FR - section 11 - easy - The French Revolution and Its Legacy

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Questions and Answers

Who did Robespierre turn against in March 1794, leading to their execution?

The Committee of Public Safety

Extreme sans-culottes leaders known as the enragés (correct)

Foreign invaders

Monarchists and aristocrats

What accusations were made against Jacques Danton and others before their execution?

Supporting de-Christianization, advocating for social equality, and regulating prices

Conspiring with foreign powers, advocating for a monarchy, and opposing the revolution

Being insufficiently militant on the war, profiting monetarily from the revolution, and rejecting the link between politics and moral virtue (correct)

Inciting violence, organizing uprisings, and attempting to overthrow the government

What law did Robespierre secure passage of on June 10, 1794, leading to a steady increase in executions?

Law of Equality and Justice, which aimed to ensure fair trials for all citizens

Law of Public Safety, which granted the government broad powers to maintain order

Law of Liberty and Fraternity, which emphasized the importance of freedom and brotherhood

Law of 22 Prairial, which permitted the revolutionary tribunal to convict suspects without hearing substantial evidence against them (correct)

What did Robespierre replace the worship of 'Reason' with in May 1794?

The 'Cult of the Supreme Being' Signup and view all the answers

What was the initial clash that sparked the revolution?

Between the monarchy and the nobility Signup and view all the answers

Who demanded real influence in government during the revolution?

The Third Estate Signup and view all the answers

What happened to the church's property during the revolution?

It was confiscated and brought under state control Signup and view all the answers

What transformation occurred in France's social structure?

Nobles surrendered traditional social privileges Signup and view all the answers

What accompanied many of the revolutionary changes?

Violence Signup and view all the answers

What desire eventually brought the Reign of Terror to an end?

Desire for stability Signup and view all the answers

Who claimed leadership in the name of stability and national glory after the revolution?

Napoleon Bonaparte Signup and view all the answers

What did France become in terms of land ownership?

A nation of peasant landowners Signup and view all the answers

What did the Constitution of the Year III establish?

A legislature of two houses Signup and view all the answers

What marked a decisively reactionary element in the Thermidorian Reaction?

The removal of the sans-culottes from political life Signup and view all the answers

What did the Two-Thirds Law require for the new legislature?

Two-thirds to have served in the Convention Signup and view all the answers

What did the Conspiracy of Equals advocate for?

Radical democracy and equality of property Signup and view all the answers

What did the Directory aim to resist?

Further social changes that might endanger property or political stability Signup and view all the answers

What did the French Revolution bring about a shift from?

A political system based on rank and birth to one based on civic equality and property ownership Signup and view all the answers

What marked the end of the sans-culottes era?

Suppression of food riots and royalist uprisings Signup and view all the answers

What did the Treaties of Basel conclude peace with?

Prussia and Spain Signup and view all the answers

What did the instability of the Directory depend on?

The growing role of the army Signup and view all the answers

What was the central political event of modern European history?

The French Revolution Signup and view all the answers

What did the government do to demonstrate the end of the sans-culottes era?

Suppressed food riots and royalist uprisings Signup and view all the answers

What did the Thermidorian Reaction see in terms of political and social structures?

Permanent changes Signup and view all the answers

What was the main reason for the fall of Robespierre?

He sought dictatorial powers Signup and view all the answers

What was the outcome of the Thermidorian Reaction?

The Reign of Terror was brought to a close Signup and view all the answers

What was the significance of the Ninth of Thermidor?

Robespierre was arrested Signup and view all the answers

What led to the establishment of a new constitutional regime during the Thermidorian Reaction?

Widespread weariness of the Terror and fear of the sans-culottes Signup and view all the answers

What happened to the Paris Commune during the Thermidorian Reaction?

It was outlawed and its leaders were executed Signup and view all the answers

What characterized the 'white terror' that followed the end of the Reign of Terror?

Executions of former terrorists and attacks on Jacobins Signup and view all the answers

What was one of the unanticipated results of the Thermidorian Reaction?

A revival of Catholic worship Signup and view all the answers

How did the Thermidorian Reaction impact women's rights and education?

It reduced women's freedom and reinforced traditional gender roles Signup and view all the answers

What happened to the democratic constitution of 1793 during the Thermidorian Reaction?

It was abandoned and replaced with the Constitution of the Year III Signup and view all the answers

What characterized the end of the Reign of Terror?

The destruction of the machinery of terror and the establishment of a new constitutional regime Signup and view all the answers

What was the main reason for the outlawing of the Paris Jacobin Club?

To diminish the power of radical political movements Signup and view all the answers

What characterized the dress and lifestyle changes during the Thermidorian Reaction?

The disappearance of the dress of the sans-culottes and the Roman Republic among the middle class and the aristocracy Signup and view all the answers

What marked the end of the Reign of Terror?

