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Questions and Answers
What event is considered the start of the French Revolution?
What event is considered the start of the French Revolution?
- The storming of the Bastille (correct)
- The execution of King Louis XVI
- The issuing of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
- The Tennis Court Oath
What was one of the first actions taken by the National Assembly to calm the unrest among the people?
What was one of the first actions taken by the National Assembly to calm the unrest among the people?
- Abolishing the privileges of the nobles and clergy (correct)
- Ignoring the demands of the peasants
- Declaring war on neighboring countries
- Increasing taxes on the Third Estate
From where did the ideas for the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen come?
From where did the ideas for the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen come?
- The philosophes and from the English and American Revolutions (correct)
- Solely from the ideas of the clergy
- Exclusively from the French monarchy
- Directly from ancient Roman law
What type of government did the constitution of 1791 establish in France?
What type of government did the constitution of 1791 establish in France?
What requirement was there to be able to vote under the constitution of 1791?
What requirement was there to be able to vote under the constitution of 1791?
What was the political system in France during the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries?
What was the political system in France during the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries?
What concept did the French rulers believe in regarding their authority?
What concept did the French rulers believe in regarding their authority?
How was French society structured in terms of estates?
How was French society structured in terms of estates?
Which of the following was a privilege enjoyed by the clergy in French society?
Which of the following was a privilege enjoyed by the clergy in French society?
In pre-revolution France, which of these groups was part of the Third Estate?
In pre-revolution France, which of these groups was part of the Third Estate?
Flashcards
French Monarchy
French Monarchy
France's political system in the 17th-18th centuries, ruled by a king.
Divine Right of Kings
Divine Right of Kings
The belief that a ruler's authority comes directly from God.
Three Estates
Three Estates
Clergy, Nobility, and Third Estate (peasants, middle class).
National Assembly's Goal
National Assembly's Goal
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Storming of the Bastille
Storming of the Bastille
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French unrest (1789)
French unrest (1789)
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Declaration of the Rights of Man
Declaration of the Rights of Man
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Constitutional Monarchy (1791)
Constitutional Monarchy (1791)
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French Monarchy Abolished
French Monarchy Abolished
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Study Notes
- In the 17th and 18th centuries, France was a monarchy.
- French rulers believed in the divine right of kings.
- French society was divided into three estates: clergy, nobility, and the Third Estate.
- The clergy had privileges that included owning large areas of land, not paying taxes, and voting "free gifts" to the government.
- The Third Estate consisted of peasants, bankers, merchants, lawyers, and teachers.
- Peasants farmed land owned by the Church or nobility and performed unpaid labor, such as road work.
- The Estate General was called to meet in 1789 to address the financial crisis in France.
- Educated Frenchmen in 1787 were called philosophes.
- Voltaire advocated for free speech, a free press, and equal justice for everyone.
- The French people feared that conditions would not improve due to a bad harvest, expensive food, and the king's dismissal of a popular advisor.
- On July 14, 1789, a mob attacked and captured the Bastille prison in Paris, seizing the weapons stored there.
- The National Assembly abolished the privileges of the nobles and clergy, ended unpaid work by peasants for the nobles, made tax payments more equal, and arranged for nobles to sell land for small farms.
- The Third Estate declared themselves the National Assembly.
- The National Assembly wanted to write a constitution to limit the monarchy and give more power to the people's representatives.
- People were restless because of high hopes for change, a bad harvest, expensive food, and the king dismissing a popular advisor.
- On July 14, 1789, a mob attacked and captured the Bastille prison in Paris due to rumors that the Crown had imprisoned many there.
- The National Assembly took action to calm the people by abolishing privileges of the nobles and clergy, ending unpaid work for peasants, equalizing tax payments, and enabling nobles to sell land.
- On August 27, 1789, the Assembly issued the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, asserting that government authority comes from the people and granting freedom of speech and the right to share in government.
- For two years, the National Assembly worked on writing a constitution, but disagreements arose over the aims of the Revolution.
- The constitution of 1791 created a constitutional monarchy, where the monarchy's power was limited by written law.
- Only those who could afford to pay a tax equal to three days' wages could vote under the constitution of 1791.
- In 1792, the monarchy was abolished due to disagreements over the aims of the Revolution.
- King Louis XVI was executed in 1793.
- The "Reign of Terror" was a period during which the tribunal executed nobles and others suspected of opposing the Revolution.
- The third constitution in 1795 established a government headed by five directors, known as the Directory.
- French rulers during the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries believed in the divine right of kings.
- The political system in France during the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries was a feudal system.
- The clergy in France was exempt from paying taxes.
- Peasants in the Third Estate farmed land owned by the Church or the nobility and did unpaid labor.
- By 1787, French philosophes like Voltaire were primarily focused on advocating for free speech, a free press, and equal justice.
- By 1787, a major financial problem faced by the French government was the Crown's heavy spending on helping the Americans fight for independence.
- On July 14, 1789, the storming of the Bastille occurred in Paris, marking a key turning point in the French Revolution.
- King Louis XVI contributed to France's financial problems by spending money foolishly and irresponsibly.
- The French Crown wanted the nobles and clergy to provide money because they had never paid their share of taxes before.
- The French nobles and clergy refused the Crown's request for money and did not want to change their tax-exempt status.
- A significant consequence of the French government's financial troubles was that the financial crisis worsened, leading to social unrest.
- Merchants, bankers, and professionals in the Third Estate controlled much of France's wealth and trade but had no political power.
- The primary role of the nobility in French society was to collect rents from peasants and own large land holdings.
- The Estates-General met in May 1789.
- The Third Estate declared themselves to be the National Assembly after meeting separately.
- Members of the National Assembly swore to write a constitution for France.
- The king ordered the other two estates to sit with the National Assembly after it refused to break up.
- The constitution written in 1793 was never used.
- Maximilien de Robespierre led the revolutionary tribunal that took control of the government in 1793.
- The "Reign of Terror" was a wave of executions of perceived enemies of the Revolution.
- Many people began to oppose Robespierre because his leadership led to widespread executions and fear.
- The third constitution of 1795 created a government headed by five directors, known as the Directory.
- After it was established, the primary concern of the Directory was maintaining power.
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