Ancien Régime’s
(The Old Regime)
(The Old Regime)
Name the representatives of each estate in the Old Regime.
1- Clergy
2- Nobility
3- Commoners
How does voting work in the Estates General? What is the problem with this?
What is the name of the first and second governments and legislative bodies of France?
The National Assembly and Legislative Assembly
What was the primary method of execution in France at the time and why was it used?
Guillotine- because it was quick. painless, and an equal way to die.
What is Napoleon's childhood like? How does he gain popularity in France?
Not very wealthy but noble. Rises quickly in the ranks of the military with many successful campaigns.
Name at least two factors that contributed to French National debt before the revolution.
War debt (7 years war and American Revolution)
Lavish spending of the King and his court
What is the Estates General and why does King Louis XVI call for a meeting in 1789?
The closest thing France had to a government at the time. A purely advisory board to give advice to the King on a serious issue plaguing France. This time the debt crisis.
What was the of the Declaration of the Rights of Man & Citizen? Who wrote the Declaration?
Third Estates constitution, written by Marquis De Lafayette
Name the third and fourth governments of the French Revolution period.
Convention and Directory
How did Napoleon become Emperor? How did the French population feel about this change and why?
He crowns himself emperor. People do not love this because they just spent 10 years fighting off the last absolute monarchy.
What are the general public's opinions of both Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI?
She was a spendthrift in a time of economic crisis so they nicknamed her Madame Deficit.
He was thought of as very weak and indecisive.
Who are the emigres? Why are they fleeing the country?
Members of the 1st and 2nd estates who support the monarchy. They fear for their lives after seeing the beginning of the revolution.
What are the democratic features of the second government of France?
- France became a limited monarchy (the King became merely the head of state)
- All laws were created by the Legislative Assembly
Who is Robespierre, what group does he lead and what effect does it have on the Revolution?
French lawyer and politician, he leads the Jacobins (radical group) takes power during the Convention and leads the reign of terror (30,000 people are guillotined for being anti-revolutionaries)
Name four causes of the French Revolution.
Options include:
Tax inequality, lack of government rep, abuses of the King, Enlightenment ideals, American Rev, famine/poor harvests, French bankruptcy...
What happens that causes the Third Estate to take the Tennis Court Oath? What do they agree to under the oath?
King Louis XVI locks the third estate out of the estates general so they find a new open building, a tennis court, to meet. They agree to continue meeting and not to break apart until they have a constitution passed by Louis that breaks up some of his power.
What are the undemocratic features of the second government of France?
- Voting was limited to taxpayers
- Government offices were reserved for property owners
What is the Committee of Public Safety and what is its relationship to the Revolution period?
The secret police for the Reign of terror. Helped carry out the reign of terror. Worked for Robespierre and eventually brought about his downfall and death.
Name at least three ways Napoleon changed society as First Counsel.
Priority on education
Napoleonic Code
Ending serfdom
Meritocracy
Who was Jacques Necker? What was his solution for solving the debt crisis and why did King Louis XVI not agree?
King Louis XVI's head of French finances. His solution was a property tax. This would tax the clergy and nobility as well and Louis did not want to upset the wealthier classes.
What is the Bastille's significance to the revolution? Why was it a target for the Third Estate? Your answer must include both a practical and symbolical answer.
Practical- looking for gunpowder for their weapons
Symbolic- The Bastille is a symbol of the King's tyrannical powers. He can jail anyone in the Bastille for any reason. Tearing down the Bastille is a symbol that the King won't be in power for long.
Name at least four ways the National Assembly reformed France.
All men can vote, limited power of the monarchy, a legislative assembly to make laws, freedom of religion, no special powers for nobility, an end to feudalism, and taxes according to who could pay.
What are at least three problems that bring about the end of the Directory?
- The government is very corrupt
- Poor and working classes often overlooked (lost the right to vote)
- Political uprisings (Jacobin and Royalist groups)
- France is still in a debt crisis
- War with various countries
What was the Continental system? Include the original goal and how it backfired on Napoleon.
Economic policy that prohibited all trade, even by neutral countries, with Britain. This hurt all of Europe's economy and countries allied against France.