Studied by 106 people
Jacques Necker
financial expert of Louis XVI, he advised Louis to reduce court spending, reform his government, abolish tarriffs on internal trade, but the First and Second Estates got him fired
First Estate
They consisted of the Roman Catholic Clergy; they received special privileges and paid no direct taxes
Second Estate
The second class of French society; made up of the noblility
Third Estate
97% of the population (the rest of France)
They consisted of the bourgeoisie, the san-culottes and the peasants; they paid high taxes and had no special privileges
bread
Was very important to people. It was all they ate and was one of the main causes of the French Revolution because people could not afford it.
It is said that many bakers and peasants had to mix sawdust into their bread.
financial crisis
France was in debt, because of constant wars with England.
Soon, bankers refused to lend more money. King Louis XVI tried to convince the Estates General to raise taxes. This was a factor leading up to the French Revolution.
cahiers de doleances
statements of local grievances drafted throughout France during the elections to the Estates-General, advocating a regular constitutional government abolishing fiscal privileges of the church and nobility
parlements
French regional courts dominated by hereditary nobles.
The Parlement of Paris claimed the right to register royal decrees before they could become law.
Abbe Sieyes
Wrote an essay called "What is the 3rd estate"
Argued that lower classes were more important than the nobles and the government should be responsible to the people.
National Assembly
French Revolutionary assembly (1789-1791). Called first as the Estates General, the three estates came together and demanded radical change. It passed the Declaration of the Rights of Man in 1789.
Tennis Court Oath
A pledge made by the members of France's National Assembly in 1789, in which they vowed to continue meeting (not disband) until they had drawn up a new constitution
Storming of the Bastille
In Paris revolutionaries destroyed the prison and it is seen as the true start of the French Revolution.
National Guard
Lead by Marquis de Lafayette, this army was formed after the Bastille to suppress revolutionaries
Great Fear
A wave of senseless panic that spread through the French countryside after the storming of the Bastille in 1789
Declaration of the Rights of Man
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.
Olympe de Gouges
French journalist; she published the declaration of rights of women and the female citizens.
Women's March to Versailles
It was "spontaneously" organized by women in the marketplaces of Paris.
They complained over the high price and scant availability of bread, marching from Paris to Versailles.
Jacobins
Radical republicans during the French Revolution. They were led by Maximilien Robespierre. Protected the republic from foreign and domestic enemies
Legislative Assembly
A French congress with the power to create laws and approve declarations of war, established by the constitution of 1791.
sans-culottes
In the French Revolution, a radical group made up of Parisian wage-earners, and small shopkeepers who wanted a greater voice in government, lower prices, and an end of food shortages
Louis XVI
King of France (1774-1792).
In 1789 he summoned the Estates-General, but he did not grant the reforms that were demanded and revolution followed.
Him and his wife were executed in 1793.
Marie Antoinette
Queen of France (as wife of Louis XVI) who was unpopular her extravagance and opposition to reform contributed to the overthrow of the monarchy; she was guillotined along with her husband
National Convention
abolished the monarchy and established a republic
Maximmilien Robespierre
the leader of the committee of public safety deciding France's enemies (Jacobins leader)
his rule as a dictator will become known as the Reign of Terror
anyone who challenged his leadership was an enemy
Jean-Paul Marat
A journalist and scientist, as well as an associate Jacobin; He helped launch the Reign of Terror and complied death lists, being an advocate of violent measures.
Fun fact: He was stabbed to death in his bath by Charlotte Corday! :)
Committee of Public Safety
Established and led by Robespierre, fixed bread prices and nationalized some businesses. Basically secret police and also controlled the war effort. Instigated the Reign of Terror.
Declaration of Pillnitz
A statement agreed upon by Leopold II (Austria) and Fredrick William II (Prussia) to intervene if Louis XVI was threatened by revolution
levee en masse
The creation under the Jacobins, of a citizen army with support from young and old, heralding the emergence of modern warfare.
