Studied by 21 people
Old Regime
The Political and Social system that existed in France before the French Revolution
1st Estate
the clergy of the church; 1% of population; owned 10% of the land; paid no taxes
2nd Estate
"The Nobles"---Make up 2% of population, but owns 25% of land. Paid no taxes, held highest offices in government. Controlled the most wealth.
3rd Estate
everybody else; paid most of the taxes and had the least amount of property
Louis XVI (16th)
King of France during the French Revolution, is executed by the guillotine
Marie Antoinette
Queen of France (as wife of Louis XVI) who was unpopular her extravagance and opposition to reform contributed to the overthrow of the monarchy; she was guillotined along with her husband (1755-1793)
Estates General
An assembly of representatives from all three of the estates, or social classes, in France.
National Assembly
French Revolutionary assembly (1789-1791). Called first as the Estates General, the three estates came together and demanded radical change. It passed the Declaration of the Rights of Man in 1789.
Tennis Court Oath
A pledge made by the members of France's National Assembly in 1789, in which they vowed to continue meeting until they had drawn up a new constitution
Great Fear
A wave of senseless panic that spread through the French countryside after the storming of the Bastille in 1789
Legislative Assembly
A French congress with the power to create laws and approve declarations of war, established by the constitution of 1791.
Emigres
French nobility who fled country to escape the Revolution
Sans-culottes
In the French Revolution, a radical group made up of Parisian wage-earners, and small shopkeepers who wanted a greater voice in government, lower prices, and an end of food shortages
Jacobins
Radical republicans during the French Revolution. They were led by Maximilien Robespierre from 1793 to 1794.
Guillotine
A machine for beheading people, used as a means of execution during the French Revolution.
Maximillian Robespierre (1758-1794)
-One of the best-known and most influential figures of the French Revolution
-Largely dominated the Committee of Public Safety and was the leader of the National Assembly
-Instrumental during the Reign of Terror, which ended with his arrest and execution in 1794.
Reign of Terror
(1793-94) during the French Revolution when thousands were executed for "disloyalty"
Napoleon Bonaparte
Overthrew the French revolutionary government (The Directory) in 1799 and became emperor of France in 1804. Failed to defeat Great Britain and abdicated in 1814. Returned to power briefly in 1815 but was defeated and died in exile.
Coup d'etat
A sudden overthrow of the government by a small group
Plebiscite
A direct vote in which a country's people have the opportunity to approve or reject a proposal
Lycees
government run public schools set up by Napoleon to create a more equal chance at education. However this didn't really allow the poorer children to get a better education because they often had to stay home and work.
Napoleonic Code
A comprehensive and uniform system of laws established for France by Napoleon
Battle of Trafalgar
an 1805 naval battle in which Napoleon's forces were defeated by a British fleet under the command of Horatio Nelson.
Blockade
an act or means of sealing off a place to prevent goods or people from entering or leaving. Closing of ports.
Continental System
Napoleon's policy of preventing trade between Great Britain and continental Europe, intended to destroy Great Britain's economy.
Guerillas
small bands of fighters who weaken the enemy with surprise raids and hit-and-run attacks used largely in Peninsular War
Peninsular War
War that Napoleon fought in Spain
Scorched Earth Policy
Russian used practice of burning crops and killing livestock during wartime so that the enemy cannot live off the land. Left Napoleon's army nothing to eat.
Waterloo
The site of Napoleon's defeat by British and Prussian armies in 1815, which ended his last bid for power
Hundred Days
The brief period during 1815 when Napoleon made his last bid for power, deposing the French King and again becoming Emperor of France
Congress of Vienna
Meeting of representatives of European monarchs called to reestablish the old order after the defeat of Napoleon
Balance of Power
Condition of roughly equal strength between opposing countries or alliances of countries.
Legitimacy
the hereditary right of a monarch to rule
Holy Alliance
Alliance among Russia, Prussia, and Austria in defense of religion and the established order; formed at Congress of Vienna by most conservative monarchies of Europe.
Concert of Europe
a series of alliances among European nations in the 19th century, devised by Prince Klemens von Metternich to prevent the outbreak of revolutions
Klemens von Metternich
This was Austria's foreign minister who wanted a balance of power in an international equilibrium of political and military forces that would discourage aggression
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