Key Terms French Revolution

Old Regime: The social and political system of France in the 1770s, where people were divided into three estates.

Estate: The three large social classes in France under the Old Regime. The First Estate was the clergy, the Second Estate was the nobility, and the Third Estate included everyone else, such as the bourgeoisie, urban workers, and peasants.

Louis XVI: The king of France during the French Revolution, known for his indecisive leadership and extravagant spending.

Marie Antoinette: The queen of France during the French Revolution, infamous for her lavish lifestyle and unpopularity.

Estates-General: An assembly of representatives from all three estates, called by Louis XVI in 1789 to approve new taxes on the nobility. This event marked the beginning of the revolution.

National Assembly: Formed by the Third Estate delegates in 1789 with the goal of making changes in the government and passing laws in the name of the French people. This marked the end of absolute monarchy and the start of representative government.

Tennis Court Oath: A pledge taken by the Third Estate delegates in June 1789, vowing to remain assembled until they had created a new constitution for France.

Great Fear: A wave of panic that swept through France in the summer of 1789, fueled by rumors that nobles were hiring outlaws to attack peasants. This led to peasant uprisings and the destruction of many manor houses.

Bastille: A Paris prison stormed by a mob on July 14, 1789, in search of gunpowder and weapons. The fall of the Bastille became a symbolic act of revolution for the French people.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen: A statement of revolutionary ideals adopted by the National Assembly in August 1789, inspired by the Declaration of Independence. It declared equality for all men and outlined basic rights such as liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.

Legislative Assembly: A new legislative body created by the Constitution of 1791, which had the power to create laws and approve or reject declarations of war.

Émigrés: Nobles and others who fled France during the Revolution, hoping to undo the changes and restore the Old Regime.

Sans-culottes: Parisian workers and small shopkeepers who wanted more radical changes during the Revolution. They were named for wearing regular trousers instead of the knee-length breeches favored by the upper classes.

Jacobins: A radical political organization during the French Revolution. Notable members included Jean-Paul Marat, Georges Danton, and Maximilien Robespierre.

Guillotine: A machine used for executions during the French Revolution, considered a more humane method of execution.

Maximilien Robespierre: A Jacobin leader who rose to power in 1793 and ruled France as a dictator during the Reign of Terror.

Reign of Terror: A period from 1793 to 1794 marked by mass executions of those considered enemies of the Revolution.