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French Revolution & Napoleon

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The French Revolution, the Reign of Terror and the rise and fall of Napoleon.

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When did the French Revolution begin and end?

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1When did the French Revolution begin and end?
It began with the Estates General of 1789 on 5 May 1789 and ended with the Coup of 18 Brumaire on 9 November 1799 (10 years, 6 months, and 4 days)
2What was the iconic event of the French Revolution that occurred on 14 July 1789?
The Storming of the Bastille, now commemorated annually as Bastille Day (France's national holiday)
3What were the main outcomes of the French Revolution?
Abolition of the Ancien régime, creation of constitutional monarchy, proclamation of the French First Republic (1792), Reign of Terror and execution of Louis XVI, French Revolutionary Wars, and establishment of the French Consulate (1799)
4What caused the French Revolution?
A combination of social, political, and economic factors including financial crisis, widespread social distress, tax inequality, bad harvests (1787-1788), economic recession, and resistance to reform by the ruling elite
5When was the last time the Estates General had met before 1789?
1614 (175 years earlier)
6What was the Third Estate?
The representatives of the common people (neither clergy nor nobility) who broke away in June 1789 and re-constituted themselves as a National Assembly
7What important document was issued during the early French Revolution?
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, approved by the Assembly and published on 26 August 1789
8What was the abolition of feudalism in France?
The August Decrees of 1789 abolished feudal dues, church tithes, and privileges, affecting over 25% of French farmland that was subject to feudal payments
9What was Louis XVI's attempted Flight to Varennes?
In June 1791, Louis XVI and his family attempted to flee Paris to join loyalist troops, but he was recognized at Varennes, arrested, and returned to Paris, further discrediting the monarchy
10When did the monarchy end in France?
The monarchy was suspended on 10 August 1792 after the insurrection, and replaced by the French First Republic in September 1792
11When was Louis XVI executed?
21 January 1793, on the Place de la Révolution (now Place de la Concorde)
12What was the Reign of Terror?
A period from 1793-1794 when about 16,000 people were sentenced by the Revolutionary Tribunal and executed, dominated by radical Jacobins led by Robespierre
13When did the Reign of Terror end?
July 1794 with the Thermidorian Reaction
14What was the Committee of Public Safety?
An executive committee created on 6 April 1793, accountable to the convention, which came to dominate the government during the Terror, led by Robespierre
15Who was Maximilien Robespierre?
A radical Jacobin leader who dominated the Committee of Public Safety during the Reign of Terror
16What was the Directory?
The government that replaced the Committee of Public Safety in November 1795, which proved unstable and ended with Napoleon's coup in 1799
17What was the Coup of 18 Brumaire?
Napoleon Bonaparte's coup on 9 November 1799 that overthrew the Directory and established the Consulate, with Napoleon as First Consul
18How large was the French population growth between 1715 and 1789?
From 21 to 28 million, with 20% living in towns or cities and Paris having over 600,000 inhabitants
19What economic problems led to the Revolution?
Economic recession from 1785, bad harvests in 1787 and 1788, high unemployment, rising food prices, and a debt crisis where half of state revenue went to servicing debt by 1788
20What were the regional Parlements?
Regional judicial bodies that approved financial policy and often blocked tax reforms, contributing to the financial crisis
21Who was Jacques Necker?
The finance minister who replaced Brienne in 1788 and was dismissed by Louis XVI on 11 July 1789, sparking protests that led to the storming of the Bastille
22What was the Affair of the Diamond Necklace?
A scandal that fueled widespread anger at the court, nobility, and church officials in the lead-up to the Revolution
23How many prisoners were actually held in the Bastille when it was stormed?
Only seven: four forgers, a lunatic, a failed assassin, and a deviant nobleman
24What happened to Bernard-René de Launay, the Bastille's governor?
After surrendering following several hours of fighting, he was taken to the Hôtel de Ville, killed, and his head placed on a pike and paraded around the city
25Who was the Marquis de Lafayette?
A leader appointed commander of the National Guard after the storming of the Bastille
26What was the Great Fear?
An agrarian insurrection in rural areas resulting from wild rumors and paranoia, leading to the formation of militia and attacks on aristocratic property
27Who were the émigrés?
Nobles who fled abroad during the Revolution, funded reactionary forces within France, and urged foreign monarchs to back a counter-revolution
28What did the August Decrees establish?
Equality before the law, opening public office to all, freedom of worship, cancellation of special privileges held by provinces and towns, and abolition of feudalism
29What was the Tennis Court Oath?
An oath taken on 20 June 1789 by members of the Third Estate, undertaking not to disperse until a constitution had been agreed
30What was the National Constituent Assembly?
The National Assembly that declared itself on 9 July 1789 and appointed a committee to draft a constitution and statement of rights