French Revolution Flashcards
Under which king did French absolutism reach its peak?
Louis XIV.
Who served as regent to Louis XV?
Duke of Orleans
To gain power as regent, who does the Duke of Orleans make a deal with?
Parlements
What were the parlements?
Courts dominated by nobles that had the power to declare the laws or acts of the king valid or invalid.
What was the deal that the Duke of Orleans made with the parlements?
He gave them more power in exchange for the right to serve as regent.
Why was France left in financial trouble after the death of Louis XIV?
He was at war a lot during his reign (which is expensive).
He had a lavish lifestyle.
How did Louis XV’s finance ministers propose to deal with the financial issues France faced?
They wanted to tax the entire French population (including the nobility and the clergy).
How did the parlements feel about the new idea to tax the entire population?
They challenged this idea every time it was proposed and Louis the XV would back down.
How was the French king during the time of the revolution?
Louis XVI–ruled from 1774-1792.
Who was the wife of Louis XVI?
Marie Antoinette–princess from the Austrian empire.
What was Louis XVI’s main goal when he was monarch?
He said “What I should like most is to be loved”.
How did the common people perceive Louis XVI and his wife?
The common people believed he and his wife lived extravagantly and they had a negative perception of him.
What was the number one problem for France under Louis XVI?
Money
What made France’s money situation worse under Louis XVI?
He sent support to the American colonist fighting the British for independence.
How did the French finance minister propose paying for France’s debts after the American Revolution?
He proposed taxing the land but this was a new kind of tax so the finance minister tried to gain the support of the Assembly of Notables.
Who had to approve of any new tax in France?
The Estates General–a representative body that had not been called for some time–not used by previous monarchs because they didn’t want to share power with the nobles.
What were the the 3 Estates in France?
- Clergy
- Nobility
- Everyone else
Who were included in the First Estate (clergy)?
Upper officials of the church who lived well and were not charged taxes.
Lower clergy who were more like the common people.
All together, they were still a very small percentage of the population.
Who was included in the Second Estate?.
Nobility–small percentage of the population, most exempt from taxation.
Who was included in the Third Estate?
Upper and lower classes and peasants. 96% of the population Includes upper middle class who had a lot of money but were frustrated at being treated as second class citizens.
What was a major issue to resolve when the Estates General met?
Needed to resolve how they would vote.
In the past, each order (or estate) was given just one vote.
The Third Estate wanted each delegate to get a vote. (They also wanted more representatives since they represented so much of the population.)
How does Louis XV try to resolve the dispute about how the Estates General votes on issues?
He said the 3rd estate could have twice as many delegates but he does not decide how they can vote.
The Estates General met in May 1789–what were some of the things they wanted to discuss?
More equality
Regular calling of the Estates General
Basic freedoms of the press and speech
But they could not discuss anything because they couldn’t decide how to vote!
