French Revolution and the Napoleonic Era Flashcards
First Estate
Less than 1% of population; Clergy + Church exempt from taxes; Catholic Church in France owned 20% of land
Second Estate
Nobility; 2-4% of population; Exempt from taxation; Experience great resurgence since death of Louis XIV; Allowed to tax peasants for own profit
Third Estate
Consisted of a few rich merchants, middle class, urban artisans, unskilled workers, and mass of peasants; Bore the vast majority of tax burden
Taille
Land tax
Tithe
Church tax
Peasants had to honor feudal obiligations like…
taxes and fees
Nobles enjoyed..
Hunting rights or the privilege of keeping game preserves and hunting on peasant’s land
Bourgeoisie demanded…
That political and social power be congruent with their emerging economic power; Resented the first and second estates who held all political and social power
Lettre de Cachet
Gov’t could imprison anyone without charges or trial; Hated by Bourgeoisie
Long term causes of French Revolution
Influenced by American Revolution; Increased Criticism of French gov’t was spurred by rising expectations of Englightenment
The Three Estates did not reflect the realities of…
wealth and ability of French society
Immediate Cause of French Revolution
Financial Mismanagement; During Reign of Louis XVI france was nearly bankrupt; France didn’t have central bank, paper currency, or means of creating credit
Major issue of Financial Mismanagement
Gov’t couldn’t declare bankruptcy as it had done in the past b/c Aristocratic and bourgeois creditors did not allow their loans to be repudiated by monarchy
Gov’t during this time was dependent on…
The poorest classes in society for revenue despite its having been taxed to its limit
Estates General
Feudal assembly that represented the three estates; Had only met twice
Common agreement among the three estates:
France should have constitutional monarchy; Individual liberties must be guaranteed by law; Position of parish clergy had to be improved; Abolition of internal trade barrier
main issue dividing three estates…
How Estates General should vote
Abbe Sieyes
Wrote “What is the Third Estate?;” Claimed Third Estate should have more power in France; Stated nobility should be abolished; Believed Third Estate represented vast majority of French society
National Assembly
Third Estate declared itself the true National Assembly of France after they refused to vote separately
Tennis Court Oath
Third Estae swore to remain together until it had given France a consituition; Third Estate thus assumed soverign power on Behalf of nation
Response to Tennis Court…
Louis XVI brought an army to Versailled
When did Louis recognize National Assembly?
When defections from 1st and 2nd estates forced him to recognize the assembly after he dissolved Estates General
Who dominated National Assembly?
Bourgeoisise
Storming of Bastille
Parisian revolution in response to food shortages, soaring bread prices, high unemployment, and fear of military repression; Stormed Bastille in search of gunpowerder and weapons
The storming of the Bastille inadvertently saved the…
National Assembly b/c King had been prepared to use force to put down new gov’t
Greate Fear
Peasants attacked manor houses in effort to destroy legal records of their feudal obligations; Middle class owerners also attacked
Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen
Became the constitutional blueprint for France; Influenced by American constitutional ideas; Sovereignty of the people
Classical liberalism
Men are born and remain free and equal in rights; Natural rights
Unity of National Assembly began to unravel when…
Dealing with issue of the monarch’s power
Rights of Women
Women gained increased rights to divorce, to inherit property, and to get child support
Drawback of Declaration of Rights
Women did not share equal rights; They could not vote or hold office
Olympe de Gouges
The Rights of Woman; Applied offical Declaration to women explicitly in each case
Mary Wollstonecraft
Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Women’s March to Versailled
Women pushed revolution forward when shortages of bread persisted; Incited by Jean-Paul Marat; Forced King and Queen to move back to Paris and live at Tuleries
Civil Consitution of the Clergy
Secularized Religion; Created a national church with 83 bishops; Biggest mistake made by National Assembly; Clergy forced to take loyalty oath to new gov’t
Result of Civil Consitution
Deeply Divided France over issue of Religion; Half of French priest refused to accept it
Eligibility to vote
Male, over 25 years old
Middle class controlled gov’t through…
indirect method of voting and property qualification
Edmund Burke
Wrote “Reflections on the Revolution in France;” Defended European conservatism
Legislative Assembly
Replaced National Assembly in new gov’t; Members were younger and less cautious than members of National Assembly
