Chapter 2 Social 20

Louis XIV (1643–1715)

Absolute monarch of France known as the "Sun King". Built the Palace of Versailles to display wealth and power.

Palace of Versailles

A grandiose palace built by Louis XIV symbolizing absolute monarchy, French wealth, and power, while distancing the monarchy from common people.

Revocation of the Edict of Nantes

Louis XIV took away Protestants’ religious freedom, forcing 400,000 of them to flee to enemy countries.

Louis XV (1715–1774)

Inherited France’s huge debt, spent money on costly wars, and lost colonies in Canada and India, weakening the monarchy.

Louis XVI (1754–1793)

King during the French Revolution. He married Marie Antoinette, spent money helping America win independence, and was executed by guillotine in 1793.

Marie Antoinette

Queen of France (wife of Louis XVI); hated by commoners for being a foreign spender during deep national debt (falsely attributed quote: "Let them eat cake!").

The Three Estates

France's pre-revolutionary social system:

1. Clergy (First Estate)

2. Nobility (Second Estate)

3. Commoners (Third Estate - 98% of the population, paid all taxes)

Economic Crisis & Bread Famine (1788–1789)

France’s huge debt, royal luxury, and bad weather caused bread prices to soar, making food unaffordable for many workers.

The Enlightenment

Movement that challenged absolute monarchy and traditional authority, promoting freedom and equality.

The Bastille

A prison in Paris was stormed by commoners on July 14, 1789, for gunpowder. It became a symbol of the people taking power from the king.

National Assembly

The National Assembly was formed by the Third Estate after the king refused to change voting rules, marking the start of representative government in France.

The Tennis Court Oath (June 20, 1789)

The Tennis Court Oath was a promise by the National Assembly not to disband until they had written a new constitution for France.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789)

Stated that all men were equal and had basic rights, freedoms, and a say in government.

Constitution of 1791

Created a constitutional monarchy, divided France into 83 districts, and limited the king’s power.

The Guillotine

A device for efficient public execution by beheading became the dark symbol of the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror.

The Reign of Terror (1793–1794)

A period when Robespierre’s government executed thousands of people seen as enemies of the Revolution.

Maximilien Robespierre

Radical leader who led the Reign of Terror, executing thousands of people before being guillotined in 1794.

The Directory (1795–1799)

Government of five men that ruled France after Robespierre’s fall but struggled with food shortages until Napoleon overthrew it in 1799.

Napoleon Bonaparte

A French general who seized power in 1799, crowned himself Emperor in 1804, and built a large European empire before being defeated.

Code Napoleon (Civil Code of 1804)

A set of laws that reformed France but limited women’s rights and restored slavery in French colonies.

The Continental System

Napoleon’s blockade that banned European countries from trading with Britain to weaken its economy.

The Peninsular War (1808–1813)

A costly war where Spanish fighters, supported by Britain, fought Napoleon after he placed his brother on Spain’s throne.

The Russian Campaign (1812)

Napoleon’s failed attack with 700,000 troops, where cold weather, starvation, and battles destroyed much of his army.

Battle of Waterloo (June 18, 1815)

Napoleon’s final defeat by British-led and Prussian forces in 1815, ending his rule and leading to permanent exile.

Congress of Vienna (1814–1815)

Meeting where European leaders redrew Europe’s borders and restored the French monarchy after Napoleon’s defeat.

The Boston Tea Party (1773)

Protest where American colonists dumped British tea into the harbor to oppose taxes they had no say in.

Sir John A. Macdonald

Canada’s first Prime Minister, who helped build the Canadian Pacific Railway to unite Canada, but used unfair policies against Chinese workers, including the Chinese Head Tax.

Chinese Head Tax (Exclusion Act)

A discriminatory fee charged to Chinese immigrants entering Canada after thousands of Chinese laborers were exploited to build the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Residential Schools

Church-run schools funded by the government that forcibly separated Indigenous children from their families and tried to erase their cultures, languages, and identities.

Duncan Campbell Scott

Canadian Indian Affairs official who wanted to assimilate Indigenous peoples into Canadian society and erase their distinct cultures and identities.

Louis Riel

Métis leader who led the Red River Resistance to protect Métis land rights, culture, and way of life.

Red River Resistance

Movement led by Louis Riel and the Métis to protect their land and rights and gain provincial status when Canada took control of Rupert’s Land.

Nationalism

A sense of collective identity and shared pride felt by a group of people based on common language, history, culture, values, or political goals.