French Revolution Study Guide

The contrast in wealth + rights between the leaders and the people of France. Also America’s success in their revolution

What was the primary motive for a change in France?

Catholic clergy, 1% of the population

First Estate

Nobility, 2% of the population

Second Estate

Only estate to pay taxes, poor people AND wealthy Bourgeoise, 97% of the population

Third Estate

The king’s power over an absolute monarchy

What did the nobles dislike about the king?

They wanted more equality

Why was the Third Estate unhappy with France?

Louis XVI, at the age of 19

Who takes the throne in 1774?

18 years old

How old was Marie Antoinette when she married Louis XVI?

By taxing the clergy and nobility

How did Louis XVI attempt to alleviate France’s financial struggles?

Clergy and nobility refused to pay taxes. French banks refused to loan money to the government in 1786

How did France respond to Louis’s attempted reform efforts?

To receive money

Why does Louis XVI call the Estates-General into session in 1789?

1614

When was the last time the Estates-General was called before 1789?

Representatives from each estate

What did the Estates-General consist of?

One

How many votes did each estate have in the Estates-General?

They proposed they should have rights to individual votes (each delegate having one) since they made up 97% of the population

Why was the Third Estate removed, by Louis XVI, from the Estates-General meetings?

They establish the National Assembly, where the Bourgeoise could meet on their own

What does the Third Estate do after being kicked out of the meetings?

Make a constitution

What did the National Assembly promise to do for France?

Ordered 1st and 2nd Estates to join it

What did Louis XVI do in response to the formation of the National Assembly?

Tennis courts

Where did the National Assembly meet?

Take the Tennis Court Oath

To be a member of the National Assembly, what did they have to do?

Fearfully, ordered troops to Versailles for protection

After French people voiced their unhappiness in the National Assembly, what did Louis XVI do?

They attacked the French prison Bastille, worried he would launch an attack

How did the French people react to Louis XVI moving troops to Versailles?

Bastille

A French prison that was the symbol of power and unfairness in the French government

French citizens stormed the Bastille to gather weapons to defend themselves from a possible attack

What happened at the Bastille on July 14, 1789?

Nearly 100 citizens were killed, news of the attack spread quickly in France, Peasants began to arm themselves

What were results of the Bastille attack?

They armed themselves and began to attack nobles in rural areas

What did countryside Peasants do in reaction to the Bastille attack?

Great Fear

Period in which Peasants killed nobles and stole their homes, convincing nobles they could not resist the 3rd Estate reforms

Nobles agreed to give up their privileges in response to the Great Fear

What is the significance of August 4, 1789?

1) Elimination of feudal dues. 2) Elimination of tithes. 3) Nobles agree to be taxed. 4) Any male citizen could hold public office. ←- more power to the 3rd Estate

On the same day Nobles gave up their privileges, what reforms did the National Assembly enact?

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

What was drafted in late August of 1789?

The Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution

What was the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen inspired by?

1) All people are equal in the eyes of the law. 2) Freedom of speech, press, religion. 3) Protection from unlawful arrest and punishment

What did the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen state?

Women

Who was excluded from the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen?

He refused to accept it, provoking fear of an attack from the National Assembly

What was the king’s response to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen?

Move from Versailles to Paris

Despite the king’s rejection of the Declaration, what did the citizens want him to do?

A mob of “women” stormed the palace at Versailles when Louis XVI refused to move to Paris

What happened October 1789?

Guards were overrun at Versailles, and Louis finally agreed to move to Paris. (The NA also moves)

What was the result of the October 1789 incident?

Seized Catholic Church lands, reselling them. (Also takes power away from the church)

How does the National Assembly gain money in order to run France?

Civil Constitution of the Clergy

N.A. passed in 1790 - required the clergy to take an oath to the N.A., splitting the Church in France

Monarch stayed with limited power. Unicameral legislature, elected by males who paid taxes. (←-not popular with most people!)

What were the reforms of the Constitution of 1791?

Unicameral

One-house

He and his family pretend to be commoners and attempt to flee to Austria

After witnessing the violence of the revolution, what does Louis XVI do in June of 1791?

Marie’s brother (Joseph II)

In this time period, who ruled Austria?

Royal family was recognized, Louis was arrested and placed under house arrest in Paris, he was forced to accept a limited monarchy (caused many citizens to distrust Louis, calling for a republic and spreading the revolt across Europe)

What was the result of Louis’ XVI attempted escape?

Austria, because Austria tried to influence France to reinstate Louis, worried the revolution would spread to them

Who does the N.A. declare war on in 1792? And why?

Other European nations, especially Prussia

Whom does Austria receive help from when attacked by the National Assembly?

Verdun (allowed direct route to Paris)

What was the fort in France that Prussia took?

George Jacques Danton

Who issued a cry for help to the French people, to which thousands answered?

National Convention

What will the National Assembly change its name to?

Wrote France’s FIRST democratic constitution

What did the National Convention do?

Unicameral legislature, all men could vote, metric system adopted, new calendar adopted

What were the properties of the National Convention’s constitution?

September 22, 1792

The starting date of the French republic

He was accused of asking for help to replenish his power via secret letters between him and foreign monarchs (in boxes). Considered treason against the republic.

