French Revolution - Key Concepts (Video Notes)

A comprehensive set of QUESTION_AND_ANSWER flashcards covering the major topics from Pages 1–3 of the notes on the French Revolution.

What fortress-prison in Paris was stormed on July 14, 1789, symbolizing royal tyranny and signaling the start of the French Revolution?

Bastille

Who led the Reign of Terror (1793–1794) and the Committee of Public Safety?

Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety

Which estate comprised about 97% of France's population and became the driving force of the Revolution?

The Third Estate (peasants, workers, and the bourgeoisie)

Which king of France reigned from 1774 to 1792, attempted to flee in 1791, and was executed in 1793?

Louis XVI

What is the Estates General?

A traditional assembly representing the three estates; summoned in 1789 to address the financial crisis.

What is the Tennis Court Oath?

An oath taken by the Third Estate on June 20, 1789 to not separate until a new constitution was drafted.

Who were the sans-culottes?

Radical Parisian workers and artisans who wore trousers and sought cheaper bread, direct democracy, and equality.

What was the Great Fear?

A wave of panic and peasant revolts in summer 1789 that pressured abolishing feudal privileges.

What were the October Days (October 5–6, 1789)?

Protests led by women marching on Versailles to demand bread and force the royal family to return to Paris.

What is the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen?

Adopted in 1789; proclaimed liberty, equality, property rights, and freedoms of speech and religion.

What is the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen?

A 1791 document by Olympe de Gouges demanding full equality for women.

What was the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790)?

Law placing the Catholic Church under state control; required clergy to swear loyalty to the state.

Who were the Jacobins?

A radical political club led by Robespierre that dominated the government during the Reign of Terror.

What was the National Convention?

France's governing body from 1792 to 1795; abolished the monarchy, declared a republic, and executed Louis XVI.

What does the term Conservative refer to in this context?

Supporters of monarchy, tradition, and stability; opposed revolutionary radicalism.

What does the term Radical refer to in this context?

Those who pushed for sweeping social and political change, including democracy and ending the monarchy.

Who was Napoleon Bonaparte?

A military leader who rose to emperor; spread revolutionary ideas and created the Napoleonic Code.

Who was Abbé Sieyès and what did he argue?

A clergyman who wrote What is the Third Estate? arguing that the people, not the nobility, were the true nation.

What was the Haitian Revolution?

The 1791–1804 slave revolt in Saint-Domingue led by Toussaint Louverture, resulting in the first Black republic.

What was the Flight to Varennes?

Louis XVI's attempt to flee Paris in 1791, damaging his reputation.

What was the outcome of the Third Estate breaking away from the Estates General to form the National Assembly?

It signaled the end of the old order and was a key step toward revolution.

What was the Reign of Terror ultimately aimed at defending, and what was one major consequence?

To defend the French Republic against internal and external enemies; it also fostered fear and led to Robespierre's downfall.