French Revolution - Short Answers Flashcards
What is Estate System? Who made up the 1st/2nd/3rd estates?
The way social classes were defined in France.
1st: Clergy
2nd: Nobles
3rd: bourgeoisie/san-culottes/peasants
(middle-class, urban and rural poor)
Chart of the Estate - Population/Taxes Paid/Land Owned
1st: Clergy: 1% pop - $0 taxes, 10% land
2nd: Nobles: 2% pop - $0 taxes, 30% land
3rd: bourgeoisie/san-culottes/peasants: 97% pop - $all taxes, 60% land
What were the economic problems facing France before the start of the revolution?
France was bankrupt and facing serious financial crisis.
Crisis because of inefficient/unfair tax structure, drained treasury (aiding American Revolution, wars with England, overspending, and inequitable tax system) which placed burden on Third Estate to pay.
Why was the Storming of the Bastille seen as the spark of the revolution?
14 Jul 1789 - Revolutionaries and mutinous troops stormed the Bastille, hoping for gunpowder, they seized the soldiers and dragged them through the streets of France. The royal fortress had come to symbolize the tyranny of the monarchy. Its fall was the flash point of the French Revolution aka The Spark of the Revolution
Give an example of Napoleon’s reforms (social, political, economic). Explain which was the most important for France.
Social
- Lycées-gov’t run schools
- no privileges based on birth, women had no control
- Citizens could peruse any occupation they wanted
Political
-Fired corrupt government officials
-government officials appointed by merit instead of
position in society
-made everyone equal before the law
-signed peace treaties with Russia, Austria, and Britain
Economic
- Set up efficient method of tax collection
- established national banking system
- Sold Louisiana to US for 15 million
- restored slavery in France
Most important:
Political - changes made it possible for ordinary people to be involved with governing, everyone was equal under the law now. Gave them some control of their destiny.
What was the Reign of Terror? What was its purpose?
The purpose of the Reign of Terror was to execute people who were accused of being “anti-revolutionary.”
from 5 Sep 1793 - 27 Jul 1794 (Robespierre’s death) apprx 300,000 suspects were arrested; 17,000 were officially executed, and perhaps 10,000 died in prison or without trial. The method of execution was the Guillotine.
