French Revolution Flashcards
About what percentage of France’s population belonged to the Third Estate?
97% or 98%
What happened on July 14, 1789 which today is celebrated in France as Bastille Day?
The storming of the Bastille.
What was the “slogan of the French Revolution”?
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
During the Reign of Terror, who was safe from the guillotine?
Nobody was safe .
What were the important goals of the Congress of Vienna?
Compensation
Legitimacy
Balance of Power
Who was the leader at the Congress of Vienna?
Klemens von Metternich
What issue led to the first meeting of the Estates-General in 175 years?
An unprecendented finacial crisis.
Which group imposed the Reign of Terror?
The Committee of Public Safety
Which group finally forced Robespierre from power?
His own people
How did Great Britain react to the Continental System?
They blocked all trade to Europe
Describe the tax system in France in the years before the French Revolution?
France largely exempted the nobles and the clergy from taxes.
Name three of Napoleon’s accomplishments?
The Napoleonic Code
Stabilized the economy of Europe
He spread free public education for kids
What strategy did Czar Alexander I use to defeat Napoleon in Russia?
The Scorch Earth Policy
Name three accomplishments of Klemens von Metternich at the Congress of Vienna?
Reperation
Legitimacy
Strengthening countries so they don’t get overthrown
Define nationalism.
Loyalty and devotion to a nation.
Besides the scorched-earth policy, what was major factor in Napoleon’s failure to defeat
Russia.
Insufficient access to resources
Harsh winters
No shelter
Troops were continually attacked by Russian forces
Name three groups that belonged to the Third Estate
Anybody that doesn’t fit in to the role of the church
A noble
Who was the first King of France after the end of the French Revolution?
Louis XVIII
King Louis XVI left Versailles for Paris when his palace was surrounded by what group?
Angry women.
Name three facts about the guillotine
Named after the person who invented it
Supposed to be a humane way to execute
Equality
What group took the Tennis Court Oath?
Third Estate
National Assembly
What was the Great Fear?
A wave of violence throughout France.
Name three things that contributed to the French financial crisis
They were running out of money because the 1st and 2nd Estate didn’t pay taxes
France was desperate to get back at England with the American Revolution
The selfish spending of the the queen and king
Who did Napoleon overthrow to take control of France?
The French Directory
What was the main purpose of the Committee for Public Safety?
To defend the nation agaisnt foreign and domestic enemies, as well as to oversee the new functions of the executive government.
Where was Napoleon’s last battle fought?
Waterloo
What came to an end with the death of Maximilien Robespierre?
The Reign of Terror
Which European country did Napoleon Bonaparte not conquer?
Britain
Name the three islands associated with Napoleon Bonaparte’s life
Corsica, Elba, and St.Helena
Louis XVI was executed after being accused of what?
Treason
Why did Napoleon Bonaparte decide to invade Russia?
In an attempt to force Tsar Alexander I to cease trading with Britain.
Name three similarities between Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler
They both conquered almost all of Europe
Both invaded Russia and got defeated
Were continously opposed from Britain
What are buffer states?
A neutral country serving to prevent the outnreak of war
What is legitimacy?
Comformity to the law or to the rules
Who was the King of France at the start of the French Revolution?
Louis XVI
What did the Concordat of 1801 do?
It sought national reconciliation between revolutionaries and Catholics and soldified the Roman Catholic Church as an official religion of France.
What was the attack on the Paris prison by the enraged citizens called?
The Storming of the Bastille.
What is conscription?
Compulsory enrollment for service in a country’s armed forces.
Define tithe
A tithe is a portion (10%) of your income given to your local church.
Why was the voting system of the Estates-General unfair?
The Estates-General was composed of three estates: the First Estate (clergy), the Second Estate (nobility), and the Third Estate (commoners). Each estate had one vote, which was unfair to the Third Estate as they represented the majority of the population.
Name three groups that led France during the French Revolution
Clergy, nobility and commoners
Name three things that the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizens did
Freedom, ownership, security, resistance to oppression
What did Marie Antoinette never say that made her famous?
“Let them eat cake”
Which document established The Directory?
The Constitution of 1795
What is an emigre?
A person who has left their own country in order to settle in another
Which French group helped to define the U.S. political spectrum of left, right, and
center?
Nation Convention
Who killed Jean Paul Marat in the hopes of ending the executions of so many French
citizens?
Charlotte Corday
Why did Napoleon’s Continental system backfire on him?
Because the British had an overwhelming superiority at sea
Name three reasons why the Russians were able to defeat Napoleon’s army
Insufficient access to resources, unfamiliar, freezing terrain, and the strategic efforts of the French military leaders
What was one of the main purposes of the Concert of Europe?
To maintain peace on the continent after the Napoleonic Wars
