Download World History Exam Review Lessons 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3 By Rosie

French Revolution
World History Exam Review
Lessons 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3
By Rosie, Kristen, Heaven, and Zoe
Pre-Revolution France Questions
Describe the Old Regime.
What was the estates system?
What are all the events and factors that led to the French
Revolution?
The Estates System
The Old Regime was a class system comprised of three
estates. The First and Second Estate were able to hold high
offices and be exempt from paying taxes.
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The First Estate was made up the church which owned 10%
of the land.
The Second Estate was made up of rich nobles who owned
20% of the land.
The Third Estate contained 97% of the entire French
population and was made of peasants, urban workers and
the bourgeoisie middle class.
Pre-Revolution France
This wildly unfair system of governance by the wealthy was the
primary cause for revolution, but other events were important, too.
The stagnated political system and slow-moving Louis XVI made
it difficult to reform the system; the huge debt of the French
government left over from Louis XV''s reign and continued
spending by the King and Queen; and the drought and resulting
food shortages which drove the price of bread too high for the
average person to buy it, to name a few.
The Enlightenment, a wave of new thinking, influenced the
everyday person with then-radical ideas of natural rights and good
government.
Revolution Questions
What happened at the National Assembly of 1789, and what
reforms did the National Assembly introduce?
What was the Tennis Court Oath?
What was the Legislative Assembly, and what three groups
made it up?
What did it mean to be an:
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Émigré
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Sans-culotte
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Jacobin
Revolution
In 1789, a meeting of the Estates General was called by Louis XVI to try
and get rid of French debt. On June 17, 1789, the Estates General system
became the National Assembly, ending absolute monarchy in France.
This change came about following the unfair voting system in the Estates
General, which gave each estate one vote (allowing the rich church and
nobility to constantly outvote the majority). This weighted system pushed
the Third Estate to make the Tennis Court Oath.
The Tennis Court Oath was a pledge, made by delegates locked out of the
National Assembly meeting room, to not leave until a new constitution
was written. This act of defiance caused the storming of the Bastille, the
Great Fear, and complete revolution and takeover by the French people.
Reform
Following the takeover of the national Assembly, many reforms were
introduced. Many of these reforms focused on the church, taking over the
church lands and declaring that priests and other church officials had to
be elected and paid as state officials. The money from the sale of church
lands helped to pay off France's debt.
Established by the Constitution of 1791, the Legislative Assembly was a
French congress with the power to create laws and approve
declarations of war. It was split into three groups:
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Radicals: Opposed the idea of a monarchy and wanted changes in the
government.
Moderates: Wanted some changes in the government.
Conservatives: Wanted a limited monarchy and few changes in the
government.
Terminology
Émigrés (emigrants) were nobles and others that fled
France and hoped to undo the Revolution and restore the
Old Regime.
Sans-culottes (the name means 'without culottes', a type of
pants worn by the wealthy) were a radical group made of
Parisian merchants and shopkeepers who wanted a greater
voice in the government, lower prices, and an end to food
shortages.
The Jacobin was a radical political organization headed by
Maximilien Robespierre. The members were called
Jacobins.
Ending the Revolution Questions
Describe the Great Fear. Why did it occur?
What took place during Robespierre's reign?
What event marks the end of this period?
Why did Prussia and Austria wage war against France?
The Great Fear
The Great Fear was a wave of violence and attacks on manors
and nobility caused by rumors that the king was going to try
and eliminate the Third Estate.
Maximilien Robespierre was the leader of the Jacobins, the
dominant political part at the time. During a period known as
the Reign of Terror, Robespierre had thousands of mostly
innocent people guillotined in the name of the republic, mostly
for charges of plotting against the revolution.
Robespierre himself was executed by guillotine in 1794,
marking the end of the Terror.
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France at War
France and Austria were already arguing about a territory called the
Austrian Netherlands before the revolution in France.
Prussia and Austria, and indeed all the absolute monarchs of
Europe, were extremely nervous about the uprising in France.
Austria and Prussia decided to wage war on France in order to crush
the revolution and protect their own rulers and the monarchs in the
rest of Europe.
Radicals in France wanted to go to war with Austria because of
rumors of troop movements and Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI's
attempted escape to Austria, Marie's homeland
Definitions
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Coup d’etat- When Napoleon was urged to, and did, seize political power. Coup
d’etat means “blow to the state” in French and is used to mean a seizure of power by
a political party or figure.
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Plebiscite- A vote of the people (which was held to approve the new constitution).
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Lycees- A system of government run public schools set up by Napoleon
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Napoleonic Code- A system of laws that eliminated many injustices in France
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Continental system- As of November,1806, Napoleon set up a blockade preventing
all trade and communications between Great Britain and other European nations. It
was called the Continental System because it was designed to make European
nations more self sufficient and to destroy Britain’s economy.
Guerilla- A system where small groups of fighters attack when the enemy is larger.
For napoleon, they were Spanish peasant fighters striking the French army in Spain.
They worked in small groups making it difficult for Napoleon to defeat them. They
would take out troops and run into hiding
Definitions
Battle of Trafalgar- A major battle that Napoleon lost, which took place in 1805 on the
southwest coast of Spain. The British commander, Horatio Nelson, was a skilled naval
officer and captured many of Napoleons ships (Napoleon was more skilled on land).
Scorched-earth policy- The Russians used this sysytem to defeat Napoleon- it
involves killing and burning all the areas a retreating army leaves, so the atttacker have
no source of resources. It was very effective.
Waterloo- The most important battle Napoleon lost. When Prussian arrived, they joined
forces with Britain and attacked the French. After two days ,the French troops,
exhausted, gave way.
Hundred Days- The period between Napoleon’s exile to Elba and second restoration of
King Louis XVIII, and the defeat of Napoleons last attempt at control over France.
Balance of Power- Britain and other Europena nations were trying to figure out a way
to keep France with little power, but not powerless. They also didn’t want to split it up
in fear of a revolt. France was to be a major, but diminished, European power.
Napoleon Questions
How did Napoleon become a Hero?
What would have napoleon needed to make the
Continental System work?
What was the purpose of the Congress of Vienna?
What is the long term legacy of this event?
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon became a hero during
the French Revolutiopn, when he
defended National Convention
delegates in 1795. He then led his
army against Austria and Sardinia,
bceoming well known in France.
He also kept his defeats quiet.
After taking control of France in
1799, he went on to conquer much
of Europe as a brilliant military
commander.
The Continental System
Napoleon failed, however, in his idea of the Continental
System. This system set up blockades all around Britan in
order to stop its trade. However, Britan had a much stonger
navy and was able to circumvent Napoleon‘s blockades
and set ones up themselves.
In order for the continental system to have worked,
Napoleon would have had to have a much more complete
blockade set up to make sure absolutley no British ships
came through, and a much stonger navy to defend them.
He also relied too much on British trade.
The Congress of Vienna
After Napoleon‘s defeat, the heads of powerful
European countries were looking for a way to
establish long-term stability in Europe.
The Congress of Vienna was a series of meetings
between all the heads of the countries in Europe,
working to create a balance of power between nations.
This event is important because it was a precursor to
such organizations as the European Union and United
Nations, and becasue it set in place policies that would
effect the world for years to come.
By Heaven, Rosie, Kristen and Zoe
Block 5, 5/28
Thanks!