Why was Louis XVI executed?

Guillotine

How was Louis XVI executed?

Conflict between developing political parties over the future of the French Republic

What did the death of Louis XVI cause?

Mountains political party

Radicals. Rich Paris citizens, consisted of extreme radicals called Jacobians), saw themselves as the defenders of the people

Maximillian Robespierre, George-Jacques Danton, Jean-Paul Marat

Who were the leaders of the Mountains political party?

Girondists political party

Moderates. Felt the revolution had gone far enough, wanted to protect the rich middle-class from radical attacks

Plain political party

Sat between the Mountains and the Girondists. Did not want to choose sides, made up the majority in the convention

Supported the Mountains; increased radicalism in the party, opened them up to extreme, violent change. Ultimately made the Mountains larger

Who did the Plain political party begin supporting in 1793?

Marie Antoinette

Wife of Louis XVI, eventually executed from the Guillotine

Great Britain, Spain, Netherlands, and Sardinia

In 1793, which nations joined with Austria and Prussia against France, in fear that the revolution would spread to them?

To end royal power everywhere in Europe

What was the primary French (NC) motive for spreading the revolution?

By ordering French troops into Europe

How did the NC attempt to rid Europe of its royal power?

They surrendered, and then the NC feared if any nations would try to invade France

What is France’s result for spreading the revolution?

The Committee of Public Safety

Implemented to protect France against the responses (potential invasions) to the attempted spread of revolution across Europe.

Conscription requirement for all men 18-45 years of age, citizens required to manufacture goods for the war effort

What policies did the Committee of Public Safety enact due to their need for a large military?

They arrest the Girondist members who disagreed with the Mountains’ policies and ideas, causing Girondist to rebel (who were eventually executed if refused to follow the Mountains)

What does the Mountain party do after taking control over the National Convention?

Charlotte Corday

Killed a mountain leader (Marat), executed by the guillotine

Reign of Terror

Time period in which the Mountain party sought to kill all of its opposition, lasted 1793-1794, suspects received quick & unfair trials, many innocents wrongly accused, 17000 executed by the guillotine

Decided to end the Reign of Terror

What did the Jacobian leader, Danton, decide to do during the Spring of 1794?

Robespierre, who had Danton killed

Who disagreed with Danton’s decision to end the Reign of Terror?

Followers arrested, he was killed

What happened to Robespierre and his followers?

Men who owned land

Under the Directory Constitution in 1795, who could vote?

The wealthy middle class

Under the Directory Constitution in 1795, to whom was control given?

A council of five men

Under the Directory Constitution in 1795, who were the “directors?”

It was unpopular and would not share power with a 2-house legislature. They were forced to put down many uprisings and were near bankruptcy

What was the problem with the Directory?

They began to look to the military to lead France instead

How did the people of France react to the Directory establishment?

Napoleon

Military leader who rose to popularity, quickly advanced to the rank of general, helped the Directory put down an uprising in 1795, and married Josephine de Beauharnais

Austrians in Italy (←- advanced to General after leading the victory) and the British in Egypt

What were two large conflicts Napoleon partook in during his first years in power?

By participating in a coup d'état

How does Napoleon seize power from the directory?

Setting out to create an empire

After overthrowing the French government, what becomes Napoleon’s primary motive?

Consul, taking all of the power for himself

What does Napoleon label himself after coming to power?

He sets out to create a dictatorship, taking many rights away

What does Napoleon do to the rights of the people?

To bring order to France

Regarding France, aside from expansion, what was Napoleon’s main objective?

Replaced elected officials with appointed officials, placed education under control of the national government

How did Napoleon reconstruct the French government?

Created the bank of France, levied taxes for all citizens, brought high prices and inflation under control

How did Napoleon change the financial system of France?

Napoleonic Code

State is placed above individual, all men are equal before the law, some rights were limited: freedom of speech + press, women’s rights. Also enacted censorship of books, plays, and pamphlets.

Catholicism

CONCORDAT OF 1801: Which religion did Napoleon recognize as the official of France? (though tolerated other religions)

Appoint bishops, so long as he paid them and not the Pope

What did the Pope allow Napoleon to do?

Names himself as emperor of France

What does Napoleon do in 1804?

Pope Pius VII

Which Pope crowned Napoleon emperor?

He took the crown from the pope and placed it on his head, illustrating his dominion

What was the behavioral statement Napoleon made when being crowned emperor?

Great Britain

What was the one European nation that did not easily fall to Napoleon?

He failed, and the French Navy was defeated at Trafalgar by British admiral Lord Nelson

What was the result of Napoleon’s first attempt to invade Great Britain

Continental System

An attempt of economic warfare against Great Britain that stated all nations controlled by France would END trade with Great Britain; no British goods were allowed to enter Europe through French controlled ports — eventually failed

By saying all ships going into Europe had to stop at a British port first

How did Great Britain respond to the implementation of the Continental System?

The US was trading with both nations

Why did the Continental System hurt the United States?

Naples and Spain

What did Napoleon declare Joseph (his brother) king of?

Italy

What did Napoleon declare Napoleon II (his son) of?