French Revolution Flashcards

Background on the Revolution

Many high ranking people in France were leading great lives with lavish parties, and all the food they needed. They also paid little to no taxes. The peasants during this time did lots of the work and paid lost of taxes. Over time these glaring problems became the reasons which people used to revolt against their rulers. This was also fueled by the enlightenment ideas.

Reasons for the Revolution

-Inequality of taxes (poor people paid more than rich people)
-King Louis XIV was a bad/weak leader (was very indecisive)
-France was in severe debt

The Estates

The social classes of France

1st estate

The estate that was made of the clergy (RCC), they owned 10% of the land, and payed 2% of taxes.

2nd estate

The estate that was made of rich nobles, they owned 20% of the land, were only 2% of the population, and they paid little to nothing in taxes.

3rd estate

The estate that was made of the common people (Bourgeoisie), were 98% of the population, and paidall the rest of the taxes with not many privileges.

King Louis XIV

ing of France. He did not listen to advisors nor did he pay attention to government matters. Needed more money.

Marie Antoinette

spent lots of money on herself. The common people gave her the nickname “Madame Deficit”

The Estates General

A general assembly that called people from each estate to help the king make decisions. Hadn't been called upon for 175 years before King Louis.

National Assembly

A group made mostly of the third estate, which was formed after they kept getting outvoted in the Estates General. They wanted to make their own better government.

Tennis Court Oath

When the king locked the National Assembly out of their building, so they found an indoor tennis court instead. There they made an oath to continue meeting until the King gave in to their demands.

Louie's response

King Louis XVI sent in soldiers to deal with the National Assembly.

Storming of the bastille

The Assembly got sacred of the incoming soldiers, so they broke in to the prison to gather weapons, in order to fight back.

Declaration of the rights of man

The Assembly drafted a declaration with the help of Thomas Jefferson, and ideas from the Enlightenment. "Life, Liberty, and Fraternity"

The new governing system

The Assembly ruled alongside the king, basically meaning the King enforce the rules they made. This all happened after they found the King trying to escape and brought him back.

Reactions from outside France

Other Countries feared that their people would get ideas from France and rise up against their monarchy. Many came up with ways to try and put the king back into power. Eventually France declared war on them.

Conservatives

Little change in government (Right)

Moderates

Some Changes in government (Center)

Radicals

Complete changes in government (Left)

Jacobins

Other term for the radicals. They wanted to get rid of the king. And wanted to get rid of anyone who disagreed with them.

Reign of Terror

Jacobins had gotten control and began to put in many changes. They also wanted to kill anyone who disagreed with them. This made many citizens scared.

Committee of public safety

A committee that was created to findand deal with those who disagreed with the Jacobins.

The Guillotine

A way to kill people quickly and painlessly. It cut off the heads of the kings and his wife, as well as many more people.

Maximus RobesPierre

leader of the committee of public safety. Eventually got sentenced to the guillotine after his ideas failed.

The Jacobins problems

all they did was induce fear, and didn’t really solve problems, so after a while the reign of terror ended.