AICE History - French Revolution Section 1.3 Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards defining key factions, legislation, institutions, and concepts related to the governance of France between 1793 and 1799.

Montagnards

More radical deputies in the National Convention who were connected to the sans-culottes and pushed for stronger action against enemies of the Revolution.

Sans-culottes

A radical group connected to the Montagnards who wanted stronger action against enemies of the Revolution.

Girondins

A political faction that opposed many of the Montagnards' radical policies and was later executed during the Reign of Terror.

Committee of Public Safety

A government body created in April 1793 that became one of the most powerful parts of the French government, featuring leaders such as Danton, Robespierre, Couthon, and St Just.

Levée en masse

A mass military mobilization measure used alongside conscription by the government to enlarge the French army during the Reign of Terror.

Revolutionary Tribunal

A judicial system used alongside local watch committees during the Reign of Terror to find and punish people considered enemies of the Revolution.

Law of Suspects

A law passed in September 1793 that made it easier to arrest individuals suspected of opposing the Revolution.

Cult of the Supreme Being

A religious movement promoted by Robespierre following radical anti-religious policies during the Reign of Terror.

Thermidorian Reaction

The phase beginning after Robespierre's arrest and execution in July 1794, which ended the Reign of Terror, weakened the Committee of Public Safety, restored religious freedom, and abolished the Law of Suspects and General Maximum.

Assignats

Paper currency backed by seized land that suffered severe inflation and lost much of its value during the economic crisis.

General Maximum

A policy introduced by the government to set limits on prices and wages, which caused further economic problems and led to price spikes when abolished.

The Directory

The French government created under the 1795 Constitution featuring a five-man executive and a bicameral legislature, deliberately structured to be weaker than the revolutionary government of the Terror.

Council of 500

One of the two houses in the bicameral legislature established under the Directory by the 1795 Constitution.

Council of Elders

One of the two legislative houses established alongside the Council of 500 under the 1795 Constitution.

Coup of Fructidor

A 1797 political move in which the Directors cancelled legislative election results won by royalists to retain power.

Treaty of Campo Formio

An agreement made in 1797 following Napoleon Bonaparte's conquest of northern Italy that allowed France to secure resources.

Second Coalition

An alliance formed against France in 1799 that increased the threat of foreign invasion and further destabilized the Directory.

Sieyès

A Director in 1799 who advocated for a stronger central government and believed conditions in France were ripe for a military coup.