5B Revolutions

Archduke Maximilian

Austrian; appointed by Napoleon III of France to rule Mexico as a puppet emperor. After French armies withdrew from Mexico in 1866 he was captured and executed by the Mexican government, which then restored the Mexican Republic.

Bastille

a medieval French fortress used as a prison. Crowds of commoners attacked it violently in the beginning of the French Revolution on July 14, 1789.

Benito Juarez

President of Mexico (1858-1872). Born in poverty in Mexico, he was educated as a lawyer and rose to become chief justice of the Mexican supreme court and then president. He led Mexico's resistance to a French invasion in 1863 and the installation of Maximilian as emperor.

bourgeoisie

In Early Modern Europe, the class of well-off town dwellers whose wealth came from manufacturing, finance, commerce, etc.

creoles

In colonial Spanish America, term used to describe someone of European descent born in the New World. Elsewhere in the Americas, the term is used to describe all nonnative peoples.

gens de couleur

Free men and women of color in Haiti. They sought greater political rights and later supported the Haitian Revolution.

Estates General

An assembly that represented the entire French population through three groups, known as estates; King Louis XVI called this in May 1789 to discuss the financial crises.

Napoleon Bonaparte

General who overthrew the French Directory in 1799 and became emperor of the French in 1804. Failed to defeat Great Britain and abdicated in 1814. Returned to power briefly in 1815 but was defeated and died in exile.

Giuseppe Garibaldi

Italian nationalist and revolutionary who conquered Sicily and Naples and added them to a unified Italy in 1860.

Haitian Revolution

Uprising in 1790 which resulted in the successful overthrow of French colonial rule on this Caribbean island. It created the first black government in the Western Hemisphere and the world's second democratic republic (after the US). Most successful slave revolt in history.

Jacobins

The most radical political faction of the French Revolution who ruled France during the Reign of Terror.

Jose de San Martin

South American general and statesman, born in Argentina: leader in winning independence for Argentina, Peru, and Chile

Maximilien Robespierre

Revolutionary leader who tried to wipe out every trace of France's past monarchy and nobility. He led the most radical phases of the French Revolution. His execution ended the Reign of Terror.

Miguel Hidalgo

Mexican priest who led the first stage of the Mexican independence war in 1810. He was captured and executed in 1811.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

French Revolution document that outlined what the National Assembly considered to be the natural rights of all people and the rights that they possessed as citizens

Otto von Bismarck

Chancellor (prime minister) of Prussia from 1862 until 1871, when he became chancellor of Germany. A conservative nationalist, he led Prussia to victory against Austria (1866) and France (1870) and was responsible for the creation of the German Empire in 1871.

Simon Bolivar

The most important military leader in the struggle for independence in South America. Born in Venezuela, he led military forces there and in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

Toussaint L'Ouverture

Leader of the Haitian Revolution. He freed the slaves and gained effective independence for Haiti despite military interventions by the British and French.