When did the French Revolution take place? — From 1789 to 1799, ending with Napoleon Bonaparte's rise to power.

What were the main causes of the French Revolution? — 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.

What were the Three Estates in pre-revolutionary France? — First Estate: Clergy. Second Estate: Nobility. Third Estate: Everyone else (about 97% of the population) — commoners, peasants, and the middle class.

What was the Estates-General? — A French legislative body representing the Three Estates, called by Louis XVI in 1789 to address France's financial crisis. It sparked the revolution.

What was the National Assembly? — Formed in June 1789 when the Third Estate broke away from the Estates-General, declaring themselves the true representatives of the French people.

What was the Tennis Court Oath (June 20, 1789)? — Members of the National Assembly swore not to disband until they had written a new constitution for France — a direct challenge to royal authority.

What was the storming of the Bastille (July 14, 1789)? — 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.

What was the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (1789)? — 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.

What was the Women's March on Versailles (October 1789)? — 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.

What happened to King Louis XVI? — He was arrested, tried for treason, and executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793.

What was the Reign of Terror (1793–1794)? — 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.

Who was Maximilien Robespierre? — 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.

What was the guillotine? — 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.

What were the Jacobins? — A radical political club during the Revolution that supported a republic and pushed for extreme measures, including the Reign of Terror. Led by Robespierre.

What were the Girondins? — A moderate republican faction during the Revolution that clashed with the radical Jacobins. Many were executed during the Reign of Terror.

What was the Committee of Public Safety? — A powerful wartime government committee that effectively governed France during the Reign of Terror, led by Robespierre. It used mass executions to eliminate "enemies."

What was the Thermidorian Reaction (1794)? — The overthrow of Robespierre by moderate members of the National Convention, ending the Reign of Terror. Named after the Revolutionary month of Thermidor.

What was the Directory (1795–1799)? — The five-man committee that governed France after the Thermidorian Reaction. It was corrupt and ineffective, paving the way for Napoleon.

What was the role of Enlightenment in the French Revolution? — Enlightenment thinkers like Rousseau (social contract) and Montesquieu (separation of powers) inspired revolutionaries to question monarchy and demand individual rights.

What was Napoleon's coup of 18 Brumaire (1799)? — Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the Directory in a coup d'état, ending the Revolution and establishing himself as First Consul — and later Emperor — of France.

What was the impact of the French Revolution on Europe? — It spread ideas of liberty, equality, and nationalism across Europe, inspired revolutions in other countries, and ended the age of absolute monarchy in France.

What was the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790)? — 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.

What was the role of Marie Antoinette in the Revolution? — 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.

What was the Levée en masse (1793)? — 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.

What were the long-term legacies of the French Revolution? — It established the principles of popular sovereignty, nationalism, secularism, and human rights that shaped modern democratic governments worldwide.