Robespierre's arrest and execution on 9 Thermidor Signup and view all the answers

What was the major turning point in the French Revolution?

The Thermidorian Reaction Signup and view all the answers

What was the aim of the new constitutional regime established after the Thermidorian Reaction?

To temper the radicalism of the revolution and diminish the power of the sans-culottes Signup and view all the answers

What led to a restructuring of the Committee of Public Safety and the repeal of the Law of 22 Prairial?

The influence of the generally wealthy middle-class and professional people Signup and view all the answers

What did the end of the Reign of Terror not mean?

The end of political turmoil Signup and view all the answers

What did the Republic of Virtue give way to?

A period of frivolous pleasures Signup and view all the answers

What did the Thermidorian Reaction lead to in terms of women's rights and education?

A regression in women's rights and education Signup and view all the answers

What did the new Constitution of the Year III reflect?

The Thermidorian rejection of both constitutional monarchy and democracy Signup and view all the answers

What did the fall of Robespierre and the Thermidorian Reaction lead to?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

What did the Thermidorian Reaction bring about in terms of traditional gender roles?

A revival of Catholic worship and a shift towards traditional gender roles Signup and view all the answers

What did the fall of Robespierre and the Thermidorian Reaction lead to in terms of political prisoners?

A general amnesty for political prisoners Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

The Thermidorian Reaction and the Constitution of the Year III

The Constitution of the Year III established a legislature of two houses, the Council of Elders and the Council of Five Hundred, with property qualifications for voting.
The term "Thermidor" is associated with political reaction, but the post-Thermidorian French Revolution saw permanent changes in political and social structures.
The revolution of the holders of property, particularly the wealth stemming from commerce, professions, and land, triumphed in the Constitution of the Year III.
The removal of the sans-culottes from political life and the repeal of price regulations marked a decisively reactionary element in the Thermidorian Reaction.
The government suppressed food riots and royalist uprisings, such as the one on October 5, 1795, to demonstrate the end of the sans-culottes era.
The Convention concluded peace with Prussia and Spain through the Treaties of Basel in March and June 1795.
The Two-Thirds Law, requiring two-thirds of the new legislature to have served in the Convention, undermined public faith in the new constitutional order.
The spring of 1796 saw social unrest, including the Conspiracy of Equals led by Gracchus Babeuf, advocating for radical democracy and equality of property.
The Directory aimed to resist further social changes that might endanger property or political stability and depended on the power of the army to govern France.
The instability of the Directory, the growing role of the army, and the ambitions of its leaders had profound consequences for France and the Western world.
The French Revolution is considered the central political event of modern European history, with far-reaching implications for political and social structures.
The French Revolution brought about a shift from a political system based on rank and birth to one based on civic equality and property ownership, granting new groups access to political power.

The Fall of Robespierre and the Thermidorian Reaction

Robespierre's arrest and execution on 9 Thermidor marked the end of the Reign of Terror, which claimed over 25,000 victims.
The Thermidorian Reaction was a major turning point in the French Revolution, leading to the reassertion of authority by the Convention over the Committee of Public Safety.
The new constitutional regime established after the Thermidorian Reaction aimed to temper the radicalism of the revolution and diminish the power of the sans-culottes.
The influence of the generally wealthy middle-class and professional people replaced that of the sans-culottes, leading to a restructuring of the Committee of Public Safety and the repeal of the Law of 22 Prairial.
The end of the Reign of Terror did not mean the end of violence in France, as former terrorists were targeted in the "white terror" and Jacobins were executed with little due process.
The Republic of Virtue gave way to a period of frivolous pleasures, marked by the disappearance of the sans-culottes' dress and the revival of Catholic worship.
The Thermidorian Reaction also saw the repeal of legislation that had improved divorce equity for women, leading to a regression in women's rights and education.
The new Constitution of the Year III reflected the Thermidorian rejection of both constitutional monarchy and democracy, establishing the Directory as the new governing body.
The fall of Robespierre and the Thermidorian Reaction led to the outlawing of the Paris Commune, closure of the Paris Jacobin Club, and suppression of Jacobin clubs in the provinces.
The Thermidorian Reaction brought about a revival of Catholic worship and marked a shift towards traditional gender roles, reinforcing separate spheres for men and women.
The fall of Robespierre and the Thermidorian Reaction led to the return of the Girondists to the Convention, a general amnesty for political prisoners, and the removal of some responsible for the Terror from public life.
The Thermidorian Reaction had a significant impact on the French Revolution, leading to a period of transition and the establishment of a new constitutional regime.

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Test your knowledge of the Thermidorian Reaction and the Constitution of the Year III with this quiz. Explore the impact of the French Revolution on political and social structures, the role of property in governance, and the lasting consequences of this pivotal period in history.