Causes & Complaints
What was one major problem ordinary French people faced before the revolution?
High taxes and expensive food made life difficult for many people.
What was the name of the social class system in France before the revolution?
The Three Estates.
Who was the king of France when the revolution began?
Louis XVI
What is a constitution?
A set of basic rules that explains how a government works and limits or organizes its power.
What was the name of the period when thousands of people were executed as enemies of the revolution?
The Reign of Terror
What financial problem was France’s government facing before the revolution?
France had a large national debt largely due to expenses from the French & Indian War and lavish royal spending.
Which Estate included most of France’s population, including peasants and the middle class? What percentage of people were in this estate?
The Third Estate. 98%.
What was the name of the representative body formed by members of the Third Estate who claimed to represent the French people?
The National Assembly
What document announced important rights and equality under the law during the French Revolution?
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
Which revolutionary leader became strongly associated with the Reign of Terror?
Maximilien Robespierre
How did France’s tax system make the Third Estate angry?
The Third Estate carried much of the tax burden while many clergy and nobles had special privileges.
Compare the First Estate and Second Estate. Who belonged to each group?
The First Estate was the clergy, and the Second Estate was the nobility.
What famous prison and fortress did angry Parisians storm on July 14, 1789?
The Bastille
What is the difference between a constitutional monarchy and a republic?
A constitutional monarchy keeps a monarch whose power is limited by a constitution. A republic does not have a monarch as its head of state.
What happened to King Louis XVI in 1793, and what did it show about the revolution?
He was executed. This showed how far the revolution had moved from the old monarchy.
Explain how food shortages and an unfair tax system could work together to cause a revolution.
People struggled to afford food while still paying taxes, increasing anger toward a system they believed was unfair.
Why was it unfair that the Third Estate made up most of the population but had fewer privileges?
Most people had fewer advantages and carried much of the tax burden, while clergy and nobles enjoyed special privileges.
What was the Tennis Court Oath, and what did its members promise to do?
Members of the National Assembly promised not to separate until France had a constitution.
In 1792, France became a republic. What major change did this represent?
France ended the monarchy and established a government without a king.
What happened to Robespierre in 1794, and why was it significant?
Robespierre was arrested and executed. His fall helped bring the Reign of Terror to an end and showed that revolutionary leaders could also become targets.
Imagine you are a member of the Third Estate. Explain why you might believe the French government needed major changes, using at least two problems from pre-revolutionary France.
Answers should explain at least two problems, such as high taxes, expensive bread, unequal privileges, government debt, or the king’s concentration of power.
How could the differences between the Three Estates turn an economic problem into a political revolution?
Economic hardship made people angry, and unequal rights and political influence led them to challenge who held power and how France was governed.
Put these events in chronological order: the Tennis Court Oath, the Storming of the Bastille, and the formation of the National Assembly. Explain how they show the revolution growing.
Formation of the National Assembly → Tennis Court Oath → Storming of the Bastille. The Third Estate first challenged the old political system, then demanded a constitution, while the storming of the Bastille showed popular anger turning into direct action.
The revolution promoted liberty and equality, but not everyone enjoyed equal rights in practice. Explain this contradiction with one example.
Although revolutionary leaders promoted equality, women did not receive equal political rights, and slavery continued in French colonies for part of the revolutionary period.
In 1799, Napoleon took power in a coup d’état. Explain what a coup d’état is and give one way Napoleon changed France after taking power.
A coup d’état is a sudden overthrow of government power. Napoleon reorganized French laws through the Napoleonic Code, restricted freedom of expression through censorship, and eventually crowned himself emperor in 1804.