French Revolution
Understand one of history's most dramatic upheavals with this complete flashcard deck on the French Revolution. Discover why France's rigid social structure, financial crisis, and Enlightenment ideas combined to overthrow the monarchy, and how a revolution born from ideals of liberty and equality descended into the bloody Reign of Terror before ending with Napoleon's rise to power. Topics include the Three Estates, the storming of the Bastille, the Declaration of the Rights of Man, the Tennis Court Oath, the execution of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety, the Reign of Terror, the Thermidorian Reaction, and Napoleon's coup. Essential for AP European History, GCSE History, and IB History students.
All Cards in This Deck
Question
When did the French Revolution take place?
Answer
From 1789 to 1799, ending with Napoleon Bonaparte's rise to power.
Question
What were the main causes of the French Revolution?
Answer
Financial crisis, inequality between the Three Estates, weak leadership of King Louis XVI, food shortages, high taxes on the poor, and Enlightenment ideas about liberty.
Question
What were the Three Estates in pre-revolutionary France?
Answer
First Estate: Clergy. Second Estate: Nobility. Third Estate: Everyone else (about 97% of the population) — commoners, peasants, and the middle class.
Question
What was the Estates-General?
Answer
A French legislative body representing the Three Estates, called by Louis XVI in 1789 to address France's financial crisis. It sparked the revolution.
Question
What was the National Assembly?
Answer
Formed in June 1789 when the Third Estate broke away from the Estates-General, declaring themselves the true representatives of the French people.
Question
What was the Tennis Court Oath (June 20, 1789)?
Answer
Members of the National Assembly swore not to disband until they had written a new constitution for France — a direct challenge to royal authority.
Question
What was the storming of the Bastille (July 14, 1789)?
Answer
An angry Parisian mob stormed the Bastille prison, a symbol of royal tyranny. This event is considered the start of the French Revolution and is now France's national holiday.
Question
What was the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (1789)?
Answer
A foundational document of the Revolution declaring that all men are born free and equal, with rights to liberty, property, and security — inspired by Enlightenment ideals.
Question
What was the Women's March on Versailles (October 1789)?
Answer
Thousands of Parisian women marched to Versailles demanding bread and forced King Louis XVI to move to Paris, bringing him under the control of the people.
Question
What happened to King Louis XVI?
Answer
He was arrested, tried for treason, and executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793.
Question
What was the Reign of Terror (1793–1794)?
Answer
A period of radical political violence led by Maximilien Robespierre. Approximately 17,000 people were officially executed and up to 40,000 died in total.
Question
Who was Maximilien Robespierre?
Answer
A radical Jacobin leader who dominated the Committee of Public Safety during the Reign of Terror. He was eventually arrested and executed by guillotine in July 1794.
Question
What was the guillotine?
Answer
A device used for execution by beheading, widely used during the Reign of Terror. It was named after Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin who proposed its use as a humane method.
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What were the Jacobins?
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A radical political club during the Revolution that supported a republic and pushed for extreme measures, including the Reign of Terror. Led by Robespierre.
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What were the Girondins?
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A moderate republican faction during the Revolution that clashed with the radical Jacobins. Many were executed during the Reign of Terror.
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What was the Committee of Public Safety?
Answer
A powerful wartime government committee that effectively governed France during the Reign of Terror, led by Robespierre. It used mass executions to eliminate "enemies."
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What was the Thermidorian Reaction (1794)?
Answer
The overthrow of Robespierre by moderate members of the National Convention, ending the Reign of Terror. Named after the Revolutionary month of Thermidor.
Question
What was the Directory (1795–1799)?
Answer
The five-man committee that governed France after the Thermidorian Reaction. It was corrupt and ineffective, paving the way for Napoleon.
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What was the role of Enlightenment in the French Revolution?
Answer
Enlightenment thinkers like Rousseau (social contract) and Montesquieu (separation of powers) inspired revolutionaries to question monarchy and demand individual rights.
Question
What was Napoleon's coup of 18 Brumaire (1799)?
Answer
Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the Directory in a coup d'état, ending the Revolution and establishing himself as First Consul — and later Emperor — of France.
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What was the impact of the French Revolution on Europe?
Answer
It spread ideas of liberty, equality, and nationalism across Europe, inspired revolutions in other countries, and ended the age of absolute monarchy in France.
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What was the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790)?
Answer
A law that made the French Catholic Church subordinate to the state, forcing priests to swear loyalty to the government rather than the Pope. It divided France deeply.
Question
What was the role of Marie Antoinette in the Revolution?
Answer
As Queen of France and wife of Louis XVI, she was seen as a symbol of royal excess and indifference to the poor. She was executed by guillotine on October 16, 1793.
Question
What was the Levée en masse (1793)?
Answer
A massive military conscription that mobilized the entire French nation for war, creating a citizens' army of over 1 million men to defend the Revolution against foreign powers.
Question
What were the long-term legacies of the French Revolution?
Answer
It established the principles of popular sovereignty, nationalism, secularism, and human rights that shaped modern democratic governments worldwide.