The French Revolution Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards for reviewing the French Revolution lecture notes.

Absolute Monarch

A monarch who rules with absolute control over all aspects of their realm.

Ancien Régime

The old order / established monarchy in France.

Bourgeoisie

The French middle class.

Censor

To prevent the publication of material seen as unacceptable.

Consecration

Sacred dedication ceremony.

Constitution

A set of principles by which a country is governed.

Constitutional Monarchy

Government where the power of the monarch is limited by a constitution, and in most cases the monarch rules together with a parliament.

Coup (coup d'etat)

Sudden, violent or illegal takeover of government.

Decentralise

Reorganise into smaller, more independent units.

Decree

Order by the king (government) that has the same force as a law and comes into effect immediately upon announcement.

Equality

State of all people being equal before the law, with all human rights.

Exile

Send a person away from their native country.

Feudal Dues

Taxes paid by the peasants/serfs to a noble for the use of land or agricultural machinery, such as a mill wheel.

Feuillants

A right-wing group of monarchists in the Parliament of Paris in 1789.

First Estate

Clergy/members of the church, such as cardinals, abbotts, bishops, priests.

Fraternity

Brotherhood.

Gens de Couleur

Free black and coloured people in the colony of Saint-Domingue.

Girondists

A moderate left-wing republican group in the Parliament of Paris in 1789.

Grande Blancs

Wealthy plantation owners in the colony of Saint-Domingue.

Guillotine

Execution machine with a large blade which descends and cuts off heads.

Haiti

An independent country (since 1804) on the island of Hispaniola (previously the French colony of Saint-Domingue).

Jacobins

A very radical left-wing revolutionary group in the Parliament of Paris in 1789.

Legacy

Something handed down from one generation to the next.

Liberty

Absolute freedom of all the people.

Maroons

Runaway slaves in the colony of Saint-Domingue.

Mob

Large aggressive crowd.

Monarch

King, queen, emperor, etc.

Monarchy

Form of government where a state is headed by a monarch.

Petit Blancs

Middle- and working-class whites in the colony of Saint-Domingue.

Radical

Extreme, far-reaching.

Reforming Monarchy

Monarchy that gives more power to the people through a constitution.

Republic

Form of government where equal citizens elect representatives and a president to rule them.

Sans Culottes

Working class people not wearing the fancy trousers (culottes) of the rich.

Saint-Domingue

A French colony on the island of Hispaniola from 1659 to 1804.

Second Estate

Nobles/upper class who were awarded land and titles by the monarch.

Serfs

People whose service is attached to the soil, oppressed people.

Sovereignty

Power to rule a nation or territory.

Subjects

People subject to a monarch, not citizens of a nation.

Third Estate

Bourgeoisie, peasants and serfs, who had no rights whatsoever.

Storming of the Bastille

A key event in the French Revolution, taking place on July 14.

Lettre de Cachet

An order signed by the French king, used to imprison or exile individuals without trial.

Necker

A controller-general who suggested that the king call a meeting with the Estates General because France was bankrupt.

The Social Contract

Written by Jean-Jacques Rousseau in 1762, expressing his philosophical idea.