The French Monarchy and the Road to Revolution

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from a lecture on the French Monarchy and the Road to Revolution.

King's Personality and Abilities

Indecisive and not a strong decision-maker; often relied on the last piece of advice given.

Social Crisis in 1780s France

Social advancement sought by members of the Third Estate, met with resistance from the aristocracy.

War Debt from the American Revolution

France financed the American Revolution without raising domestic taxes, leading to debt when bonds matured.

Agricultural Crisis

Three consecutive years of poor harvests led to food shortages, malnutrition, and rising food prices.

Free Trade Agreement with Britain (1783)

Allowed British goods to enter France duty-free, leading to an economic imbalance as British mass-produced goods flooded the market.

Failed Attempts to Address the Crisis

Efforts to persuade tax-exempt institutions (church and nobility) to contribute to state finances, which met resistance.

Estates-General Structure

The Estates-General was structured into three houses: Clergy, Aristocracy, and Commoners.

Voting Dispute in Estates-General

The Third Estate wanted to vote by head, while the First and Second Estates wanted to vote by estate.

Tennis Court Oath

On June 17, 1789, the Third Estate moved to an indoor tennis court and vowed to draft a constitution for France.

Storming of the Bastille

On July 14, 1789, the crowd stormed the Bastille seeking weapons, symbolizing the revolution.

Sans-culottes

Workers, artisans, and lower-class citizens who attacked the Bastille.

National Guard

Formed by Lafayette to maintain order in Paris after the storming of the Bastille; members wore red, white, and blue ribbons.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

Drafted by the National Assembly, influenced by the American Revolution and Enlightenment ideas, declaring universal rights (primarily for men).

Seizure of Church Lands

The National Assembly seized Church lands to sell them and pay creditors, transforming Church property into currency.

Certificates Issued for Land Sales

Certificates issued by the French government based on the market value of Church land, intended to be redeemed for gold but circulated as currency, leading to inflation.

Compensation for Church Officials

The government paid clergy as public employees due to the seizure of church lands.

French Constitution of 1791

Established a constitutional monarchy with the king as chief executive and a legislative assembly as the lawmaking body.

Seating Arrangements in Legislative Assembly

Those sitting to the right were pro-monarchy (royalists), and those to the left were pro-republic (republicans).

Decision for War (1792)

Both monarchists and republicans agreed on the necessity of war in April 1792; war was declared against Austria.

Jacobins

Took power in Paris and declared France a republic in 1792.

La Marseillaise

A song written for volunteers from Marseille marching to Paris, which became the French national anthem.

Military Conscription

A decree in August 1792 required all unmarried men aged 18–26 to report for military service.

Reign of Terror (1793–1794)

Established a revolutionary court system, resulting in approximately 40,000 executions, mostly by guillotine.

Fall of Maximilien Robespierre (1794)

Arrested and executed in July 1794 after claiming he had a list of traitors.

Reforms and Standardization

France standardized its system of weights and measures and introduced a new calendar based on a decimal system.