SS Chapter 2

• How was France changed after the revolution?

  It was transformed from an absolute monarchy to a republic.
• Why was the French Revolution important?

  It made France the first European country to become a republic.
• How was France's sense of nation changed after the revolution?

  French people began to move the focus away from the king as a sense of nation, to the people, themselves, as the nation.
• What did the French revolution show about nationalism?

  Nationalism can be shaped by external factors.
• What are some external factors that shape nationalism?

  Social, geographic, historical, economic, and political.
• What event is seen as the catalyst for the French Revolution?

  The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789.
• What was the Bastille?

  A Paris prison where people who spoke out against the king were rumoured to be put.
• What happened during the storming of the Bastille?

  600 Parisians attacked the Bastille and took control of it.
• Collective Consciousness

  An internal consciousness, or awareness, shared by many.
• Why was the storming of the Bastille important for France?

  It not only inspired other French people to take up arms, it became both a defining moment in French history and a central part of national myth.
• Why is the storming of the Bastille a powerful symbol even now?

  It reminds people that the actions of ordinary citizens can start a chain of events that leads to great change.
• What are some social factors?

  Who should and shouldn't be considered important; who should lead and who should follow; who should be included and excluded; how groups should work out conflicts and respond to challenges.
• What was the state of French society before the French Revolution?

  There was as strict social order that was defined largely by birth. The monarch, aristocrats, and clergy, held most of the power.
• What was French society made up of in 1789?

  4% of the 26 million people were considered the ruling elite, the other 96% common people.
• Bourgeoisie

  A growing middle class that usually lived in cities or towns.
• What were the characteristics of the Bourgeoisie?

  Members has become prosperous by practicing a craft or profession; they were well travelled and educated, and many absorbed ideas about individual rights.
• What was the state of France in the late 1780s?

  The French economy was in chaos, due to decades of war, and the country was nearly bankrupt.
• Why was a meeting of the Estates General called?

  To address the economic crisis.
• What groups was the Estates General composed of?

  The First Estate, or clergy; the Second Estate, or aristocrats; and the Third Estate, the common people.
• What events helped inspire the storming of the Bastille?

  The Third Estate declaring themselves the National Assembly and swearing the Tennis Court Oath, saying they were the only group that represented France. And the news that King Louis XVI was gathering troops.
• What events led to widespread hunger and poverty?

  Snow in the winter of 1788-1789 prevented trade and travel; the spring and summer of 1789 saw a huge drought; grain crops were destroyed, the price of flour rose, and people could no longer afford bread, a staple.
• Why was Marie Antoinette distrusted?

  She was a member of the Austrian royal family, the country of which France had often been at war with. She was seen as a foreigner, and even a spy for Austria.
• Why was the rumour of Marie Antoinette saying 'let them eat cake' important?

  It came to symbolize the gap between the common people and royal family.
• When was the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen finished?

  In the late summer of 1789.
• What did the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen do?

  It abolished traditional privileges enjoyed by the monarch, aristocracy, and clergy. It sparked a struggle that eventually led to the creation of a French nation as a secular republic, and became the basis of the French constitution.
• What execution(s) took place in 1793?

  Those of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
• What sparked the Reign of Terror?

  The fear and opposition within the country to the way the revolutionists were carrying out the revolution.
• How long did the Reign of Terror last?

  For about 11 months, between 1793 and 1794.
• What happened during the Reign of Terror?

  The constitution was suspended, and those who criticized the revolution were targeted. 200,000 people were arrested and 17,000 sentenced to death.
• Why was Olympe de Gouges important?

  She had played an active role in the early days of the revolution, writing pamphlets and plays supporting it. In 1791 however, she challenged revolutionary leaders by pointing out the Declaration of the Rights of Man excluded women. She was arrested, found guilty of treason, and beheaded in 1793.
• What was the turning event in 1799?

  Napoleon Bonaparte emerging as a leader who united France.
• How did Napoleon Bonaparte gain credibility?

  He launched a series of wars, conquering most of Europe.
• How did Napoleon Bonaparte die?

  He was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo by the British and their allies, and died in exile in 1821.
• How is Napoleon Bonaparte remembered?

  As a leader who helped strengthen French national pride, modernize the government, and prepare public education. He is also remembered as a dictator whose wars killed many French citizens.
• When has someone internalized the feelings of nationalism?

  When they take pride in the achievement of other citizens, which inspires a greater sense of nationalism.
• What helps hold a community or nation together?

  Shared memories, kindness, friendships, belonging, acceptance, sacrifice, success, courage, and support.
• What symbol helped identify French revolutionaries?

  Red, white, and blue cockades.
• How did Napoleon view his military conquests?

  As a mission to extend the French revolutionary principles to all of Europe.
• How did the French concept of nation change in 1789?

  French citizens rejected an absolute monarch as the focus of their sense of nation, basing their nation instead on principles such as equality, liberty, and brotherhood.
• What event do Americans view as a defining moment in national history?

  The Boston Tea Party of 1773.