Causes
Bad harvests and decreased manufacturing in France led to what?
Food shortages
Where did the Women's March go?
Versailles
Who led the ironically-named Committee of Public Safety?
Robespierre
Whose death signaled the end of the Reign of Terror, ushering in the Directory?
Robespierre
Why was Napoleon’s coup d’état significant?
It ended the Revolution.
Define each of the three Estates.
the clergy were in the First Estate, the nobility were in the Second Estate, and everyone else was in the Third Estate, including peasants, the bourgeoisie, and urban craftspeople, shopkeepers, and workers
What document limited the powers of the king and put the Church under the state’s control?
The Constitution of 1791
Revolutionary courts tried counterrevolutionaries and traitors who were executed using a new device which was intended to end a life as painlessly as possible. Name and correctly spell this device.
Guillotine
What document created the committee of five, known as the Directory?
The Constitution of 1795
What is a similarity between the American and French revolutions?
They demonstrated that a monarchy could be overthrown; they were both inspired by Enlightenment ideals
Like the bourgeoisie, the nobility was also unhappy with the First Estate. What did they resent in particular?
France’s rigid social order
How did the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen reflect Enlightenment ideals?
It declared that all men were free and equal before the law, that public officials should be appointed based on talent, and that no one should be exempt from taxation. The declaration also asserted certain inviolable rights, including free speech and free press. The idea that all men were free and equal before the law reflects the notion of natural rights described by John Locke. At the same time, the accountability of all people to the government echoes the sentiments of Rousseau’s social contract theory.
How did the Committee of Public Safety attempt to control inflation?
Price fixing (unsuccessful)
Under the Constitution of 1795, what requirements did a citizen have to meet in order to be able to vote?
Only those who owned or rented property worth a certain amount
What three principles did France famously remain committed to, even after the Terror?
Liberty, equality, and fraternity
Describe the events and issues leading to the formation of the National Assembly.
It was formed when King Louis XVI locked their building so they met at a nearby tennis court, took the Tennis Court oath, and eventually formed the National Assembly.
What were the key functions of the newly elected National Convention?
to draft a new constitution and serve as the governing body of France
Revolutionaries aimed to erase Catholicism from public life. List TWO ways that society was changed in order to remove Catholic influence.
"Saint" was removed from street names; churches were looted and closed; priests were encouraged to marry; Notre Dame was re-designated as a "Temple of Reason"; a new calendar was adopted, restarting the numbering of years to be based on the Revolution instead of the birth of Christ, and eliminating Sundays and church holidays
The Directory was the head of the executive branch of the government created under the Constitution of 1795. The legislative branch was divided into two parts. Name both.
Council of 500 and Council of Elders
What was a major difference between the French and American revolutions discussed in the reading?
The American Constitution was crafted with little violence, unlike the French; tyrannical figures such as Robespierre and Napoleon rose to power in France, with no similar figure in America; the French Revolution is characterized by horrific violence and paranoia, unlike the American Revolution; the French Revolution was also socially and economically revolutionary, unlike the American Revolution, which was nearly only politically revolutionary; the French Republic only lasted 10 years, unlike the American republic, which lasts to this day
The storming of the Bastille specifically symbolized what?
The collapse of the King's authority in Paris
Louis XVI’s execution led to an alliance between several countries against France. Name three.
Austria, Prussia, Spain, Portugal, Britain, and the Dutch Republic
Which outspoken female thinker, playwright, and author of Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen was executed during the Reign of Terror?
Olympe de Gouges
The Directory was plagued by problems from the start. Describe TWO problems it faced.
Corruption; bribery; economic problems, such as inflation; expensive wars against foreign enemies continued; attacked by both conservative and radical politicians from within
The American and French Revolutions inspired revolutions elsewhere in the world. What geographical area was the focus of such revolutions at the end of the reading?
Latin America