king refused to recognize the legitimacy of the National Assembly. He assemble troops near Paris. Rumors of the attack spurred to the people and they stormed the royal prison to release prisoners and collect weapons for defense
What did the National Assembly do to the feudal system?
Abolished the estates general ending the feudal system and gaining legislative power in France
What was the creation of the declaration of rights of man and of the citizen?
A declaration passed by the National Assembly
What did the declaration of rights of man and of the citizen describe?
The rights of individuals and guiding democratic principles
What was the march of versailles?
People marched to versailles to protest the high price of bread. They discovered the royal families plan to escape and forced them to return to paris
How was France turned into a constitutional monarchy?
The national assembly wrote a new constitution that kept it a monarchy but distributed political powers.
Proclaimed it a sovereign nation. Created 83 districts. Gave most of the power to an elected assembly
What two political groups emerged during the French Revolution?
The Jacobins and the Girondins
What the Girondins political beliefs?
Maintain the monarchy
What were the Jacobins political beliefs?
Radicals wanted to establish France as a republic
Where did many nobles flee to and why?
They fled to Austria and Prussia and attempted to mobilize foreign powers against the new government of France
What started the French revolutionary wars?
France declaring war on Austria that was trying to overthrow the new government
How was French established as a republic?
The national convention including members of the Jacobins and Girondins voted to remove the monarchy and establish a republic
Who was sentenced to death by the republic?
Louis XVI found guilty of treason
Why did France begin a levée en masse?
To provide soldiers for France’s military efforts
Who was Louis the XVI’s wife?
Marie Antoinette
What was the reign of terror?
When the revolutionary government arrested and killed many enemies of the republic
What did Napoleon do as leader?
Created the lycée school system, implemented a tax system, the bank of France, set civil laws, and road and sewer systems
Who was the first emperor of france?
Napoleon Bonaparte
How did Napoleon extend French control?
He placed his family on thrones and married them off
How did Napoleon react in his disputes against Britain?
He established an embargo prohibiting his allies with from trading with britain
When did Napoleon’s reign end?
With his defeat at Leipzig he was dethroned and exiled to an island called Elba and Louis XVIII became monarch
What did Napoleon do after he escaped from
Elba?
He returned to France and ruled for a Hundred Days and then was exiled to St. Helena where he died 6 years later
