STUDY GUIDE p7 quiz unit 4/5

Louis XVI

The King of France during the Revolution. He was weak and indecisive.
His indecision and attempts to escape led to his execution, ending the French monarchy.

Marie Antoinette

The Queen of France, originally from Austria.
She was unpopular due to her extravagant spending ("Madame Deficit"), symbolizing the monarchy's waste.

Clergy

The First Estate (Church officials, priests). They paid almost no taxes.
They held immense land and wealth, fueling resentment from the tax-burdened lower classes.

Bourgeoisie

The wealthiest, well-educated part of the Third Estate (middle class: bankers, merchants, lawyers).
They led the early revolution, providing the money and intellectual ideas for change.

Marquis de Lafayette

A French noble and military leader who fought in the American Revolution.
He headed the National Guard and helped draft the Declaration of the Rights of Man.

Jacobins

A radical political club of revolutionaries.
They controlled the government during the most extreme phase, leading the Reign of Terror and executing the King.

Sans-Culottes

Parisian working-class men (shopkeepers, artisans). Their name means "without knee-breeches."
They were the street muscle of the Revolution, using violence to push the radical agenda of the Jacobins.

Jean-Paul Marat

A radical journalist who published the influential newspaper L'Ami du peuple (Friend of the People).
His fiery writing called for the death of anyone against the revolution, influencing the mobs and the start of the Terror.

Maximillian Robespierre

The powerful leader of the Jacobins and the Committee for Public Safety.
He was the architect of the Reign of Terror, eventually being executed himself when the Revolution turned against him.

Ancien Régime

Before the Revolution (Historical term)
The old, rigid system of three social classes (Estates) in France where birthright determined power and taxes.

Estates-Genera

Pre-Revolution (May 1789)
A meeting of representatives from all three social classes called by the King to approve new taxes. It hadn't met for 175 years.

Tennis Court Oath

1st (June 1789)
The Third Estate, after being locked out of the Estates-General, swore in a tennis court to stay together until they wrote a new constitution. Significance: It showed they were determined to form a new government.

Storming of the Bastille

2nd (July 14, 1789)
A Parisian mob attacked and took over the Bastille (a prison and armory) for weapons. Significance: It was a symbolic act of defiance against royal authority and became the start of the Revolution.

The Great Fear

Immediately after Bastille (Summer 1789)
A wave of panic across the French countryside where peasants rioted against nobles, burning documents that tied them to feudal duties.

National Assembly

Revolutionary Government (1789-1791)
The first revolutionary government, formed by the Third Estate after the Tennis Court Oath.

Declaration of the Rights of Man

Revolutionary Law (Aug 1789)
A document passed by the National Assembly stating that all men are born free and equal, establishing freedom of speech, religion, and justice.

National Convention

Revolutionary Government (1792-1795)
The radical government that took over after the King's death. It abolished the monarchy and declared France a republic.

Execution of Louis XVI

3rd (Jan 1793)
The King was tried for treason and publicly executed by the guillotine. Significance: It signaled the final end of 1,000 years of French monarchy.

Committee for Public Safety

Governing Body (1793-1794)
A powerful 12-man group led by Robespierre that was set up to manage the war and protect the Revolution from its enemies.

Reign of Terror

4th (1793-1794)
A period where Robespierre's Committee executed tens of thousands of people (often using the guillotine) whom they suspected of being "enemies of the revolution." Significance: It showed how the revolution had turned radical and violent.

The Directory

Revolutionary Government (1795-1799)
A five-man executive body that took control after Robespierre's execution. It was corrupt and unpopular.

Napoleon Crowns Himself Emperor

5th (1804)
Napoleon Bonaparte seized power from The Directory in a coup and later crowned himself Emperor of France. Significance: It ended the Revolution and restored order, but also ended the French Republic by establishing a new empire.