French Revolution Flashcards
About what percentage of France’s population belonged to the Third Estate?
97%
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, and fraternity.
During the Reign of Terror, who was safe from the guillotine?
Nobody.
What were the important goals of the Congress of Vienna?
Compensation, legitimacy, and balance of power.
Who was the leader at the Congress of Vienna?
Prince Klemens von Metternich.
What issue led to the first meeting of the Estates-General in 175 years?
The king needed money.
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 trade to Europe.
Describe the tax system in France in the years before the French Revolution?
The rich paid almost nothing while the poor paid everything.
Name three of Napoleon’s accomplishments?
The Napoleonic Code, he stabilized the economy of Europe with taxes, he spread free public education for kids.
What strategy did Czar Alexander I use to defeat Napoleon in Russia?
The scorched earth policy.
Name three accomplishments of Klemens von Metternich at the Congress of Vienna?
They wanted reparations (compensation) , legitimacy, and a balance of power. Also buffer states to strengthen countries to keep them from being overthrown.
Define nationalism.
When countries longed for self-rule and the restoration of their customs and traditions/ supporting your country to an extreme level.
Besides the scorched-earth policy, what was major factor in Napoleon’s failure to defeat Russia?
Cold Russian weather and long supply lines.
Name three groups that belonged to the Third Estate.
Anybody that wasn’t a noble or a member of the Catholic Church.
Who was the first King of France after the end of the French Revolution?
Louis the 18th.
King Louis XVI left Versailles for Paris when his palace was surrounded by what group?
Angry women who couldn’t feed their children.
Name three facts about the guillotine.
Named after the man who invented it, seen as a humane form of execution, it provided equality in death.
What group took the Tennis Court Oath?
National Assembly.
What was the Great Fear?
A wave of violence throughout France.
Name three things that contributed to the French financial crisis.
First and second estate wouldn’t pay taxes, France spent tons of money on the American revolution, Louis the 16th and his wife spent tons of money.
Who did Napoleon overthrow to take control of France?
The French Directory.
What was the main purpose of the Committee for Public Safety?
To find enemies of the revolution and punish them.
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?
England
Name the three islands associated with Napoleon Bonaparte’s life.
Corsica, Elba, St. Helena.
Louis XVI was executed after being accused of what?
Treason.
Why did Napoleon Bonaparte decide to invade Russia?
Czar Alexander I started trading with England again.
Name three similarities between Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler.
They were both defeated by Russia, neither of them were able to defeat Great Britain, they both became friends with Russia before they invaded.
What are buffer states?
Neutral countries that would keep France from invading neighboring countries.
What is legitimacy?
Conformity to the law.
Who was the King of France at the start of the French Revolution?
Louis XVI.
What did the Concordat of 1801 do?
It smoothed things over with the Catholic Church, making it an official religion in France.
What was the attack on the Paris prison by the enraged citizens called?
The Storming of the Bastille.
What is conscription?
The draft.
Define tithe.
When you give 10% of your income to the Church.
Why was the voting system of the Estates-General unfair?
The first two estates could outvote the third estate.
Name three groups that led France during the French Revolution.
The National Assembly, the legislative assembly, and the committee of public safety.
Name three things that the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizens did.
All men were equal before the law, guaranteed a fair trial, also given basic freedoms.
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?
Someone who is trying to leave the country; opposite of an immigrant.
Which French group helped to define the U.S. political spectrum of left, right, and center?
The National 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?
His Navy wasn’t as strong as Britain’s.
Name three reasons why the Russians were able to defeat Napoleon’s army.
The harsh Russian winters, the scorched earth policy, and the long supply lines.
What was one of the main purposes of the Concert of Europe?
To protect Europe from liberalism.