Jacobins
Dominated Legislative Assembly
Girondins
Group of Jacodins that became left group of Revolution and led country into war; became party of international revolution
Emigres
French nobles who fled France, who influenced Prussia and Austria to declare restoration of French Monarchy as goal
War of First Coalition
French revolutionary forces were defeated by Austrian military
National Convention
Monarchy was abolished; Majority of members were Jacobins
Factions emerged among Jacobins
The Mountain and Girondin
The Mountain
radical republics; urban class; Leaders were Danton and Robespierre
Girondins
More moderate than MOuntain and predominantly rural
sans culottes
Predominantly from working-class; Extremely radical; Became very influential on National Convention; Responsible for storming Bastille, marching to Versailles
Committee of Public Safety
Became an emergency gov’t to deal with internal and external challenges to revolution; Led by Robespierre; ; Collaborated with sans-culottes
Reign of Terror
Most notorious event of French Revoltuion
Law of Supects
alleged enemies of revolution were brought before Revolutionary Tirbunals that were created to hear cases of treason
The reign of terror became a…
Political weapon not directed at any class in particular; Mostly peasants were killed
Danton and his followers were…
executed during Reign of Terror
The DIrectory
New Conistution written which set up a republican form of gov’t; Ended influence of sans culottes
Middle class controlled the…
Government; This became Directory’s biggest weakness as it’s support came from narrow band of French society
Napoleon Bonaparte
Born of Italian descent to prominent Corsican Family on french island of Corsica; Military genious; Avid “Child of Enlightenment” and Revolution; Associated with Jacobins
Consulate Period
Consitution gave supreme power to Napoleon
First Consul
Napoleon, behaved more as an absolute ruler than revolutionary staesman; Wealth determined status
Noleon thought of as the last and…
Most eminent of the enlightened desots
Napoleon Refomrs
Many achievements of revolution were made permanent; Equality before the law; Freedom of religion; Property rights; abolition of serfdom; Denied women equal status with men except inheritance rights
Careers open to talent
Citizens theoretically were able to rise in gov’t service purely according to abilities; Creation of new nobility to reward most talented generals
Wealth determined…
Status; Gov’t rewarded wealthy people who effectively served state with pensions, property, or titles
Napoleon granted amnesty to…
emigres in return for a loyalty oath; They soon occupied high posts in expanding state
Under Napoleon, the working class movemnt was…
no longer politically significant; workers were denised right to form trade unions
Concordat of 1801
With Roman Catholic Church; Napoleon wanted peace with church that would hel weaken link to monarchist who sought to restore bourbon throne; Religion could help people accept economic inequalities in French society
Provisions of Concordat of 1801
Papacy renounced claims to Church property; French gov’t allowed to nominate bishops; Priests who had resisted Civil Consitutions of CLergy would replace those who had sworn oath to state; Extended religons toleration ; Replaced revolutionary calander with christian calander
Bank of France
Served interests of state and financial oligarchy; balanced national budget; Established sound currency
Napoleon Code
Legal unity provided first clear and complete codification of French law; Longest lasting legacy of Napoleon’s rule; Included civil code, code of criminal procedure, commercial code, and penal code; Resulted in stronge central gov’t
Continental System
Napoleon decided to wage economic warface against Britain after his loss at Battle of Trafalgar; Sought to starve Britain out by closing ports on continent to British Commerce
Congress of Vienna
Representatives of major powers of Europe including France, met to redraw territorial line and to try and restore the social/ political order of ancien regime
Battle of Waterloo
Last battle of Napoleonic wars; Napoleon defeated in Waterloo Belgium by England’s army; Napoleon sent to St. Helena
Positive Achievements of Napoleon’s rule
Revoltionary insitutes were consoluted; French gov’t was centralized; Made lasting settlement with Church; Spread positive ahcievements of French Revolution spread to rest of Europe
Impact on other Countries of Napoleon’s rule
Serfdom was abolished in most of Germany; Germany reorganized into 32 states; Prussia and Austria reformed military and provided some reforms
Libilites of Napoleon’s rule
Repressed individual liberty; Subverted republicanism; Oppressed conquered people throughout Europe; Caused terrific suffereing as result of war
