World History MIDTERM Review - Quizlet #2 (Revolutions/Absolutism - Enlightenment - French Revolution and Napoleon)

Phase One/Preliminary Stage/Old Order

Phase One/Preliminary Stage/Old Order

Economically weak (government needs money so raises taxes)
Politically weak (bad ruler/ineffective government)
Intellectuals leave (reformers speak out against government)
Class antagonism/fighting (conflict between old order and new order)

Phase Two/Moderate Regime

Financial breakdown
Symbolic/Dramatic events (protests increase, rally against old order)
Role of Force (government cannot stop rebellion)
Dual Sovereignty (better organized and obeyed government)
Moderates Attain Power (new constitution, fight a war)

Phase Three/Radical Regime

Radicals Take Control/Coup d'etat (small number of devoted radicals take control)
War (civil war or foreign war)
All power goes to a radical council controlled by a radical/strongman
Terror and Virtue (forced to follow revolution and obey)

Phase Four/Thermidorian Reaction

Slow, uneven return to quieter times (first break from fever of revolution)
Rule by a tyrant (powerful)
Radicals stopped/controlled and moderates gain amnesty/forgiven
Aggressive Nationalism (restore hope in the nation)

What is an absolute monarch?

A monarch that claims exclusive power to make and enforce laws - rules by "divine right" without checks and balances
(Remember: divine right to rule, centralized control over government, no checks/balances)

What is a revolution?

A major change in the political way of life, economic order, or structure of society
Often occurs quickly and with violence because you have to force the people in control previously out

Why do people revolt?

Lack of rights/freedoms
Unequal wealth/money
Heavy taxes on a section of the population (like peasants)
Unfair political/social treatment
Denial of basic human needs (food, shelter, etc.)
Desire for the equal opportunity to develop unequal talent (basically, people should be able to show that they are better/smarter/more useful, even if they have less money/status)
Unhappy people

What is required for a revolution?

Two different fighting sides
Goal/Aims expressed in a slogan/motto
Good/Competent leaders
Social/Economic/Political problems
Access to weapons or a way to fight

What is required for a revolution to succeed?

The goals of the revolution need to be clear/defined, and the people revolting need to know the goals (often with a slogan/motto)
Leaders must know how to hold the new government together and keep support of people
Leaders must have a structure for the new government, and a good plan with support and means/money to carry out the new structure
There cannot be too much fighting or revolution will last too long and destroy too much of society
Problems that caused revolution must be fixed

What are the key ideas of Enlightenment?

Humans should rely on reason/thinking, not miracles, to improve society
Natural laws control the universe and human society
People should have the right to be happy
Progress will move society forward (discovering new laws of economics, governments, etc.)
People should have basic liberties (freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to trade)
People should have religious freedom

Who was Thomas Hobbes?

Early believer in the social contract theory (when the people agree to serve/obey the government in exchange for natural rights/protection)
Concerned with political/social order (how humans can live together without starting a conflict)
Believed people should submit to the monarch to create order (part of the social contract theory)
The State of Nature was chaotic without a strong monarch to create order

Who was John Locke?

Believed that all people should have natural rights of life, liberty, and property
Rulers who fail to give the people those rights can be removed by the people, with force if necessary (part of the social contract theory)

Who was Voltaire?

Believed social progress could be achieved through reason/thinking
Emphasized the importance of tolerance, especially religious tolerance

Who was Montesquieu?

Believed in the separation of government into legislative, executive, and judicial, so the branches could be checked and balanced

Who was Adam Smith?

There should not be a lot of government interference directly controlling people, because people will naturally help the society more without control than if they are controlled to

Who was Mary Wollstonecraft?

People should be free of outside control and should reason/think out their own ideas
Women should be as free as men and will end up just as intelligent without limitations

What were the phases of the French Revolution?

Old Regime, then
Moderate Phase:
1. National Assembly (1789-1791)
2. Legislative Assembly (1791-1792)
Radical Phase:
1. National Convention (1792-1795)
Thermidorian Phase:
1. The Directory (1795-1799)

What are the long term causes for the French Revolution?

-Presence of the Enlightenment (Had the ideas of equality and freedom for all, appealed to the poor peasants who had much less compared to nobles/clergy)
-American Revolution (Proof that a revolution could work against a monarchy and start a more democratic government with ideas of freedom/equality, and put France into a lot of debt from covering costs of the war)

What are the ECONOMIC short term causes for the French Revolution?

-Unfair taxes
-Social injustice (98% people had no power/rights)
-Rise of the bourgeoisie (middle class) who had money but no power
- Financial crisis (debt from wars, not enough bread (lack of bread/important food for peasants), monarch spending too much)
- Symbol of Black Bread (low quality bread mostly dirt for peasants)

What are the SOCIAL short term causes for the French Revolution?

-3 Estates (1st the clergy 0.5%, 2nd the nobles 1.5%, 3rd the peasants 98% - peasants paid all the taxes)
-Estates General (meeting of the three estates) was called, but because the peasants were always outvoted 2 to 1 they made their own National Assembly, swearing the Tennis Court oath to stay together as peasants until a new constitution was made

What are the MONARCHY short term causes for the French Revolution?

