French Revolution Flashcards
What does revolution mean?
A forcible overthrow of a government or social order, in favour of a new system. In the context of the French Revolution, the monarchy is overthrown in favour of a democracy.
What were the names of the three social classes in France?
The Clergy(the first estate), the Nobility(the second estate) and everyone else(the third estate).
Who and what were the clergy?
The Clergy was made up mainly of Priests and Monks who were extremely wealthy and paid hardly any tax. As well as this, the Clergy had their own law courts. The clergy were also known as the first estate.
Who and what were the Nobility?
The Nobility were made up of the King and Queen’s family who were all extremely wealthy and paid very little tax. They made up less than 1% of the population and got special treatment. The Nobility were also known as the Second Estate.
Who and what were everyone else?
Everyone else(as the name implies) was everyone who wasn’t in the other two classes. This Estate was made up of everyone from peasants to doctors. Everyone paid a lot of tax and had no privileges. They made up 98% of the population and got no say in how things were run. Everyone else was also known as the Third Estate.
What long term causes to the French Revolution were there?
Louis XVI and his Wife Marie Antoinette had very expensive tastes and spent all their money on extravagant goods and magnificent palaces.
Lots of peasants were unemployed and the King didn’t do anything about it. There were tens of thousands who were desperate for food and money.
Since 1700, food prices had began to slowly rise more than wages which meant that people weren’t earning enough to feed themselves.
France had been in very expensive wars with Britain and America which rose taxes.
France sent huge sums of money to support the Americans against the English who didn’t want the Declaration of Independence signed.
What short term causes to the French Revolution were there?
In August 1788 the country was bankrupt which meant that the King had to call the Estates General. The third Estate demanded a constitution which was opposed by the richest members of the first two estates.
In 1787 aristocrats refused to help the king by paying him land tax and in 1788 the Church refused to help him with money.
In 1787-1788 there were bad harvests which increased bread prices and lots of peasants starved to death.
Who were the King and Queen at the time of the Revolution
King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Marie Antoinette was also known as Madame deficit and Madame veto
Who and what was the Estates General? Also when was the last time it had been summoned?
The Estates General was a sort of National Parliament which had representatives from all three Estates. The last time it had met was in 1614. In August 1788 King Louis was forced to call for the Estates General because the country was bankrupt.
What was the National Assembly and Tennis Court Oath?
In June 1789, the third Estate Representatives and Clergy from the Estates General united and called themselves the National Assembly. They demanded that King Louis shared his power with them.
The Tennis Court Oath was occurred on the 20th June 1789 because Louis banned the National Assembly and ordered the Army to shut it down. The Assembly met in a Tennis Court and promised that they would not stop until their was a fairer taxation system and government.
What led to the Storming of the Bastille and what happened during the event?
Due to bad harvests, the price of bread was enormous so many were starving and hungry so they began to riot. On the 14th July 1789 an angry mob stormed the Bastille and stole 30,000 muskets and then marched on to find the gunpowder. The Bastille was taken easily and the flag on top was changed to incorporate red and blue - the colours of Paris - to the flag we see today with white in the middle.
What was the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen?
On the 26th of August 1789, the National Assembly, which now included many more Nobles, approved the Declaration. At the heart of the declaration was the idea of freedom and equality. However, most ideas would have been hard to implement and many people realised that their lives would get better while others got worse.
What short term cause caused King Louis to be executed?
In 1791, Louis had enough and decided to escape from Paris by disguising himself and his wife as servants and go to Holland where his wife’s brother ruled. However, he was recognised in Varennes and was promptly returned to Paris
Back in Paris, Louis was tried for treason against France because it was believed that he was planning to start a war against France. On the 21st of January 1793 Louis was executed.
Who were the right and left wings of the French Assembly?
The French assembly was split into the right wing Conservatives who wanted slower change and the left wing Radicals who wanted much quicker change. Robespierre was part of the Jacobins who were radicals.
Who was Maximilien Robespierre?
Robespierre was the leader of a Radical group known as the Jacobins. The Jacobins led a revolt against the assembly and seized power.
