AP Euro - French Revolution ID Terms (part 2)

Declaration of Pillnitz

joint declaration issued on August 27, 1791, by Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II and King Frederick William II of Prussia, urging European powers to unite to restore the monarchy in France

Émigrés

French nobles and royalists who fled the country during the Revolution, seeking support from foreign monarchies to help restore the monarchy in France

War of the First Coalition

war fought between France and much of the rest of Europe—including the Dutch Republic, Britain, the Holy Roman Empire (controlled by Austria), the Papacy, Portugal, Prussia, Spain, and various other minor countries—in which European powers sought to oppose expansion of the revolution and French expansion

Brunswick Manifesto

warning issued by the Duke of Brunswick, commanding general of the Austro-Prussian Army, during the War of the First Coalition to obey Louis XVI or face violent punishment

threatened military intervention and the destruction of Paris if any harm came to the French monarchy

intended to intimidate Paris but actually spurred radical revolutionaries to war

Storming of the Tuileries

in response to the Brunswick Manifesto, sans-culottes invaded the Paris residence of King Louis XVI, massacres the Swiss Guard, and arrested the royal family

Paris Commune

revolutionary Paris government that was Jacobin-dominated and effectively usurped the power of the Legislative Assembly

Georges-Jacques Danton

leader of the Paris Commune and sans-culottes

radical Jacobin who urged France to crush all domestic and foreign enemies but was later executed by former ally Robespierre because felt the Terror had to end

September Massacres

series of killings and summary executions of prisoners in Paris caused by spreading rumors of spies and counterrevolutionaries betraying the French army

discredited the French revolution outside of France because the killings were done without any legal rights, which was against enlightened ideals

“Age of Rousseau”

second, more radical phase of the French Revolution which featured the execution of Louis XVI, the Committee of Public Safety, the Reign of Terror, the Thermidorian Rebellion, and the Directory

National Convention

successor to the Legislative Assembly which declared the French monarchy abolished and France to be a republic

was originally intended to make a new constitution but became its own governing body instead

Equality, Liberty, Fraternity

motto of the French Revolution coined by Robespierre in his speech “On the Organization of the National Guard

embodied the revolutionary leaders' dreams for a new France where individuals had personal freedoms, social status did not determine rights, and citizens supported one another

sans-culottes

those who could not afford the fashionable breeches of the day and were “without pants”, were the poor working class of Paris

militant supporters of the French Revolution who wanted a greater voice in government, lower prices, and an end of food shortages

Committee of Public Safety

initially established by the National Convention to oversee the government during crisis but eventually stopped reporting to the Convention and took over

Maximilien Robespierre

Jacobin leader who established the Reign of Terror to create an enlightened “Republic of Virtue” by killing opposition

Law of Maximum

legislation passed by the National Convention that limited prices and wages and allowed prices to be observed by the army

attempted to fix rising prices and hoarding but led to increased shortages

levée en masse

mass conscription law passed which created the largest army for the time, marking a significant shift in the nature of warfare and citizen involvement in the military (total war)

transformed the French army into a people's army, emphasizing the concept of national service and collective responsibility

Reign of Terror

period lasting from June 1793 to July 1794 during which thousands of citizens were killed due to being suspected of being against the republic

supported by Robespierre, who said that the only way the utopia could be kept was to eliminate all who were against them

Law of Suspects

decree that allowed the arrest, trial, and execution of anyone in France considered an enemy of the republic without evidence

legal basis for the Reign of Terror

Vendée

counter-revolutionary rebellion which fought against the Levee en Masse, taxes, and the Civil Constitution of the Clergy

first legitimate threat of counter-revolution that was put down by the Committee of Public Safety

Cult of the Supreme Being

form of deism established by Maximilien Robespierre during the French Revolution as the intended state religion of France and a replacement for its rival, the Cult of Reason, and of Roman Catholicism

“Temple of Reason”

new name given to the Notre Dame Cathedral during De-Christianization

became a place to study the enlightenment and classical liberalism

Thermidorian Reaction

political shift that occurred in France in July 1794, leading to the overthrow and execution of Maximilien Robespierre and the end of the radical phase of the French Revolution

violent backlash against the Reign of Terror

The Directory

successor to the National Convention which sought to stabilize France after the chaos of the Reign of Terror while also managing ongoing wars in Europe

Conspiracy of Equals

failed coup d’etat led by François-Noël Babeuf

intended to overthrow the Directory and replace it with and egalitarian and proto-socialist republic inspired by Jacobin ideals

Coup d’Etat

a sudden, violent, and unlawful seizure of power from a government

Brumaire

military coup that took place in November 1799, which led to the overthrow of the Directory and marked the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte as the leader of France

Consulate Era

government established by Napoleon after the coup of 1799, which marked the end of the French Revolution and the beginning of his rise to power

period lasting 1799 to 1804 which featured a new constitution, the election of assembly, and the reinstitution of noble titles

plebiscite

a vote by the whole people and is often used synonymously with a referendum

a direct vote in which the entire electorate is invited to accept or refuse a proposal