Louis XVI (Louis the 16th) and Marie Antoinette were weak, didn't bother with state matters and focused on their personal interests, were bad at making decisions, and were out of touch with the common people
Marie Antoinette famous quote - Let them eat cake

What were the immediate effects of the revolution? - Storming the Bastille

This was the spark that started the revolution, starting the moderate phase (Phase 2)
Troops sent to Paris because they feared unrest and small rebellions
The crowd starts looking for weapons to defend against the army troops
The Bastille was an armory/prison (where gunpowder and weapons were kept)

What were the immediate effects of the revolution? - Declaration of the Rights of Man

(Phase 2)
Defined individual and collective rights of the French citizens
"All men are born and remain free and equal in rights" (Affected Haitian revolution)
Similar to Locke's ideas of rights to life, liberty, and property

What were the immediate effects of the revolution? - State takes control of the church

(Phase 2)
Land and property owned by the Church was taken by the state and sold to pay off the French debts from wars and the overspending monarchs

What were the immediate effects of the revolution? - Political factions

(Phase 2)
Groups were seated around the assembly president/speaker
To the right of the president was the conservatives who thought the revolution went too far and the king should regain his power
To the left of the president was the radicals who thought the revolution should keep going
In the middle were the moderates who thought the revolution is done and that France should make a constitutional monarchy (A king/queen shares power with a elected group), like Great Britain
Origin of our modern left/right/middle political terms

What were the long term effects of the revolution? - Wars in Europe

(Phase 2)
European powers (Austria and Prussia) went to war with France, angry how the king was treated - goal was to restore power to the king

What were the long term effects of the revolution? - Execution of the Monarch

Beginning of Phase 3 (Radical Phase)
Louis and Marie Antoinette try to run away from Paris but are caught, Louis executed first then Marie by the Guillotine (French invention)

What were the long term effects of the revolution? - Reign of Terror

(Phase 3)
The radical faction (Jacobins) take power over government, led by Robespierre
Created "Committee of Public Safety" which took all the power until it basically ruled France as a totalitarian (complete control)
Killed 20,000 people by the guillotine for being "treasonous" even if they only spoke out a little bit
De-christianization and churches closed - Notre Dame renamed "Temple of Reason"
Robespierre eventually killed by the guillotine

What were the long term effects of the revolution? - Rise of Napoleon

Beginning of Phase 4 (Thermidorian Phase)
New, more conservative/moderate constitution written after death of Robespierre
More peaceful, but less democratic - bit closer to original Old Order
Napoleon fills the gap for a leader

What were the long term effects of the revolution? - Rise of Nationalism

(Phase 4)
Napoleon wanted people to have support in France
Claimed France had the right to spread enlightenment all over Europe/North Africa
Start of the rise of nationalism all over Europe - would end up being a cause for World War 1

What was Napoleon's rise to power?

At the beginning of the revolution Napoleon was an eager lieutenant in the military
Supporter of the Jacobins (more radical/extreme revolutionaries)
By 1799 he became important politically for his military success
By 1802 the Directory was overthrown in a coup d'état (remember phases of the French Revolution) and Napoleon takes title of Consul (basically king/emperor except different name)
Two years later Napoleon has enough power to simply take title of Emperor officially
However insisted on support of the people (important idea of French Revolution) and took a "plebiscite ballot" (every person voted) to see if he would be emperor (he would be voted yes)

How did Napoleon create an empire?

In 1801 tries to retake Haiti but fails so gives up Americas (where Haiti is) and sells Louisiana Territory (Louisiana Purchase) to U.S.A. for $15 million in 1803
Great Britain, Russia, Austria, and Sweden fight against France, but all lose and all except Great Britain sign peace treaties (Great Britain would keep fighting)

How was France under Napoleon?

In general, tried to balance revolution ideas with ideas from before the revolution - tried to make all groups/estates of the French population happy
Strengthened central government, but all laws made by National Assemblies instead of the king
Order, security, and efficiency replace revolutionary motto of liberty, equality, and fraternity (fraternity = stand together)
To fix economy sets up national bank and good tax collection
Sets up Lycees, or government-run public schools to train officials
Signs the Concordat or agreement with the Pope to restore Catholicism in France in exchange for France getting to keep most of the Church-owned lands and Napoleon chose Bishops (members of the Church)
Improved lots of architecture, old buildings, and built new bridges and roads

What was the Napoleonic Code?

All citizens should be equal
People should advance based on merit/skill/ability, not by money/power
All religions were tolerated
Trial by jury (fair trials) were guaranteed
No more feudal rights (nobles/clergy don't get privileges for free)

What was the fall of Napoleon?

Napoleon made three big mistakes:
Continental System (1806): He closed all European ports to Britain to try and make them have no resources, but ended up losing important things from Britain.
Guerrilla Warfare in Spain: Got rid of Spanish rulers and put his brother Joseph Bonaparte, but then Spanish got angry and killed 300,000+ French
Invasion of Russia: Russia didn't stop exporting grain to Britain and so Napoleon got angry and invaded, but his army froze and all died.

What were Napoleon's final battles?

Great Britain, Russia, Prussia, and Austria unite to finally beat Napoleon at Battle of Nations in 1813
Allied armies enter Paris in 1814 and Napoleon exiled to Elba (1st island was Elba)
Napoleon escapes Elba and makes a new army but is defeated again at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815
Exiled to 2nd island, St. Helena where he dies in 1821.