European History and Russian Revolution Flashcards

Flashcards about European History Themes and The Russian Revolution

What were the three estates in France before the revolution?

The Church/Clergy, The Aristocracy/Nobles, and the Peasants

What were the long-term problems leading to the French Revolution?

Social/hierarchy issues (the three estates), Financial and economic issues (inefficient tax collection, debt, wars, bad harvests), and Political issues (absolute rule, no real parliament)

What Enlightenment thinkers influenced the French Revolution?

Voltaire (critical of Church influence), Montesquieu (argued for an elected parliament), Diderot (critical and questioning), Rousseau (argued for more liberty), and Quensay (argued for greater freedom of trade)

What action by Louis XVI triggered rising tension in France?

His rejection of Necker (finance minister) led to poverty, increased military presence, and anger.

What were the key outcomes of the Storming of the Bastille?

Led to the “Great Fear,” peasant riots, attacks on noble homes

What did the August Decrees aim to do?

Abolish feudalism and noble privileges

What principle was The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen modeled from?

Modeled off the US bill of rights

What was the key outcome of The March of the Women on Versailles?

The Royal power and authority in France is now gone. Ancient regime is no more.

Name some revolutionary groups in France from 1790 to 1795.

Jacobins, Feuillants, Girondins

What was the primary aim of the counter-revolutionary groups?

Restore the Bourbon monarchy to the throne

What event led to the King and Queen being seen as traitors?

The Flight to Varennes (royal family fled from France)

What was the Brunswick Manifesto?

Issued by Prussia and Austria; threatened to destroy Paris if the royal family was harmed. Jacobins took Paris for themselves

What was The Reign of Terror?

Maximilien Robespierre abolished the monarchy and made France a true Republic. The executive power passed to the committee of public safety.

What was the Thermidorian reaction?

The un-doing of the ideas of the radical Jacobins

What was the Babeuf Plot?

A plan organized to overthrow the Directory by Jacobins under Gracchus Babeuf but the plan was discovered, and he was executed.

What was the Coup de vendemiaire?

Attempted coup stopped by Napoleon – part of his popularity

List the Directory Successes

Winning wars in Italy, food price controls, counter-revolutionary control, elections, taxation system

What role did Abbie Sieyes play in Napoleon's rise to power?

Helped Napoleon establish the coup to allow him to come to power in 1799 but resigned when Napoleon established himself an emperor in 1804

What replaced the Directory after Napoleon's coup in 1799?

The Consulate – a smaller 'more efficient' body of government made up of three councils

What were Napoleon's three personal goals as first consul?

Be the ruler of France, End the chaos of revolutionary years, and Provide effective government in France

What was the Civil Code of 1804?

Common set of laws for empire – some of them based off revolution (land, equality, religion)

What was the purpose of Napoleonic propaganda?

Napoleon used this to cement his power, positive to his regime – newspapers, journals, theater

What were the Britain's advantages during the Agricultural Revolution

Agricultural system capable of feeding and growing population, good health of its population, stable banking and currency system, available capital and a willingness to invest, wealthy population anxious to buy goods, enormous supply of coal, overseas empire which can produce other raw materials, successful transportation of goods, stable social and political structure

What was Capitalism?

The system by which private owners and companies increased their wealth by trade and invest for profit

What was the significance of iron and coke with Abraham Darby?

Used coke instead of charcoal (1709), produced better quality iron at lower price, enabled the development of machinery made of iron

What advantages did canals have for development in Britain?

Useful for transporting heavy, bulky goods

What economic policy did the government support?

Laissez-faire policies, a reluctance to regulate or interfere in business/industries, free trade

What machine did Eli Whitney contribute to the revolution?

Cotton Gin - increased supply of raw cotton

What did the lack of government interference in railway building allow?

Entrepreneurship and an increase in private companies

What were push and pull factors during the Urbanization industrial revolution period?

Agriculture needed fewer workers & establishment of factories required workers

What was the significance of the Royal Commission of Edwin Chadwick in 1842?

