Flashcard library · AP European History
World History: The French Revolution
Master the essential events, figures, and concepts of the French Revolution with this comprehensive flashcard set. Covering everything from the Ancien Régime to the rise of Napoleon, these cards will help you ace your exams and understand this pivotal period of world history. Perfect for reviewing key terms, causes, and consequences of one of humanity's most transformative revolutions.
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What was the Ancien Régime?
France's pre-revolutionary order of absolute monarchy and a society split into three estates.
Who made up the three estates?
First: the clergy. Second: the nobility. Third: everyone else, from peasants to the bourgeoisie.
Which Enlightenment ideas shaped the Revolution?
Popular sovereignty, natural rights, the social contract and separation of powers (Rousseau, Locke, Montesquieu).
Why did Louis XVI call the Estates-General in 1789?
To approve new taxes to deal with the monarchy's financial crisis.
What was the Tennis Court Oath (June 20, 1789)?
The Third Estate's deputies swore not to disband until they had written a constitution.
What happened on July 14, 1789?
Parisians stormed the Bastille, a royal fortress and prison — now France's national holiday.
What did the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (August 1789) proclaim?
That men are born free and equal in rights, with liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression as natural rights.
What did the Women's March on Versailles (October 1789) achieve?
It forced the royal family to move from Versailles to Paris.
Who were the Jacobins?
A radical political club that pushed for a republic; Maximilien Robespierre was its best-known leader.
What was the Reign of Terror?
The period of 1793–1794 when the Committee of Public Safety executed thousands of suspected enemies of the Revolution.
When was Louis XVI executed, and for what?
In January 1793, after being convicted of treason by the National Convention.
What was the Thermidorian Reaction?
The July 1794 overthrow and execution of Robespierre, ending the Terror.
What was the Directory?
The five-man executive that governed France from 1795 to 1799.
How did Napoleon take power?
Through the coup of 18 Brumaire in 1799, becoming First Consul and, in 1804, emperor.
How did the Revolution affect the rest of Europe?
It spread ideas of liberty, equality and nationalism and set off more than two decades of war.