Revolutions Flashcards
Political cause of the French Revolution
France was an absolute monarchy. King Louis XVI denied people in France basic rights and a say in the government.
Social cause of the French Revolution
Social Inequality of the Estates General
1st Estate
Clergy and paid no taxes
2nd Estate
Nobility and paid no taxes
3rd Estate
French society and paid taxes.
Bourgeoisie
Middle class in France
San Culottes
Poor city workers in France
Economic cause of the French Revolution
Louis XVI was involved in foreign wars such as the American Revolution. The government spent lavishly on the palace of Versailles. Bad harvests caused food prices to rise and people to demand more bread.
Other causes of the French Revolution
The American Revolution and the ideas of the Enlightenment set examples for the French Revolution.
National Assembly
Formed by the Third Estate because they have no say in the Estates General.
The Storming of the Bastille
Third Estate storms the Bastille. The fall of the Bastille symbolized the end to French absolutism.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man
Louis was frightened by the turmoil after the storming of the Bastille and allows the the National Assembly to being reforms. They abolish the power of the 1st and 2nd estates and adopt the Rights of Man based on the Declaration of Independence. They established a limited monarch and declared that people have natural rights.
The Reign of Terror
Robespierre and other radicals took control and ended the monarchy declaring France a republic. Louis XVI and Marie A. were executed.
Robespierre
Head of the Committee of Public Safety and the leader of the Jacobins.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon puts himself in charge and takes the title of Emperor of the French and has absolute power. He controls prices and supports new industry, built schools, and wrote the Napoleonic Code which is a legal code with Enlightenment ideas such as legal equality and religious tolerance.
