French Revolution people and places
Reign of Terror
(1793-94) during the French Revolution when thousands were executed for "disloyalty"
Parliamentary power
1. relationship between the legislative branch and executive branch has voters indirectly electing the members of the Executive Branch through the election of the Legislative Branch
Simon Bolivar
1783-1830, Venezuelan statesman: leader of revolt of South American colonies against Spanish rule.
Liberalism
A belief that government can and should achieve justice and equality of opportunity.
Napoleonic Code
A comprehensive and uniform system of laws established for France by Napoleon
Great Fear
A wave of senseless panic that spread through the French countryside after the storming of the Bastille in 1789
Prussia
A former kingdom in north-central Europe including present-day northern Germany and northern Poland
Guillotine
A machine for beheading people, used as a means of execution during the French Revolution.
Versailles
A palace built by Louis XIV outside of Paris; it was home to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
Conservatism
A political or theological orientation advocating the preservation of the best in society and opposing radical changes.
Bourgeoisie
A social class that derives social and economic power from employment, education, and wealth, as opposed to the inherited power of aristocratic family of titled land owners or feudal privileges. It's a term for the middle class common in the 19th century. It's characterized by their ownership of property and their related culture.
Nationalism
A strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country
Coup d'état
A sudden overthrow of the government by a small group
Absolute Monarchy
A system of government in which the head of state is a hereditary position and the king or queen has almost complete power
Despotism
Any severe and strict rule in which the judgment of the governed has little or no part.
Prince Klemens von Metternich
Austrian minister, believed in the policies of legitimacy and intervention (the military to crush revolts against legitimacy). Leader of the Congress of Vienna
Scorched Earth Policy
Destroying crops and livestock so that one's enemy has nothing to use for food as they invade. Used by the Russians when Napoleon invaded in 1812.
Émigrés
French nobility who fled country to escape the Revolution
Sans-culottes
In the French Revolution, a radical group made up of Parisian wage-earners, and small shopkeepers who wanted a greater voice in government, lower prices, and an end of food shortages
Louis XVI
King of France (r.1774-1792 CE). In 1789 he summoned the Estates-General, but he did not grant the reforms that were demanded and revolution followed. Louis and his queen, Marie Antoinette, were executed in 1793.
Miguel Hidalgo
Mexican priest who led peasants in call for independence and improved conditions
Continental System
Napoleon's policy of preventing trade between Great Britain and continental Europe, intended to destroy Great Britain's economy.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Overthrew the French revolutionary government (The Directory) in 1799 and became emperor of France in 1804. Failed to defeat Great Britain and abdicated in 1814. Returned to power briefly in 1815 but was defeated and died in exile.
Marie Antoinette
Queen of France (as wife of Louis XVI) who was unpopular her extravagance and opposition to reform contributed to the overthrow of the monarchy; she was guillotined along with her husband (1755-1793)
Jacobin
Radical republicans during the French Revolution. They were led by Maximilien Robespierre from 1793 to 1794.
Jose de San Martin
South American general and statesman, born in Argentina: leader in winning independence for Argentina, Peru, and Chile; protector of Peru
Bastille
The Bastille fell on July 14 1789 with the start of the French Revolution when rumor of the approaching French troops spurred the people to attack the royal jail and steal weapons. They massacred the guards and put the governor's head on a pike.
Natural rights
The rights of all people to dignity and worth; also called human rights.
Toussaint L'Ouverture
Was an important leader of the Haïtian Revolution and the first leader of a free Haiti; in a long struggle again the institution of slavery, he led the blacks to victory over the whites and free coloreds and secured native control over the colony in 1797, calling himself a dictator.
Maximilien Robespierre
Young provincial lawyer who led the most radical phases of the French Revolution; his execution ended the Reign of Terror.
Plebiscite
a vote by which the people of a country or region express their opinion for or against an important proposal
Estate system
a system of stratification under which peasants were required to work land leased to them by nobles in exchange for military protection and other services. Also known as feudalism
Balance of Power
distribution of military and economic power that prevents any one nation from becoming too strong
St Helena
the place where Napoleon finally died in Exile
Old Regime/ ancient Regime
was the monarchic, aristocratic, social and political system established in the Kingdom of France
