French Revolution Flashcards
(1643 - 1715) What happened under Louis XIV’s rule?
- The Fronde: caused him to distrust majority of French people
What does Louis XIV say?
“I am the state.” because he rules all aspects of government.
During Louis XIV’s rule, French’s income was spent on?
50% on Palace, and a lot on wars.
(1715 - 1774) What happened under Louis XV’s rule?
- longest ruling (59 years)
- Won 1 war but returned land + losing very long and costly Seven Years’ War = debt greatly increased, popularity greatly decreased
(1774 - 1792) What happened under Louis XVI’s rule?
- Huge national debt
- Poor harvests
- Third Estate’s taxes increased to pay for debt
- The French Revoltion
(Late 1600s) What happened during the Age of Reason?
- detached religion from politics and philosophy
(1700s) What ideas were reflected during the Age of Enlightment?
- Philosophical ideas about freedom and equality are spread
(1775) What did the American Revolution do for the French?
- proved to the French that breaking away from monarchy was possible.
Define 1st Estate:
People:
- The Clergy/Church
Privileges:
- No taxes
- Rich
- Close to King
- Land owners
- Enjoyed life
Define 2nd Estate:
People:
- Nobles/Rich Aristocrats
Privileges:
- No taxes
- Rich
- Close to King
- Big Land owners
- Had peasants working for them
- Enjoyed life
Define 3rd Estate:
People:
- Peasants/ Workers/ Bourgeoisie
Privileges:
- Heavily taxed
- Hungry
- Worked for food
Under Louis XVI’s rule, what happened?
- France went through a drought so many crops and peasants died.
- More than half of Frances’ income went to maintaining the Palace and paying off debt.
- France was spending more money on wars than gaining, causing national debt.
(1789) What was the meeting of the Estates-General?
- The meeting of a legislative body consisting of representatives of the 3 Estates where they come up with new ideas to resolve France’s debt crisis
How did the 1st and 2nd Estates want to count votes during the Estates-General meeting?
- Louis XVI wanted to count by order but the Third-Estate wanted to count by head
(1789) What was the Storming of the Bastille?
- 800 French Parisians raided Bastille, which was a prison/weapon fortress
- Didn’t get weapons
- 98 people died in pursuit of weapons
- Mob killed the Prison commander, 5 guards, and freed 7 political and other prisoners
- Begins the revolution
- News of the revolt spread - peasants revolted against nobles
(June 20, 1789) What happened soon after the Estates-General?
The Tennis Court Oath - the National Assembly
- Since the Third Estate was locked out of the Estates meeting, they revolted by meeting in a nearby tennis court instead.
- Pledged to continue to meet until they wrote a new constitution for the French people.
- Louis XVI didn’t like this so he sent the First and Second Estates to infiltrate the meeting to stop it but failed because they ended up joining.
(July 9, 1789) What happened?
Louis XVI was forced to acknowledge the authority of the National Assembly.
(August 27, 1789) What ideas were reflected in the Declaration of the Rights of Man?
- reflected ideas of freedom and equality for all French men.
(October 5, 1789) How did French women react to the inequalities in the Declaration of the Rights of Men?
The March on Versailles
- 6000 women marched from Paris to Versailles for bread
- Demanded to see Marie
- forced Marie and Louis to move to Paris and meet with the National Assembly
- Invaded palace and killed guards and nobles
What did Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette attempt to do?
They tried to escape from Paris to Austria to get reinforcements. This displayed unloyalty and war.
Order of Events
1) General Estates Meeting; voting by order, not heads
2) Tennis Court Oath; not leaving until they make a new constitution and Louis XVI was forced to recognize the authority of the National Assembly
3) Storming of the Bastille; the beginning of the revolution and signified the end of the monarchy’s authority
4) The Declaration of the Rights of Man; reflected ideas of freedom and equality
5) The March on Versailles; forced Marie and Louis to move to Paris and meet with the National Assembly:
6) Marie and Louis try to escape to Austria; fueling the revolution fire further
7) Constitution of 1791; limited monarchy -> Louis couldn’t create but could veto laws
8) French monarch allies attack 12) The Radical Revolution // National Convention; representative democracy
9) Louis and Marie executed
10) Robespierre becomes the leader of the Committee of Public Saftey to fight against European enemies
11) Reign of Terror; executed all suspected enemies
12) Constitution of 1795 // The Directory: bicameral upper middle-class rulers elected by wealthy men
13) The Directory; suppressive and corrupt government
14) Mad royalists attack the Directory; Napoleon fights back and becomes “Savior of France”
15) Napoleon Coup D’Etat: Napoleon becomes dictator with a plebiscite and then eventually emperor
16) Napoleonic Code: provided governmental “ structure but took away individual freedoms
17) Napoleon conquers much of Europe
18) Battle of Trafalgar: Britain defeats Napoleon
19) The Continental System; doesn’t work and conquered countries hate it
20) The Peninsular War; French enemies attack
21) Invasion of Russia; absolute failure and results in Napoleon’s downfall
22) Napoleon abdicates and exiled to Elba, Italy
23) Louis XVIII’s reigns; He wants to go back to Old Regime, not a limited monarchy. Napoleon takes over
24) Battle of Waterloo; Napoleon is officially exiled to Saint Helena in Africa and dies 6 years later.
