french revolution

ancien regime

monarchs were chosen based off heritetary

clergy

first estate

nobility

2nd estate

everyone else

3rd estate

bourgeoise

upper middle class

urban workers

laborers and craftspeople

peasant

lower class

estate general

a representative assembly of the ancient regime

debt

money the government owed.

tennis court oath

a promise to stay together and keep meeting until they had written a constitution for France.

storming the bastille

popular revolt against the king’s authority and a major early movement of the French Revolution.

declaration of man

revolutionary document that said men were equal in rights and should have freedoms protected by law.

radical

completely end the monarchy and create a republic.

committee of public safety

a powerful revolutionary government committee that led France during wartime and helped carry out the Reign of Terror.

reign of terror

a period when revolutionary leaders executed thousands of people they considered enemies of the Revolution.

napolenoic code

a unified set of laws that standardized French law and established legal equality for men, while limiting women’s rights.

nationalism

extreme patriotism

robespierre

a radical French Revolution leader who led the Committee of Public Safety during the Reign of Terror.

king louis XVI

the king of France during the Revolution, and he was executed by the revolutionaries.

marie antonette

young australian german princess, became a symbol for everything that was wrong in france

napoleon

a French military leader who took power after the Revolution and became emperor of France.

social and political leaders economic unrest in france leading up to the revolution

France’s unfair estate system, absolute monarchy, government debt, heavy taxes on commoners, and rising bread prices caused widespread unrest

how was the revolution inspired by the enlightenment

Locke’s ideas about natural rights and Rousseau’s idea of popular sovereignty encouraged people to challenge absolute monarchy and unequal privileges.

1st estate description

church, high ranking church officials, about 1% of the population

2nd estate description

the nobility, privileged class with limited rights, 1-2% of the population

3rd estate description

everyone eles, 97% of the population, heavily taxed through a variety of taxes, usually education, skilled laborers and unskilled, peasants, mostly farmers.

successes and failures of the revolution

ended many feudal privileges and promoted equality, but the Reign of Terror and Napoleon’s dictatorship limited freedom.

how did the french revolution loose focus and became a violent uprising

Food shortages, war, and fear of counterrevolution intensified political conflict, leading radicals to use violence against anyone they saw as an enemy.

the rise and fall of napoleon

he became emperor after gaining power as a general, but costly wars and military defeats ended his rule.