French Revolution: From Monarchy to Republic and the Reign of Terror

Forty vocabulary flashcards summarizing key terms, events, people, and principles from the lecture on France’s transition from monarchy to republic and the Reign of Terror.

Abolition of Monarchy (1792)

The Convention’s 21 September 1792 decree that ended hereditary rule in France.

French Republic

A government in which citizens elect representatives, established in France after abolishing the monarchy in 1792.

Constitution of 1791

France’s first written constitution; kept the king but limited political rights to wealthier males.

National Assembly (War Vote)

The elected body that declared war on Prussia and Austria in April 1792.

War against Prussia and Austria

Conflict begun in 1792 to defend the Revolution from monarchies seeking to restore Louis XVI.

Volunteer Armies

Thousands of provincial citizens who joined the revolutionary army, viewing the war as a people’s struggle.

Marseillaise

Patriotic song by Rouget de L’Isle; sung by volunteers from Marseilles and later adopted as France’s national anthem.

Revolutionary Wars

Military conflicts (1792-1802) that strained France’s economy and society while spreading revolutionary ideals.

Political Clubs

Public forums where citizens debated policy; key engines of revolutionary activism after 1789.

Jacobin Club

Radical political club of small shopkeepers, artisans, and workers led by Robespierre.

Convent of Saint Jacob

Former Dominican convent in Paris where the Jacobin club first met, giving the group its name.

Maximilien Robespierre

Leader of the Jacobins and head of the Committee of Public Safety during the Reign of Terror.

Sans-culottes

Literally “without knee-breeches”; working-class Jacobins who wore long trousers to symbolize rejection of aristocratic fashion.

Red Cap of Liberty

Phrygian bonnet worn by sans-culottes men, representing freedom from tyranny.

Insurrection of 10 August 1792

Paris uprising that stormed the Tuileries Palace, overthrew the king’s guards, and led to royal imprisonment.

Palace of the Tuileries

Royal residence in Paris attacked by revolutionaries on 10 August 1792.

Universal Male Suffrage (1792)

Right granted to all French men aged 21+ to vote regardless of wealth after the fall of the monarchy.

The Convention

Elected assembly (1792-1795) that declared the Republic, tried the king, and governed during the Reign of Terror.

Execution of Louis XVI

Public guillotining of the king for treason on 21 January 1793 at the Place de la Concorde.

Execution of Marie Antoinette

Guillotining of the former queen in October 1793 following her husband’s execution.

Reign of Terror

Period (1793-1794) when Robespierre’s government used mass executions and strict controls to defend the Revolution.

Revolutionary Tribunal

Special court that tried suspected enemies of the Republic during the Reign of Terror.

Guillotine

Beheading device of two upright posts and a falling blade, symbol of revolutionary justice; named for Dr Guillotin.

Law of the Maximum

Robespierre-era legislation capping wages and prices to curb inflation and ensure food supply.

Rationing of Bread and Meat

Government-imposed limits on essential foods to meet wartime shortages during the Terror.

Pain d’égalité

“Equality bread” made of whole-wheat flour, compulsory for all citizens under Robespierre.

Citoyen/Citoyenne

Revolutionary forms of address replacing ‘Monsieur’ and ‘Madame’ to emphasize civic equality.

De-Christianization

Policy of closing churches and converting them to secular uses during the Reign of Terror.

Fall of Robespierre (July 1794)

Arrest and execution of Robespierre, ending the Reign of Terror and leading to a new constitution.

Directory

Five-member executive (1795-1799) established to prevent concentration of power after the Jacobins.

Two Legislative Councils

Elected lower and upper houses created by the 1795 Constitution to check executive power.

Property-based Suffrage (1795)

Voting right limited to male citizens who met property requirements under the Directory.

Political Instability of the Directory

Frequent clashes between Directors and councils that weakened the government and fueled coups.

Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte

Emergence of a military leader who capitalized on Directory instability to seize power in 1799.

Ideals of Liberty

Core revolutionary belief in individual freedoms from arbitrary rule.

Ideals of Equality before the Law

Principle that all citizens should face identical legal standards, replacing privileges of birth.

Ideals of Fraternity

Revolutionary call for solidarity and mutual support among citizens.

Women’s Clubs

Organizations where revolutionary women met, debated, and campaigned for rights and political participation.

Allegory of Liberty (Nanine Vallain)

1790s painting of a female figure embodying freedom, using revolutionary symbols like the red cap and broken chain.

Festival of the Revolution

State-sponsored public ceremonies employing classical symbols to inspire loyalty to the Republic.