Causes of the French Revolution
What was a long-term economic cause of the French Revolution?
Inequality in taxes and heavy burdens on the Third Estate (commoners).
What was the Bastille, and why was it significant?
A prison and symbol of royal power; its storming marked a key revolutionary event.
What was the first phase of the French Revolution, from 1789-1792?
Constitutional Monarchy.
What was the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen?
A document that established equal rights and freedoms for all men (excluding women and slaves).
In what year did Napoleon take power in France?
1799.
What was the name of the meeting called by Louis XVI in 1789 with representatives from the three estates?
Estates-General.
On what date did the people of Paris storm the Bastille?
July 14, 1789.
Which phase abolished the monarchy and introduced universal male suffrage?
Social Republic (1792-1794).
What year was the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen approved?
1789.
What was the Napoleonic Code?
A legal code that guaranteed equality before the law, property rights, and individual freedoms.
What two factors caused a financial crisis in France in the late 18th century?
Debt from wars (like the American Revolution) and poor harvests.
What was the Reign of Terror?
A radical phase where the Committee of Public Safety ordered mass executions of perceived enemies of the Revolution.
Name two characteristics of the Conservative Republic (1794-1799).
Control by a moderate government, focus on economic liberalism, and a new democratic constitution.
Which document established France as a constitutional monarchy with separated powers?
The 1791 Constitution.
What did Napoleon introduce to improve education and create a trained elite?
A new public school system (lycées).
What was the main reason the Third Estate was unhappy with the political system before the Revolution?
Lack of political representation and influence compared to the nobility and clergy.
What event led to King Louis XVI being seen as a traitor to the revolutionaries?
His attempted escape to Varennes in 1791.
Which phase of the French Revolution included the establishment of a parliament by the moderate bourgeoisie?
Constitutional Monarchy.
What was the purpose of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy?
To bring the Church under state control and reduce its power.
Which territory did Napoleon fail to conquer, leading to his decline?
Russia.
What Enlightenment ideas inspired the French Revolution?
Concepts of equality, liberty, and popular sovereignty (power from the people).
What was the Thermidorian Reaction?
The coup that overthrew Robespierre and ended the Reign of Terror.
What phase was dominated by the radical Jacobins and the Committee of Public Safety?
Social Republic.
What did the National Assembly aim to abolish in 1789 with its reforms?
Feudal privileges of the nobility and clergy.
Give two ways Napoleon’s reforms continued the ideals of the Revolution.
Equality before the law and centralized state control over administration.