French Revolution Flashcards

1
Q

Marie Antoinette

A

From Austria
Louis XVI’s wife
Not well-liked by people of France
Executed by Guillotine

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2
Q

Ancien Régime

A

Old diet

French society before revolution

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3
Q

3 estates

A

First: clergy
Second: nobility
Third: peasants/everyone else

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4
Q

First estate

A
0.5% of population
Owned 10% of land
Collected tithes
Paid no taxes
Lived very well
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5
Q

Tithe

A

Church taxes

10% of your salary

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6
Q

Second estate

A

1.5% of population
Owned 25% of land
Received top jobs in gov, army, courts, and Church
Paid no taxes

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7
Q

Third estate

A

98% of population
Owned 65% of land
Paid taxes (only estate to do so)
Diverse: Bourgeoisie, peasant farmers, urban farmers

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8
Q

Bourgeoisie

A

Lawyers, merchants, doctors, … of third estate

Start revolution

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9
Q

Deficit spending

A

Spend more than you take in

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10
Q

Jacques Necker

A

King’s financial advisor
Proposed cutting back on Louis’ spending and taxing all 3 estates (**because of this, first and second estates demanded Louis remove Necker)

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11
Q

Estates General

A

1st gov during revolution

French parliament

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12
Q

Cahiers

A

(Grievance) notebooks
Shows boiling class resentments
Estates: first & second are very thin, third is much more thick and brings up more problems than just taxation

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13
Q

National Assembly

A

Second gov during revolution
Third estate had enough of the unfairness in the estates general so they declared themselves to be the National Assembly
Met at an indoor tennis court because meeting hall was not available
King accepted it, but his royal troops gathered around Paris

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14
Q

Tennis court oath

A

National Assembly would keep meeting until they created a Constitution

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15
Q

Bastille Day

A

July 14, 1789
800 Parisians stormed Bastille (a royal prison) looking for guns and weapons
Symbolized revolt against king’s abuses

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16
Q

“Great Fear”

A

Rumors of gov attacks on towns and seizures of crops

Peasants set fire to manor records and steal grain

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17
Q

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

A

Modeled on our Declaration of Independence
All MEN “born and remain free and equal in rights”
Natural rights of France
Taxes levied according to income
“Liberty, equality, fraternity”

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18
Q

Natural rights of France

A

Liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression

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19
Q

“Liberty, equality, fraternity”

A

Slogan of the revolution

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20
Q

Tuileries Palace

A

King was forced to leave Versailles and come here under house arrest

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21
Q

Civil Constitution of the Clergy

A

Ended Pope’s control of the French Church
Bishops and priests were elected
Clergy was punished for opposing

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22
Q

Constitution of 1791

A

Established a new government
Limited monarchy created
Legislative Assembly replaced National Assembly
Revolution is not yet complete

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23
Q

Legislative Assembly

A

Third gov during revolution
Replaced National Assembly in Constitution of 1791
Government that is doomed from start because no member of National Assembly could serve in Legislative Assembly

24
Q

Émigrés

A

People that fled France during revolution

Typically nobles

25
Q

Sans-culottes

A
Without breeches (without underwear)
Radical revolutionaries who wore long pants
26
Q

Jacobins

A

VERY VIOLENT radical revolutionary political club

Gained support from sans-culottes in Legislative Assembly

27
Q

Radical

A

Wanted to overthrow government

Jacobins

28
Q

Liberal

A

Wanted lots of change

Ex Democrats

29
Q

Moderates

A

Want a little change

30
Q

Conservative

A

Want no change

Ex republicans

31
Q

Reactionary

A

Want to go back in time 30+ years

Ex KKK, Nazis, people who wanted absolute monarchy back

32
Q

“September Massacres”

A

Citizens attacked prisons holding nobles and priests

33
Q

National Convention

A
Created French Republic
Kind and Queen executed
Nobles' titles and lands gone
Fourth gov and more radical
Completely abolish monarchy (no limited)
34
Q

