Key Terms from the French Revolution

Vocabulary terms and definitions related to the French Revolution.

Absolutism

Monarchical power that is unrestrained (mostly) by any other institutions, such as churches, legislatures, or social elites.

Ancien Régime

Term commonly used during the 1790s to describe the French system of Government before the revolution of 1789.

Annex

To incorporate foreign territory into a state – usually forcibly and against the will of the local people.

Artisan

A skilled worker or craftsman.

Bourgeoisie

Usually translated as middle class; in the eighteenth century, it applied mainly to those who lived in towns and made a living through their intellectual skills or business practices.

Brissotins

A group of deputies who supported Jacques Brissot and later merged with the Girondins.

Cahiers de Doléances

List of grievances and suggestions for reform drawn up by representatives of each estate and each community and presented to the Estates-General for consideration.

Communes

The smallest administrative unit in France.

Communist

A follower of the political belief that centers on social and economic equality, as outlined by Karl Marx.

Concordat

An agreement between Napoleon and the Pope to try and end the divisions between the Church and the State.

Conscription

Compulsory Military Service.

Constitution

The establishment of structures for governing a country, detailed in a written document.

Constitutional Monarchy

Where the powers of the Crown are limited by a constitution.

Cordeliers

A populist club during the French Revolution.

Corvée

Unpaid labour service to maintain roads; in many places, money replaced the service.

Counter-revolutionary

Groups and individuals who were hostile to the Revolution and wished to reverse the changes at the earliest opportunity.

Coup d’Etat

The sudden, illegal removal of a government, usually carried out by small groups of an existing state establishment.

Departments

New divisions for local administration created to replace the old divisions of the Ancien Régime.

Egalitarianism

Derived from 'Equality'; the aim to have all citizens equal, with no disparities in wealth status or opportunity.

Émigrés

People, mainly aristocrats, who fled France during the Revolution.

Enlightenment

An era in Western philosophy where reason was advocated as the main source for legitimacy and authority.

Executive power

The power to make decisions relating to the government of a country.

Federalism

A rejection of the central authority of the State in favor of regional authority.

Feudalism

A way of structuring society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.

Feuillants

Constitutional monarchists who split from the Jacobin Club.

Gabelle

A tax on salt.

Généralitiés

34 areas into which France was divided for the purpose of collecting taxes and other administrative functions.

Girondins

A small group of deputies from the Gironde and their associates.

Intendants

Officials appointed by the Crown, responsible for various administrative functions.

Jacobins

Term popularly applied to all supporters of revolutionary opinions.

Journée

A day of popular action and disturbance linked to great political change.

Laissez-faire

Non-interference in economic matters.

Legislative power

The power to make laws, belonging to the Crown in an absolute system and to an elected parliament in a democracy.

Lettres de cachet

Sealed instructions from the Crown allowing detention without trial.

Levée en masse

Compelled citizens to perform duties to defend the Republic.

Levy

An assessment to raise an agreed number of conscripts.

Marxist

Believer of the political ideology of Marxism.

Montagnards

The name given to Jacobin deputies who occupied the upper seats in the National Assembly.

Parlements

High courts of appeal that registered edicts handed down by the Crown.

Pays d’états

Areas with local representative assemblies that contributed to tax collection.

Philosophes

Writers and thinkers who formed the core of the French Enlightenment.

Plebiscite

A popular vote on a single issue.

Prefect

Centrally appointed government official tasked with administering a department.

Republic

A political system without a hereditary head of state.

Revisionist

Historical revisionism is the reinterpretation of orthodox views on historical events.

Revolution

A fundamental change in power or organizational structures occurring in a relatively short period.

Sans-Culottes

Literally 'those who wear trousers'; workers and not knee-breaches, implying social class implications.

Taille

The main tax, theoretically payable by everyone except the Church and Nobility.

The Plain

The majority of deputies in the Convention who sat on the lower seats.

Universal Suffrage

A vote for every man over a certain age.

Venality

A system whereby jobs could be bought and transferred to descendants.