Pre Revolution
What was the Ancien Regime, and how was it structured?
The political and social system of pre-revolution France, made up of three estates under the king
Which figure is often associated with the phrase 'let them eat cake' and what was their role in society?
Marie Antoinette - The Queen
What event marked the end of Louis XVI's reign?
His execution by guillotine in 1793.
Who said this?
"It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere"
Voltaire
This radical phase of the French Revolution, led by Robespierre, resulted in thousands of executions to maintain revolutionary stability.
What is the Reign of Terror?
Who was the First Estate made up of?
The Clergy
Who was the leader of the Committee of the Public Safety during the Reign of Terror (Full Name)
Maximillian de Robespierre
What was the Estates-General and why did it fail?
An assembly of representatives from the three estates (clergy, nobility, and commoners). Unfair voting system, each estate with a single vote only.
What revolutionary device became a symbol of the Reign of Terror?
The guillotine.
This intellectual movement inspired the French Revolution by encouraging Europeans to question traditional authority and consider ideas like equality, liberty, and progress.
What is the Enlightenment?
This was the name of the new middle class of merchants and professionals in France
Bourgeoisie
What was Louis XVI main reform focus and why was it not effective?
Taxation system that would be more 'universal', however it was limited and still favoured nobility.
What is the significance of the storming of the Bastille?
It symbolized the end of tyranny and the start of the French Revolution.
List at least 2 of 4 Philosophe who inspired the French Revolution
1. John Locke
2. Jean Rousseau
3. Montesquieu
4. Voltaire
France's massive debt from wars (like the American Revolution) and extravagant royal spending.
What financial crisis helped spark the French Revolution?
(What are some key economic factors that sparked the French Rev?)
Which King was nicknamed 'The Sun King'
Louis XIV
What role did the Jacobins play in the Revolution?
They were a radical political group that pushed for the abolition of the monarchy and led the Reign of Terror.
What did the National Assembly commit to doing at in the Tennis Court Oath?
Keep meeting until they've made a constitution.
What was the role of the Committee of Public Safety?
To protect the French Revolution from internal and external enemies, often through extreme measures.
He rose to power in France following the Coup of 18 Brumaire in 1799, eventually declaring himself Emperor.
Who is Napoleon Bonaparte?
What is a coup d'etat?
The overthrow of the current government
Which revolutionary leader was eventually executed by their own favoured weapon, and what was that weapon?
Maximilien Robespierre. The Guillotine
How did the Revolution change France's relationship with the Catholic Church?
The Church's power was reduced, and its lands were confiscated; France adopted secularism.
Who was Jean-Paul Marat and how did he die?
Prominent radical journalist and revolutionary leader, who was stabbed while taking a bath in his home.
This document, adopted during the French Revolution, proclaimed the rights to liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.
What is the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen?