French Revolution Flashcard terms2
A.R. Turgot
a French economist and statesman (1727-1781). Today he is best remembered as an early advocate for economic liberalism.
absolute monarchy
Rule by a sovereign with unlimited power, one who is above the law.
allegiance
A formal declaration of loyalty.
aristocrats
A form of government that places power in the hands of a small priviledged ruling class.
artisan
a skilled craft worker who makes or creates thing by hand.
assignats
certificates of money in Revolutionary France.
Bastille
Medieval fortress that was converted to a prison stormed by peasants for ammunition during the early stages of the French Revolution.
Bastille, Fall of
On July 14, 1789 peasants stormed the Bastille prison to release people who were falsely imprisoned by the government.
bias
favouring one viewpoint without reason.
bloc
A group.
bourgeoisie
wealthiest group in the Third Estate, some live like nobles. Made up of the middle class: bankers, factory owners or merchants.
Calvinist
Protestants who followed the strict philosophy of John Calvin.
Causes of the French Revolution
Absolute Monarchy, social inequality, not enough money, enlightenment thought, American & English example.
censored
to remove or suppress what is considered morally,politically, or otherwise objectionable.
Charlotte Corday
A Girondist who assassinated a leading Jacobian John Paul Marat.
Chateaux
A manor house or residence of thelord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry
Citizen
is the status of a person recognized under the custom or law as being a member of a state.
cockade
an ornament worn on top of a hat.
constitution
A document that sets out the major laws and principles of a government.
coup d’etat
a sudden overthrow of the government by a small group.
Danton
One of the leaders of the French Revolution.
Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
French Revolution document that outlined what the National Assembly considered to be the natural rights of all people and the rights that they possessed as citizens. Claimed that all people were born and remain free and had equal in rights. These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression; freedom of speech and religion, and equal justice; right to say how they would be governed.
deficit
The money the government is short each year after it pays the bills. A debt.
democracy
a government that answers to the wishes of the people.
Diamond Necklace Affair
An incident in the 1780s at the court of Louis XVI of France involving his wife, Marie Antoinette. The reputation of the Queen, was ruined by the implication that she had participated in a crime to defraud the crown jewellers of the cost of a very expensive diamond necklace. The Affair was historically significant as one of the events that led to the French populace’s disillusionment with the monarchy, which, among other causes, eventually culminated in the French Revolution.
emigres
Nobles who decided to flee from France and settle in other countries to save their lives. (People who leave one country for another.)
Estates general
France’s traditional national assembly with representatives of the three estates, or classes in French society: the clergy, nobility and commoners. The calling of the Estates General in 1789 led to the French Revolution.
Etat c’est moi
The state is me is a phrase attributed to Louis XIV. It is supposed to remind the rule of royal authority in a context of distrust with the Parliament.
feudal system
The economic and social system of medieval Europe. Lords received land from the ruler and serfs worked the land for the lord.
First estate
Made up of clergy from the Roman Catholic Church. They owned 10% of land in France. Did not pay taxes.