Unit One: Revolutions Flashcards
1
Q
Enlightenment Thinkers
John Locke
A
- Natural Rights:
- Life, liberty, property - Right to rebel
- People can govern themselves
2
Q
Enlightenment Thinkers
Montesquieu
A
- Public good above individual needs
- Government should have 3 branches:
- Judicial, Legislative, Executive
- Checks and Balances (one branch cannot be too powerful)
3
Q
Enlightenment Thinkers
Voltaire
A
- People are TERRIBLE by nature and improve through learning and laws
- Freedom of speech, thought, religion
- People need a monarchy, can’t govern themselves
- Contradicts John Locke
Grew up rich
4
Q
Enlightenment Thinkers
Jean Jacques Rousseau
A
- People are born good but then corrupted
- Contradict’s Voltaire - Best government is a direct democracy where EVERYONE votes
- Public good above individual needs
- Same as Montesquieu
5
Q
Enlightenment Thinkers
Mary Wollstonecraft
A
- All people are equal and can control their own destiny
- Fought for women’s rights
- Eduation is neccessary
- Society, not nature, created the inequality between men and women
- Society would be better with women in it
6
Q
Revolutionary Thinking
Natural Rights
A
- ALL people are born with natural rights
- right to life, liberty and property - Slaves were not considered people and were not granted these natural rights
- people made excuses
7
Q
Revolutionary Thinking
Social Contract
A
- People give up some freedoms, government gives people protection
- people are consenting to be governed for protected rights
- If government doesn’t protect their rights, people have the right to revolt
8
Q
Revolutionary Thinking
Separation of Powers
A
- one branch of government will not become too powerful
- keep the checks and balances
9
Q
Revolutionary Thinking
Direct Democracy
A
- Rousseau’s beliefs that everyone should vote directly for laws
10
Q
Causes of the French Revolution
The Estate System
A
- First Estate:
-Clergy/ Roman catholic church
-scorned enlightenment
-1% of the population - Second Estate:
-Nobles
-High government officials
-Royalty adjacent
-60/40 pro enlightenment
-NO TAXES
-2% of the population - Third Estate:
-Urban lower class, farmers, merchants, doctors, lawyers (Bourgeoisie)
-could not influence government
-97% of the population
-REBELLED
-50% income goes to nobles (Taxes)
-King louis XVI would not lower their taxes or stop raising them
11
Q
Causes of the French Revolution
Economic Problems
A
- High taxes
- 50% of third estate income went to taxes to pay for the nobles way of life
- King louis refused to stop increasing third estate taxes
- Crop failures led to food shortages and inflation of prices (BREAD)
- Extravagant royal spending
- High cost of living
12
Q
Causes of the French Revolution
King Louis XVI
A
- Uninterested in leadership
- Extremely indecisive
- Very suggestable and impressionable
- Refused to address problems until it was too late
- Young when he took the throne
- Him and Marie refused to admit they were in peril
- Liked to joke around while naked
- Showed people he was too immature and couldn’t be taken seriously even though Louis took himself VERY seriously
- Would not have kids for several years because of erectile dysfunction, angered many
- If he gave up on spending and luxury enemies would’ve gotten the idea that France is vulnerable and is ready to be attacked
13
Q
PRE-TERROR
National Assembly
A
- large group of representatives of the 3rd-Estate, vowing to achieve better treatment for themselves
- Created after the estates general told them they would be granted more representatives and got the reps but it was still only 33% when they took up 97% of population
- Wanted a new constitution
Their actions: - Took away church lands and sold them to pay government debts
- France became a constitutional monarchy
- The king and the people’s elected representatives share power
- Controlled by “Jacobins”
“Jacobins” believe change needs to happen NOW
14
Q
PRE-TERROR
Tennis Court Oath
A
- Members of the 3rd Estate vow to never stop meeting until a new french constitution has been established
- Met outside/on tennis court
15
Q
PRE-TERROR
Storming of the Bastille
A
- Members of the National Assembly stole armory and stormed a french prison called the Bastille where nobles were usually kept
- The Bastille stood for the King’s power, so this was a huge symbolic event
- The angry mob proceeded to demolish the Bastille brick by brick with their bare hands