The French Revolution Flashcards
Who were the reigning monarchs in the 1700s?
King Louis the 16th
What kind of Monarch was Louis the 16th?
He was an absolute monarch
What does it mean to be an absolute monarch?
It means to be able to make laws and having the power to imprison without trial, those who criticise him
Who are the 1st Estate?
The clergy- members of the church
What Estate do the Nobles belong to?
The 2nd Estate
What kind of lives did the 1st & 2nd estate live?
Lives of Luxury & Privilege
Who were the 3rd estate?
The remaining population
What was life like in the 3rd Estate?
The 3rd were peasants & workers, who lived lives of poverty
What is the “Enlightenment” period?
Period of rational thought in the 1700s during which people believed logic, science & natural law ruled everything on Earth, therefore “divine right” & absolute monarchies seemed illogical
Who called for an end to the Ancient Regime?
A group of French writers ( philosophes )
What did the philosophes believe?
They believed that all the countries problems could be solved through reason rather than by past traditions
Who were some of the philosophes in the French Enlightenment Period?
Voltaire, Montesquieu & Rousseau
What did the philosophes say should be true?
That everyone was equal & had certain rights & freedoms
What did the philosophes want?
They wanted a democratic government
The ideas of the enlightenment has an influence over which estate?
The 3rd Estate
What do the 3rd Estate believe in?
Liberté ( Freedom) , Égalité ( Equality ) et Fraternité ( Brotherhood )
Who were excluded from paying taxes?
The 1st & 2nd Estate
What were the 4 main taxes?
- Taille - A land tax
- Gabelle - a tax on salt
- Tithe - 1/10 of crops to the clergy
- Feudal Dues - tax to the nobles
What influenced the French to start a revolution?
The Americans
What caused the king to call a meeting of the Estates General in 1789 ? What were they trying to achieve?
His debt to the Americans. To get approval for new taxes
After the National Assembly who was given the power to make laws?
The National Assembly
Who was head of the Assembly?
The king
What power did the king have over the Assembly?
He could veto laws of the assembly for 2 years only
What did the Assembly set out to destroy?
The Church
What rules did they implement to the Church?
All members of the clergy had to be elected
All land was taken from the church
Clergy were paid by the government
Clergy had to take an oath of Loyalty
What did the Pope do to these measures?
He protested
What was the outcome of the Popes actions?
Some clergy members refused to take the Oath, if they didn’t they were imprisoned or killed
Where all of the people of France for the Revolution?
No. Many supporters of the king & some Catholics were opposed to Revolution
In June 1791 what did King Louis XVI & Marie Antoinette try to do? What was this called?
They tried to flee France to get to Marie’s brother in Austria. Flight to Varennes
What was the result of the flight to Varennes?
The people no longer trusted their king and Queen
In September 1791 France was declared a what?
It was declared a constitutional monarchy
What is a constitutional monarchy?
Democracy & monarchy combined
When France went to war with Austria, did the people trust their king more or less?
They distrusted their king more than
What was the result of this war, in regards to the king?
The Tuilers Palace was attacked by sans-culottes
What was the result of this war, in regards to the king?
The Tuilers Palace was attacked by sans-culottes
What did Louis XVI do to make the assembly general abolish the monarchy?
He refused to send his personal soldiers in Paris to fight in the war, this caused them to abolish the monarchy.
When they abolished the monarchy, what the the assembly declare France to be?
A republic
What occurred on the 5th of May 1789?
The Estates General was called
3rd Estate demanded 1 vote per deputy
3rd Estate called itself Estates General
What occurred on the 20th of June 1789?
Estates General was locked out of the Assembly
Members took the Tennis Court Oath
What occurred on the 27th of June 1789?
King recognised the Assembly and ordered the clergy to join it
What occurred in July/ August of 1789?
20,000 troops brought to Paris
People feared the King would use force to change the assembly
What else occurred in July/ August of 1789?
Bastille was destroyed in a search for arms
What occurred on July 14th 1789?
- rebellion spread to the countryside were peasant attacked the chateaux of the nobles
- NA calmed it by abolishing Federal Dues and establishing the Declaration of the rights of Man
When was the Convention elected?
September 1792
Who died on the 21st of January 1793?
Louis XVI
What was the result of Louis execution?
Other countries such as England and Holland declared war on France
What did wide spread opposition to the execution cause?
It caused the civil war in France
What did the convention do to deal with the Civil War?
It appointed 12 of its members to a “ Committee of public safety “
What would the “ Committee of Public Safety “ do?
It would govern France
What type of politicians ruled the Committee?
Extreme Republicans
What were these extreme republicans called? Who lead them?
Jacobins. Maximilian Robespierre
What was Maximilian Robespierre nickname?
The “ Incorruptible”
How did the Committee deal with the opposition?
They executed all enemies of the Revolution
What was the Law of Suspects?
It allowed for execution without trial
How many people were executed after this law was passed?
16,000 ( 44 a day )
Who in those 16,000 people that were executed was the most famous?
Marie - Antoinette
Who else was the committee supported by?
The sans-culottes
Who were the sans culottes?
They were the working people of Paris, they reported people to a special board
What was the name of the board the Sans- culottes reported to?
The Revolution Tribunal
