French Revolution Unit Test

Institutions

Organizations or established systems that shape the behavior of individuals and groups within a society, e.g., the legal system, government, or education.

Edmund Burke

An Irish statesman and philosopher, widely regarded as the founder of modern conservatism; famous for his critique of the French Revolution in 'Reflections on the Revolution in France'.

Tyranny of the Majority

A situation in which a majority group uses its power to oppress or disregard the rights of a minority group, often discussed by Alexis de Tocqueville.

Civil Society

The arena of voluntary collective action around shared interests, purposes, and values, distinct from government and the market; includes charities, community groups, and non-governmental organizations.

Alex de Tocqueville

A French political thinker and historian best known for his 'Democracy in America' (1835), a profound analysis of the democratic political system and society in the United States, and the concept of 'tyranny of the majority'.

Louis XVI

The last king of France before the French Revolution, reigning from 1774 until his deposition in 1792 and execution in 1793.

Jean Jacques Rousseau

A Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of the 18th century. His political philosophy influenced the Enlightenment in France and the French Revolution, particularly his ideas on the social contract and the general will.

Estates General

A legislative and consultative assembly of the different classes (or estates) of French subjects. It had a separate assembly for each of the three estates: the clergy (First Estate), the nobility (Second Estate), and the commoners (Third Estate). Its summoning in 1789 by Louis XVI led to the French Revolution.

Ancient Regime

The monarchical, aristocratic, social, and political system established in the Kingdom of France from approximately the 15th century until the late 18th century, referring to the rule before the French Revolution.

National Assembly

Formed by representatives of the Third Estate on June 17, 1789, during the French Revolution, constituting themselves as the sole legislative body of the new nation and marking the end of the absolute monarchy.

Tennis Court Oath

A pivotal event during the first days of the French Revolution. The oath was sworn on June 20, 1789, by members of the Third Estate who had been locked out of the Estates General meeting, vowing not to separate until a new constitution was written.

The Bastille

A medieval fortress and prison in Paris, stormed by an angry and aggressive mob on July 14, 1789, marking a symbolic start of the French Revolution.

Great Fear

A period of panic and riot by peasants and others amid rumors of an 'aristocratic conspiracy' by the king and the privileged to overthrow the Third Estate. It occurred in rural areas of France from July 20 to August 5, 1789.

Declaration of the Rights of Man

A fundamental document of the French Revolution, adopted by the National Assembly in August 1789, defining the individual and collective rights of all estates as universal.

Culottes

Knee-breeches worn by aristocratic men in 18th-century France, distinguishing them from the working-class 'sans-culottes'.

Sans-Culottes

The common people of the lower classes in late 18th-century France, a great many of whom became radical and militant partisans of the French Revolution in response to their poor quality of life under the monarchy. Their name refers to their long trousers, distinguishing them from the knee-breeches (culottes) of the aristocracy.

Legislative Assembly

The legislative body of France from October 1791 to September 1792, formed after the National Assembly dissolved itself. It failed to unite diverse factions, leading to its dissolution.

Jacobins

A revolutionary political club during the French Revolution, most prominent and radical. They played a significant role in the Reign of Terror, led by figures like Robespierre.

National Convention

The third government of the French Revolution, forming in September 1792 and lasting until October 1795. It abolished the monarchy, established the First French Republic, and tried and executed Louis XVI.

Revolutionary Tribunals

Courts instituted by the National Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders, most infamously active during the Reign of Terror.

Committee for Public Safety

A powerful body established by the National Convention in 1793 to protect the Revolution from its enemies, both foreign and domestic. It effectively functioned as the executive government during the Reign of Terror, dominated by Maximilian Robespierre.

Maximilian Robespierre

A French lawyer and politician, one of the most influential figures of the French Revolution. He was a leader of the Jacobins and the architect of the Reign of Terror.

Levee en Mass

A French term for mass conscription during the French Revolutionary Wars, first enacted by the National Convention in 1793, requiring all able-bodied, unmarried men to serve in the army.

Reign of Terror

A period in the French Revolution from September 1793 to July 1794, characterized by brutal repression and mass executions of 'enemies of the revolution,' largely orchestrated by Robespierre and the Committee for Public Safety.

Republic of Virtue

Robespierre's vision for France during the Reign of Terror, aiming to create a moral and civic society based on the principles of reason and patriotism, enforced through severe repression of perceived 'enemies'.

Thermidorean Reaction

A coup d'état within the French Revolution against the leaders of the Jacobin Club that began with the overthrow of Maximilien Robespierre on 9 Thermidor Year II (July 27, 1794), marking the end of the Reign of Terror and a shift towards a more conservative government.

Directory

The French revolutionary government that ruled France from 1795 to 1799, established after the Thermidorean Reaction and preceding the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Napoleon Bonaparte

A French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led France to dominate much of continental Europe through military conquests. He crowned himself Emperor of the French in 1804.

Coup d'etat

A sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government, often carried out by a small group, typically military officers or political elites.

Napoleonic Code

A comprehensive and uniform system of laws developed under Napoleon Bonaparte in 1804, which reformed French law. It significantly influenced the legal systems of many other countries.

Lycees - Meritocracy

Public secondary schools established by Napoleon Bonaparte in France, designed to train civil servants and military officers based on merit rather than birth, reflecting a new emphasis on meritocracy in society.

Congress of Vienna

A series of international diplomatic meetings held in Vienna from September 1814 to June 1815, aiming to redraw Europe's political map after the defeat of Napoleonic France and restore a balance of power.

July Revolution

The uprising in France in July 1830 that led to the overthrow of King Charles X and the ascension of Louis-Philippe, the 'Citizen King,' marking a shift from absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy.

Louis Phillip - Citizen King

King of the French from 1830 to 1848, following the July Revolution. He was known as the 'Citizen King' because he presented himself as a constitutional monarch, governing by popular will rather than divine right, though his rule eventually became unpopular.

Second Republic

The republican government of France between the 1848 Revolution and the 1852 coup by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, who established the Second French Empire.

Louis Napoleon - Napoleon III

The first President of France (1848–1852) and, as Napoleon III, the Emperor of the French (1852–1870). He was the nephew of Napoleon I.

Franco-Prussian War

A conflict between the Second French Empire and the German states of the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. It lasted from July 1870 to January 1871 and resulted in a decisive Prussian/German victory, leading to the unification of Germany and the downfall of Napoleon III.

Third Republic

The system of government adopted in France from 1870, after the collapse of the Second French Empire, until 1940, when it was replaced by the Vichy Regime during World War II.

The Commune

Refers to the Paris Commune, a radical socialist and revolutionary government that ruled Paris from March 18 to May 28, 1871, following the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian War. It was violently suppressed by the French army.