Was asked to investigate the damage done to the health of people living in urban environments with the creation of the Royal Commission. Published the report of these poor living conditions

What were the conditions in the workplace at this time?

Long hours, noisy and polluted air, low pay

What are examples of ways the aristocracy protected their interests at this time?

e.g. Corn Laws 1815, These laws placed tariffs on grain imported from other countries such as wheat to favour domestic agriculture leading to domestic monopolies on grain

What was the goal of the Factory Act of 1833?

No child under 9 to be employed, restrictions on hours of work of those 9–18, 2 hours education per day for those 9–13, government inspectors appointed

What was the goal of the Mines Act of 1842?

Stopped women and children under 9 working in coal mines

Name the causes of rural protests in the late 18th-century.

population growth – less work available, factories taking the jobs of skilled workers, enclosures – loss of land and grazing rights, heavy penalties for poaching, limited welfare system

What were the Captain Swing Riots caused by?

i. low wages, bad housing and working conditions, ii. lack of welfare support, iii. having to pay taxes to Church of England, iv. introduction of machines, which caused unemployment

What was the focus of the Luddite Riots?

Skilled workers tried to destroy new machines that were taking away their well-paid jobs

What was the goal of the Great Reform Act 1832?

New industrial towns able to send MPs to parliament, many middle-class men gained the right to vote

What were the main goals of the People’s Charter 1838?

i. universal male suffrage, ii. no property qualifications for MPs, iii. annual parliaments, iv. equal representation, v. payment for MPs, vi. secret ballots

What were the trade unions and what did they want?

groups of skilled men in specific trades, aimed to provide insurance benefits and restrict entry to their trades

What was the Six Acts measures in response too?

Repressive measures to deal with the radical reform agitation which culminated in Peterloo

What was Metternich's system?

Metternich designed a system to maintain the rule of absolute monarchies in the Austrian empire and other European states

What was the impact of the Zollverein?

formed by Prussia, customs union of German states, Austria did not join, helped Prussia become dominant economic German state, but other member states retained political independence

What were Bismarck’s intentions for Prussia and Germany from 1862 to 1866?

Debate over whether Bismarck always planned to unify Germany or whether he was simply concerned about Prussian power.

What made up the Treaty of Prague in 1866?

Bismarck took over Hesse-Cassel, Nassau, Hanover, Frankfurt and Schleswig-Holstein

How was Germany's unification achieved?

Germany united (with Austria excluded) under Prussian domination, Bismarck made concessions to encourage southern states to join with Prussia

What were the causes of the 1905 Revolution?

peasants – redemption payments, tax increases, compulsory military service, proletariat – unemployment, overcrowding, fall in real wages, no unions, racial unrest due to policy of Russification, educated middle class – wanted political change, autocratic nature of tsar’s rule, humiliation of defeat in Russo-Japanese War

What happened during the October Manifesto 1905?

concessions by tsar urged by Witte (prime minister), promised free speech, elected assembly (Duma), extension of voting rights

What was the state of the Tsarist regime in Russia?

state officials, Church and army remained loyal to tsar, aristocrats supported the tsar for fear of losing their advantages, 1913 celebrations to mark 300th anniversary of Romanov dynasty – seemed to show support for the tsar

What were the effects the Fist World War had on The Russian Revolution?

Defeat at Tannenberg August 1914, shortage of food and equipment due to inefficient transport system, poor army leadership, high inflammation among citizens

What role was the Tsarina accused of in the downfall of the regime?

Accused of being a German spy and her caretaker Rasputin gained influence

What unrest and inability to restore law and order helped the Bolsheviks gain power?

Opposition from the Soviets, Peasants seized land from aristocrats and Church, Failure to distribute food

Why was Lenin important to the Bolshevik's?

Skilled speaker and writer, Realised the importance of organisation and discipline within a revolutionary party, Realised the importance of industrial working class for revolution, wanted to withdraw Russia from war during WWI

How was the New Economic Policy (NEP) important to The Revolution?

food requisitioning replaced by a tax in kind – peasants allowed to sell their surplus grain, NEP = move back towards a market economy, large-scale industry remained under state control