Chapter 19 - The Revolution in Politics

Estates

the three legal categories, or orders, of France’s inhabitants; the clergy, the nobility, and everyone else

“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”

slogan of the French Revolution

Estates General

a legislative body in pre-revolutionary France made of up representatives of each of the three classes, or estates; it was called into session in 1789 for the first time since 1614

Underrepresented

The third estate was heavily _____ with 97% of the population and only 33% of the vote:

financial crisis from wars, Enlightenment thought, and the absence of equality

Causes for the French Revolution:

Seven Years’ War

English and French conflict in North America from 1756-1763; decisive victory for England

American Revolution

an ideological and political revolution based on the principles of the American Enlightenment that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1783; France allied with America, economically supporting them with funds

Bankruptcy

Primarily, the Seven Years’ War and the American Revolution led to France’s _____ issues:

U.S. Constitution

the establishment of the new government of America, rich with French Enlightenment ideas

Jacques Necker

a popular finance minister who aimed to benefit with people with a general tax on all estates; he convinced Louis XVI to call the Estates General

Louis XVI

the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution; disliked by the people and unfit to rule through his indecisiveness

50% interest, 25% military, 6% Versailles

France’s finances:

National Bank

France had no _____ to manage their financial crisis:

fix France’s financial crisis

The Estates General is called in 1789 to:

National Assembly

the first French revolutionary legislature, made up primarily of representatives of the 3rd Estate and a few from the nobility and clergy, in session from 1789 to 1791

Tennis Court Oath

dramatic act of defiance by representatives of the non privileged classes of France after being denied representation in the Estates General

Storming of the Bastille

hundreds of people in Paris raided the Bastille, a symbol of feudal oppression, for gunpowder and supplies to oppose Louis XVI’s approaching troops

Great Fear

the fear of noble reprisals against peasant uprisings that seized the French countryside and led to further revolt

Declaration of the Rights of Man

a statement of culmination of Enlightenment ideals; equality before the law, representative government for the sovereign people, and individual freedom

Womens’ Bread March

an armed march of women angry about tripling bread prices and the monarchy’s luxurious spending habits

King Louis XVI and family was brought back to Paris, in hopes that he would finally try to do something to satisfy the people

What resulted from the Womens’ Bread March:

Constitutional Monarchy

The National Assembly abolished the nobility and forced the king to a sign a constitution to share power in the form of a:

Declaration of the Rights of Women

written by Olympe de Gouges in response to the absence of women’s rights in the revolution

Religious Freedom ; Catholic Church

The National Assembly allowed _____ and nationalized the _____ :

Saint Domingue (Haiti)

France’s very profitable colony, _____ , was left of the revolutionary changes in equality:

Edmund Burke

regarded as the Father of Modern Conservatism

“Reflections on the Revolution in France”

written in 1790 by Edmund Burke, defended privileges of the monarchy and aristocracy, and advocated for slow, gradual, conservative change

“Vindication of the Rights of Man”

rebuttal written in 1790 by Mary Wollstonecraft in response to Edmund Burke, defending the revolution

“Vindication of the Rights of Woman”

written by Mary Wollstonecraft in 1792, demanding equal rights for women and equal education for women

Abandon France

Louis XVI and Marie attempt to _____ in 1791, later being captured:

Declaration of Pillnitz

Austrian and Prussian ultimatum stating their willingness to wage war against revolutionary France to maintain the position of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

The Brunswick Manifesto

The French 3rd Estate respond to the Declaration of Pillnitz with _____ , declaring war on both countries:

Jacobin Club

a political club in revolutionary France whose members were well-educated radical republicans

Montagnards (The Mountain)

led by Robespierre and Danton, the National Convention’s radical faction, which seized power in 1793; wanted to kill the king

Girondist

a moderate/conservative group that fought for control of the French National Convention in 1793; did not wish to kill the king

National Convention

a single-chamber assembly in France from 1792 1795, during the French Revolution; succeeded the legislative assembly and founded the First Republic after the insurrection of 1792

Second Revolution

from 1792 to 1795, the second phase of the French Revolution, during which the fall of the French monarchy introduced a rapid radicalization of politics

Sans-Culottes

the laboring poor of Paris, so called because the men wore trousers instead of the knee breeches of the aristocracy and middle class; the word came to refer to the militant radicals of the city

1793

King Louis XVI was executed in:

Reign of Terror

the period from 1793 to 1794 during which Robespierre’s Committee of Public Safety tried and executed thousands suspected of treason and a new revolutionary culture was imposed.