Committee of public safety

A

12 members
Followed Marat’s assassination
Used terror to create a “republic of virtue”
Reign of terror
Attacked Catholicism (ex new calendar and Goddess of Reason)
Robespierre

35
Q

Jean-Paul Marat

A

Radical writer

Assassinated by Charlotte Cordet

36
Q

Levée en Masse

A

Military draft

COPS

37
Q

Successes of COPS

A

Defeated Netherlands and invaded Italy

Crushed rebellions in France

38
Q

Maximilien Robespierre

A

Lead of COPS

At first, his executions were for good, but the it ended up in killing for no good reason

39
Q

Reign of Terror

A

Defined by guillotine (actually, more people were killed by being shot than by guillotine so haha screw that contraption of death)
300,000 arrested
17,000 executed for being anti-revolutionary
Last victim was Robespierre

40
Q

Guillotine

A

National razor

Defined Reign of Terror

41
Q

Directory

A

Fifth gov of revolution
Replaced National Convention
5 leaders + 2-house legislature

42
Q

Problems of directory

A

War continued
Inflation still increasing
Many wanted to return to monarchy

43
Q

Napoleon

A

Directory turned to him for help, but instead Napoleon made himself sole ruler

44
Q

Louis XVI

A

Didn’t want to be King
King of France during French Revolution
Executed by Guillotine

45
Q

Explain the problems and their causes that were plaguing France prior to the revolution

A

Many financial problems, including deficit spending. This debt came from France borrowing money for wars such as American Revolution and bad harvests causing prices to rise (inflation). The economic reform promoted by Jacques Necker fails, and the debt issue is not taken care of properly.

46
Q

How did the firing of Jacques Necker and the inherent inequality within the Estates General directly lead to the revolution?

A

Necker proposed that all three estates are taxed to settle financial issues, second and first estates disagreed and demanded that Louis removed Necker and call estates general to meet to discuss this tax situation. First and second would team up against third, and third wanted votes to be counted by head. King then proposed that 1st and 2nd would get 300 voted apiece and 3rd gets 600, this is still unfair. Third estate separates and declares themselves the National Assembly

47
Q

How did Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette contribute to their own downfall?

A

Louis XVI gave 300 votes to 1st and 2nd estates and 600 to 3rd, and this didn’t solve the darkness issue in the estates. Marie Antoinette spent a lot of money on superficial things for her and did nothing for the people of France. People of France also didn’t like her at all because of this and her origin from Austria.

48
Q

What was the status of the Church in French society before the Revolution? How did this status change through the different phases of the revolution?

A

Church was well-represented before revolution, placed under state control as it unfolds (Constitution of the Clergy), and was attacked during radical days of revolution.

49
Q

Draw and label the political spectrum. Where would the governments of the French rev fall on it if viewed from 1788?

A
Estates General: conservative
National Assembly: liberal
Legislative Assembly: liberal
National Convention: radical
Directory: (opinion) reactionary because Napoleon's reign was similar to Louis XIV's rule 30+ years ago
50
Q

Was the French Revolution successful? Explain

A

The French Revolution was successful in killing many people and abolishing the monarchy. However, it resulted in a lot of violence and many deaths, and in the end, France was once again ruled by an absolute ruler (Napoleon), proving the French Revolution as not very successful.

51
Q

Estates General events

A

Society is divided in 3 estates
Only 3rd estate paid taxes
Conservative

52
Q

National Assembly events

A
Constitution of 1791
Storming of the Bastille
Declaration of Rights of Man
Great Fear
Tennis Court Oath
Civil Constitution of the Clergy
Liberal
53
Q

Legislative Assembly events

A

“September Massacres”
King caught attempting to flee
Was declared on Austria, Prussia, and Britain
Liberal

54
Q

National Convention events

A
Created Committee of Public Safety
The Reign of Terror begins
Executed King and Queen
Led by Robespierre
Radical
55
Q

Directory events

A

Ask Napoleon to join government

Reactionary (opinion)