Unit 2 Flashcards
Declaration of the Rights of Man
Statement of fundamental political rights adopted by the French National Assembly at the beginning of the French Revolution. Proclaimed the importance of liberty, equality, and brotherhood
Economic Causes of the French Revolution
French Treasury was bankrupt (Wars and aid to America)
Only the lower class paid taxes, King lived a lavish lifestyle, Famine of 1788-1789
Political Causes of the French Revolution
French people did not enjoy freedom of speech
French people enjoyed little freedom of religion
French citizens enjoyed little due process rights (you are guilty until you prove your innocence)
Tennis Court Oath
vow by members of the 3rd estate to continue to meet until a new constitution was written
Sans-culottes
Reference to Parisian workers who wore common people without fine clothes.They supported the Jacobins
The Committee of Public Safety
During the National Convention government, this powerful group, led by Robespierre, was setup to defeat all enemies of the revolution both foreign and domestic
National Convention reforms (1792-95)
it abolished slavery in France and French colonies
it planned a national system of public education
it abolished debt imprisonment
it implemented the metric system
coup d’etat of the French government
start of Napoleons rule
bourgeoisie
the wealthy educated middle class
Waterloo
Site of Napoleon’s final battle before his exile from Europe
Girondins
A moderate faction active in the French Revolution from 1791 to 1793. They worked to abolish the Monarchy
Jacobins
A radical faction active in the French Revolution. Jacobins embraced violence to achieve their goals
Robespierre
He commanded almost dictatorial powers on the Committee of Public Safety during the Reign of Terror
Napoleon’s Code Civil
They were the first national set of laws in France.
They swept away privilege and title of French Nobility.
They dealt with law of persons, property, and acquisition and legalized freedom of religion. They DID NOT provide people with greater political freedoms
Napoleon’s defeat in Russia
Russian Army retreated hundreds of miles as they burnt and destroyed their countryside and villages. This diminished his ability to find needed supplies
Estates General of 1789
France needed to change its tax system due to debt so this Parliament of three French estates was called by Louis XVI. It hadn’t been called in over 150 years. Third Estate breaks away and establishes the National Assembly of France .
Reign of Terror (1793-1794)
Ten-month period of brutal repression when some 40,000 individuals were executed as enemies of the French Revolution.
Fate of Louis XVI
execution by guillotine
intellectual cause of the French Revolution
educated middle class insistence on acquiring the individual rights and freedoms expressed by French Enlightenment philosophers
Marie Antoinette
French Queen executed during the French Revolution