Maximilien Robespierre

influential leader of the radical revolutionary movement, leader of the Jacobins and architect of the Reign of Terror

Committee of Public Safety

created by the National Convention in 1793 with the intent to defend the nation against foreign and domestic enemies, as well as to oversee the new functions of the executive government

Dechristianization

a revolutionary campaign aiming to take religious influence out of people’s lives and replace it with republican and Enlightenment values; revolutionary calendar

Thermidorian Reaction

a conservative reaction to the violence of the Reign of Terror in 1794, resulting in the execution of Robespierre and the loosening of economic controls

The Church of the Supreme Being

a form of deism established in France by Maximilien Robespierre during the French Revolution; intended to become the state religion of the new French Republic and a replacement for Roman Catholicism

Haitian Slave Revolts

occurred in 1791, where Spain and Great Britain allied with revolting slaves in France’s profitable sugar colony, prompting France to free all Haitian slaves to maintain control

Toussaint L’Ouverture

freed Haitian slave who was a prominent leader in the cause for African Freedom in the region, becoming a Spanish officer and later a leader of Haiti

Directory

five-man executive government established after the wake of the Reign of Terror through 1795 to 1799

Coup D’Etat

Napoleon ended the Directory in 1799 and took control militarily

Napoleonic Code

French civil code promulgated in 1804 that reasserted the 1789 principles of the equality of all male citizens before the law ad the absolute security of wealth and private property, as well as restricting rights accorded to women by previous revolutionary laws

“Confidence from below, authority from above”

Napoleon Quote:

Napoleon Bonaparte

French emperor and military commander who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars

Plebiscite

the direct vote of all the members of an electorate on an important public question such as a change in leadership; held after Napoleon had already gained power

religious toleration, codified law, creation of secondary schools, eliminated estates, created a merit-based military

Napoleon can be regarded as an Enlightened Leader through his following actions:

repressed free speech/press, crowned himself emperor, took control militarily, denied women’s rights,

Napoleon can be regarded as a Military Dictator through his following actions:

Meritocracy

government or the holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability, not their birth nobility

Concordat of 1801

agreement between the Pope and Napoleon which allowed Catholic practice in France and gave Napoleon control over the Catholic Church

Emigres

the French nobility which left France in the chaos of the Revolution, later granted amnesty and forced to take a loyalty oath to Napoleon

Battle of Trafalgar

held in 1805 where Great Britain destroyed Napoleon’s Mediterranean Fleet, showcasing Britain as a clear European power over France in the midst of Napoleon’s land victories

Battle of Austerlitz

held in 1805 where Napoleon defeated Austria and Russia’s combined forces

Austria, Prussia, and Russia

Early in his campaign, Napoleon consistently won battle after battle against:

German Confederation of the Rhine

a reorganized collection of German states created by Napoleon, who called himself the protector of the confederation; started the deep German-French hatred

Haitian War of Independence

the first successful slave revolt in history, taking place in 1804 with Toussaint L’Ouverture as leadership in the new country; major loss for Napoleon

Grand Empire

the empire over which Napoleon and his allies ruled, encompassing virtually all of Europe except Great Britain and Russia

Continental System

a blockade imposed by Napoleon to halt all trade between continental Europe and Britain, thereby weakening the British economy and military

Intimidation

Napoleon’s Continental System was not very realistic, as it was enforced through sheer _____ rather than military force:

Peninsular War

the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and Britain against the invading French forces

“3rd of May”

propaganda painting by Francisco Goya portraying French slaughter of innocent Spaniards during the Peninsular War

Battle of Leipzig (Battle of the Nations)

coalition of Austria, Sweden, Prussia, and Russia who finally won against Napoleon in 1813, resulting in his abdication and exile to Elba

Invasion of Russia

Napoleon’s march toward Moscow in 1812 to enforce his continental system; Moscow was burned by the Russians to repel French forces, and Napoleon’s march back to France in the brutal winter showcased one of his major defeats

Scorched Earth Policy

Russia’s strategy to fend off invading French troops by burning cities and the land to slow the pace of the French

Hundred Days

marked the period between Napoleon's return from 11 months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris in 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII in 1815

Battle of Waterloo

the coalition’s (Britain, Netherlands, Prussia, German States) final defeat of Napoleon, leading to his exile to St. Helena

Congress of Vienna

a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of Napoleon, restoring the balance of power

Clemens Von Metternich

a conservative Austrian statesman and diplomat who was at the center of the Congress of Vienna

Restoration of, Reparations from France, and Really big states

Outcomes of the Congress of Vienna: