Ancien Regime
what kind of rulers were during the ancien regime?
absolutist/divine rulers
how was england unique with respect to leadership?
parliamentary monarchy
who financed Christopher Columbus' voyage?
King Ferdinanad and Queen Isabella I
what is the significance of: liberte, igalite, fraternite?
Ideas of liberty, democracy, and independence spread from America to France, influencing French intellectuals and revolutionaries
how were the french involved in the american revolution? why?
supported the americans with weapons and military aid; fought against british in french and indian war beforehand and also were inspired by their enlightenment ideas and democratic success
what is divine right and what is an example of a leader who was a divine ruler?
god gives power, louis xiV
what was the enlightenment?
time of social and change of thought away from divine right and toward ideas like humanism, freedom, individual ideas, etc.
what is a viceroy?
The viceroys held civil, military, judicial and fiscal power over their viceroyalty or appointed kingdom
what were the two revolutionary groups of the french first republic?
girondins and jacobins
how many colonies were there originally?
13
what was the bourgeoise?
new middle class that eventually led to the fall of absolutism
who were montesquieu, voltaire, and rousseau? what were their ideas?
Montesquieu: separation of powers based on the English parliamentary monarchy
Voltaire:more equal tax system in which everyone contributed, not just the ordinary people.
Rousseau: popular sovereignty and developed the idea of the social contract.
what countries included the viceroyalty of new spain?
USA, Mexico, Cuba, DR,
what differentiated the jacobins and girondins and who were the important figures of each?
Jacobins:
Radical faction.
Led by figures like Maximilien Robespierre.
Girondins
Initially supported the revolution but opposed radical measures such as the execution of the king and the Reign of Terror.
Included prominent figures like Jacques Pierre Brissot.
what did taxes, have to do with the war? what was the saying from revolutionaries to the king around taxes?
no taxation without representation; if they were not represented in government they would not pay taxes to that government
was life expectancy low or high during this period?
low, life expectancy was low (high death rates and low birth rates)
what was economic liberalism and who was the economist responsible for it?
Economic liberalism is a belief in minimal government interference in the economy; Adam Smith
how was society organized in the colonies?
casta system: spanish and creoles, then mestizos, then native peoples, lastly slaves
who are some of the important figures during this time? (3)
Maximilien Robespierre: Radical Jacobin leader during the Reign of Terror.
King Louis XVI: Monarch executed during the revolution.
Marie Antoinette: Queen of France, also executed during the revolution.
how did colonists pushback against the british?
Boycott British goods and products to prevent more revenue from reaching British hands
Tar and Feather tax collectors (violent way to punish British tax officials)
Boston Tea Party (An event that destroyed many Boxes of British Tea)
Sons of Liberty Organization created by Samuel Adams (Expressed Anger against British rule and acts passed)
Creation of Continental Congress
describe each of the 3 estates and their privileges
Nobility
Smallest group, hereditarily placed. Monarchs, aristocracy (titles and owned land), lesser nobility (no titles and frequent poverty)
Nobility didn’t have to pay taxes, taxes paid by Third Estate creating huge poverty gap
Clergy
Ordinary people, peasants (Third Estate)
Third Estate had no privileges, and made up a majority of the population.
What did enlightened despots support?
staying in monarchy/leadership roles but also supported new enlightenment ideas (mostly to keep themselves at the top of the social order)
what is cultural assimilation and how was this used in the colonies/viceroyalties?
Acculturation examples included converting to Christianity and adopting Spanish culture, customs and traditions
Key features of the french first republic?
Republicanism:
Executive Power:
Centralization:
Secularization:
Turbulence and Instability:
why did america win the war AND what documents were super important to the creation of the country/ inspiration for france's first republic?
more military support, britain was weak from the last war, also did not have the nationalistic drive to win.
Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights