The French Revolution and Anatomy of a Revolution

Flashcards covering the causes, major stages, key figures, and events of the French Revolution, along with Crane Brinton's Anatomy of a Revolution model and the contemporary political spectrum.

What pledge did the Third Estate delegates make during the Tennis Court Oath?

After being locked out of the meeting hall, they gathered on an indoor tennis court and vowed not to stop meeting until they had drawn up a new constitution.

Why did a mob storm the Bastille on July 14, 1789, and what did the prison symbolize?

They stormed it to find gunpowder to defend themselves from the king; the Bastille symbolized the abuse of royal power and the imprisonment of opponents without trial or justice.

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

A revolutionary charter establishing that all men are born and remain free and equal in rights, abolishing the feudal class system, and guaranteeing liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.

Who was Jean-Paul Marat?

A former doctor living in poverty with a painful skin disease that forced him to spend much of his time in a medicinal bath; he was a radical journalist and malcontent.

Why did Parisian women march on Versailles in October 1789, and what two concessions did Louis XVI make?

They rioted over a severe shortage and rising price of bread; Louis XVI agreed to sign the Declaration of the Rights of Man and move the royal family to Paris.

What was the new execution machine used during the French Revolution, and what was its nickname?

The guillotine, which was nicknamed "The National Razor."

Against which country did the Legislative Assembly declare war in April 1792?

Austria.

Who were the sans-culottes and what did they consider themselves?

Parisian workers and small shopkeepers ("those without knee breeches") who wanted radical change and considered themselves the true people of France.

What occurred during the September Massacres?

Angry citizens and sans-culottes raided prisons in September and murdered over 1,000 prisoners (approximately 1,600) over a few days.

Why is Charlotte Corday significant in the history of the French Revolution?

She stabbed Jean-Paul Marat to death in his bathtub under the pretense of having a list of traitors, believing his death would end revolutionary violence and bring peace to France.

What measures characterized the campaign of de-Christianization?

Attacking church officials, closing churches, eliminating Sundays, establishing a completely new calendar, and renaming streets that had Christian names.

How was French society divided under the Old Regime?

Into three estates: the First Estate (clergy; owned 10% of land, paid 2% tax), the Second Estate (nobility; owned 20% of land, paid almost no taxes), and the Third Estate (97% of the population, including bourgeoisie, urban workers, and peasants, who paid high taxes and had no privileges).

What was a "tithe" in pre-revolutionary France?

A church tax that typically amounted to one-tenth of a family's income.

On what date did the delegates of the Third Estate vote to establish the National Assembly?

June 17, 1789.

What was the "Great Fear"?

A wave of senseless panic that rolled through the French countryside in which peasants attacked manor houses and destroyed feudal dues records.

On what date was King Louis XVI executed by guillotine?

January 21, 1793.

What was the chief task of the Committee of Public Safety under Maximilien Robespierre?

To protect the Revolution from its internal and external enemies.

Approximately how many people were executed during the Reign of Terror, and on what date did it end?

As many as 40,000 people were executed; it ended on July 28, 1794, when Robespierre was sent to the guillotine.

What executive body was established by moderate leaders under the 1795 constitution?

The Directory, an executive body composed of five men.

What was the central argument of Abbé Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès's pamphlet, "What is the Third Estate?"?

He argued that the Third Estate holds up all of society, is essential to the nation, and must play a leading role in government.

According to Robespierre's concept of political morality, why was terror necessary?

He believed that a republic of virtue required terror during a revolution, asserting that terror is nothing other than prompt, severe, and inflexible justice used to eliminate tyranny and protect citizens.

On the political spectrum, how do "Radicals" differ from "Reactionaries"?

Radicals favor immediate, sweeping change and support violence/revolution to overthrow the system ("Far Left"), whereas Reactionaries view revolutionary changes as harmful and support extreme methods/violence to restore the old order.

In the "Anatomy of a Revolution" framework, what occurs during Stage 1 and Stage 2?

Stage 1 involves impossible demands made on the government that would end it if granted; Stage 2 involves unsuccessful attempts by the government to suppress the revolutionaries.

In the "Anatomy of a Revolution" framework, what occurs during Stage 8 and Stage 10?

Stage 8 is when extremists attempt to create a "heaven on earth" by enforcing their complete program and punishing all opponents; Stage 10 is when moderate groups regain power, signaling the end of the revolution.