The French Revolution
The two main reasons the peasants of the Vendée revolted against the French revolutionary government.
What were the government's attacks on the Catholic Church and its conscription law?
This island was Napoleon's birthplace.
What is Corsica?
This emperor dissolved the Holy Roman Empire on August 6, 1806, to prevent Napoleon from taking the title of Holy Roman Emperor.
Who was Emperor Franz II?
This term means supreme power exercised over a nation or political group.
What is sovereignty?
This composer is considered the founder of the Romantic movement in music.
Who was Ludwig van Beethoven?
This woman, a Girondin, assassinated Marat.
Who was Charlotte Corday?
This agreement, signed by Napoleon and Pope Pius VII in 1801, ended the schism between the French Church and Rome.
What was the Concordat?
This Russian ruler was considered an enlightened monarch because he encouraged education, trade, manufacturing, and reforms for the serfs.
Who was Tsar Aleksandr I?
This alliance of Great Britain, Russia, Austria, and Prussia was established by the Congress of Vienna to enforce the Treaty of Paris and suppress Liberal revolutions.
What was the Quadruple Alliance?
This term describes the right of all male citizens to vote.
What is universal manhood suffrage?
This was the radical member of the Committee of Public Safety who wanted to establish a republic and was a close associate of Robespierre.
Who was Antoine de Saint-Just?
During Napoleon's coronation on December 2, 1804, Pope Pius VII was supposed to consecrate and crown Napoleon. The pope performed one task, but Napoleon did this before the pope could complete the other.
What was taking the crown and placing it on his own head?
This was the name of Napoleon's system, established by the Berlin Decrees, which attempted to close European ports to British merchant ships.
What was the Continental System?
This was the name of the loose alliance of 38 German states that replaced the Holy Roman Empire and the Confederation of the Rhine. Austria was its most powerful member.
What was the German Confederation?
This country became an independent kingdom after its war of independence in the 19th century.
What is Greece?
Explain why the Vendeans fought against the revolutionary government. What were their two main causes, and which was more important to them? Give evidence to support your answer.
The Vendeans fought because of the government's attacks on the Catholic Church and its conscription law. Although they supported the restoration of the king, their religion was more important. Evidence includes their religious symbols and hymns, as well as their willingness to lay down their arms when their religious demands and immunity from conscription were granted, even though the king had not been restored.
Explain two ways Napoleon treated the Catholic Church. How did his treatment differ from that of the French Directory, and why did he behave differently?
Napoleon signed the Concordat with Pope Pius VII, reestablishing papal authority over the French Church, and permitted the restoration of several female religious associations. He also placed government schools under Catholic clergy. Unlike the Directory, which sought to destroy the Church as an institution and overthrow the pope's temporal power, Napoleon tried to reconcile Catholics with his government.
Describe Napoleon's two major goals for his new Roman Empire. What role did he believe the Catholic Church should play? Why did Pope Pius VII reject this idea?
Napoleon wanted to preserve and spread the political and social reforms of the French Revolution throughout Europe and restore European unity under a renewed Roman Empire. He believed the Church should teach respect and obedience toward the emperor. Pope Pius VII rejected this because the Church's purpose was to lead souls to heaven, not to serve an earthly ruler or political goals.
Define nationalism. Explain how Napoleon helped strengthen nationalism throughout Europe. Were all nationalists also Liberals? Explain your answer.
Nationalism is devotion to a people or nation based on shared language, history, and customs. Napoleon strengthened nationalism by attempting to unite Europe under French control. His desire to make France the center of Europe caused other peoples to resent his rule and develop stronger feelings of national identity. Not all nationalists were Liberals. Some fought simply for love of their country, while many nationalists in Italy and Eastern Europe also supported constitutional government and democracy.
Explain the three guiding principles of Tsar Nikolai I's reign: Autocracy, Orthodoxy, and Nationality. Give an example of how he tried to preserve each principle.
Autocracy: The absolute power of the tsar. Nikolai rejected Liberal government ideas such as constitutional monarchy, republicanism, and democracy.
Orthodoxy: The Russian Orthodox Church. He punished those who tried to convert Orthodox Christians to other religions and rewarded conversions to Orthodoxy.
Nationality: Russian culture. He tried to preserve it by restricting travel outside Russia, censoring books and periodicals, and organizing a secret police force.
Compare Danton's understanding of the Committee of Public Safety and the Reign of Terror with Robespierre's understanding. Why did Robespierre use the Terror as he did?
Danton believed the Committee and Terror should be used against those who directly opposed or threatened the Revolution. Robespierre wanted to eliminate anyone who opposed his vision of a perfect republic based on liberty, equality, fraternity, and perfect virtue. He used the Committee and Terror to force France to conform to his ideals.
Why did Napoleon choose the title of emperor rather than king? What did the title represent to him, and why did he want Pope Pius VII to crown him?
Napoleon believed the title of king was associated with the ancient regime and the enemies of the Revolution. The title of emperor reminded him of the ancient Roman Empire and its political glory. He envisioned himself as a new Charlemagne, restoring the greatness of the Roman Empire. He wanted the pope to crown him because it would make his title appear more legitimate and because Charlemagne had been crowned emperor by the pope.
Explain why Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812. What agreement had Russia violated, and what was Napoleon trying to accomplish through his invasion?
Napoleon invaded Russia because Tsar Aleksandr I had violated the Berlin Decrees, which he had previously agreed to uphold. These decrees established the Continental System, which sought to prevent European nations from trading with Britain. Napoleon invaded Russia to punish what he considered Aleksandr's betrayal.
Explain the purpose of the Holy Alliance. Who created it, and why did Liberals oppose it? Include an explanation of how it related to Metternich's efforts to preserve the old order in Europe.
The Holy Alliance was created by Tsar Aleksandr I to ensure that the Quadruple Alliance operated according to Christian principles and ideals. It gave a religious character to Metternich's efforts to preserve the ancient regime and suppress Liberal and other social movements. Liberals opposed it because they believed religion was being dishonestly used to justify oppression and undermine freedom.
Explain Romanticism as both an artistic movement and a way of looking at the world. What positive influence did it have on Europe, and what was one of its negative effects?
Romanticism began as a literary movement and spread into painting and music. It also influenced politics, religion, and people's understanding of the world. It was a reaction against 18th-century rationalism. Its positive influence was that it opened people's minds and hearts to religion and moved them away from a narrow, rationalistic view of life. Its negative influence was that it sometimes made feelings and emotions the sole guides of right and wrong, undermining belief in absolute truth.