Reign of Terror
(1793-94) during the French Revolution when thousands were executed for "disloyalty"
de-Christianization
During the French Revolution, the campaign of extremist republicans against organized churches and in favor of a belief system based on reason.
Cult of the Supreme Being
a religion based on deism devised by Maximilien Robespierre, intended to become the state religion after the French Revolution
Haitian Revolution
A major influence of the Latin American revolutions because of its successfulness; the only successful slave revolt in history; it is led by Toussaint L'Ouverture.
Civil Constitution of the Clergy
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy tried to realign French Catholicism with the interests of the state, making it subject to national law.
The document angered the pope and church officials and turned many French Catholics against the revolutionaries.
emigres
French nobles who fled from France during the peasant uprisings.
They were very conservative and hoped to restore the king to power.
Paris Commune
The small government in Paris who wanted to resist the conservative leaders of France
Tried to form their own government
Thermidorian Reaction
A reaction to the violence of the Reign of Terror in 1794
Resulting in the execution of Robespierre and the loosening of economic controls.
Directory
Established after the Reign of Terror / National Convention; a five man group as the executive branch of the country; incompetent and corrupt, only lasted for 4 years.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Overthrew the French revolutionary government (The Directory) in 1799 and became emperor of France in 1804.
Failed to defeat Great Britain and abdicated in 1814.
Returned to power briefly in 1815 but was defeated and died in exile.
Concordat of 1801
This is the agreement between Pope Pius VII and Napoleon that healed the religious division in France by giving the French Catholics free practice of their religion and Napoleon political power
Code Napoleon (Napoleonic Code)
This was the French law put in place by Napoleon.
It promoted equality before the law, toleration of all religions, and outlawing serfdom and feudalism.
It also took away women's rights and outlawed trade unions and strikes.
Maurice de Talleyrand
Delegate to the Congress of Vienna and the genius representative of a defeated France
censorship
restriction on access to ideas and information
invasion of Russia
Napoleon's most disastrous military campaign. Russian winter forced Napoleon to retreat, lead to his downfall
He lost 310,000 troops to the cold and low supplies.
Continental System
Napoleon's policy of preventing trade between Great Britain and continental Europe
intended to destroy Great Britain's economy.
nationalism
A strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country
guerilla warfare
A hit-and-run technique used in fighting a war
fighting by small bands of warriors using tactics such as sudden ambushes
100 days
Period of time when Napoleon returned to France a year after his exile to Elba and restored himself as emperor for a few months.
He was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo
Congress of Vienna
Following Napoleon's exile...
This meeting of European rulers in Austria established a system by which the balance of power would be maintained, liberal revolutions would be repressed, as would imperial expansion, and the creation of new countries in Europe.
principle of legitimacy
The idea that after the Napoleonic wars, peace could best be reestablished in Europe by restoring legitimate monarchs who would preserve traditional institutions
Guided Metternich at the Congress of Vienna
balance of power
distribution of military and economic power that prevents any one nation from becoming too strong
conservatism
A political or theological orientation advocating the preservation of the best in society and opposing radical changes.
Edward Burke
He wrote the Reflections of the Revolution in France.
He considered the revolution blind rationalism and urged rebels to consider historical events.
Concert of Europe
a series of alliances among European nations in the 19th century prevent the outbreak of revolutions!!
devised by Prince Klemens von Metternich
principle of intervention
Idea that great powers (strong countries) have the right to send armies into countries where there are revolutions to restore legitimate governments.
Neoclassicism
A style of art and architecture that emerged in the later 18th century.
Revival of interest in classical cultures
Neoclassicism was characterized by the utilization of themes and styles from ancient Greece and Rome.
Jacques-Louis David
French painter known for his classicism and his commitment to the ideals of the French Revolution. His works include The Oath of the Horatii (1784 and The Death of Marat (1793).
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