The French Revolution Questions and Answers
The French Revolution
What were the long term outcomes/effects of the French Revolution?
The French Revolution was one of the major turning points of world history, critical in shaping much of the modern world. For example, it introduced the modern notion of nationalism, as the...
The French Revolution
What were the achievements of the National Assembly?
Despite its short existence—just over two years—the National Assembly racked up an impressive list of achievements. The most important of these was arguably the abolition of feudalism, serfdom,...
The French Revolution
Why did the third estate revolt?
To put it simply, the third estate revolted in response to an unfair economic and political system that disproportionately taxed the middle classes and peasants while benefiting the other estates....
The French Revolution
How can the cartoon in the link below be used to describe the causes of the French Revolution?...
The French Revolution was principally caused by the growth in dissatisfaction among the poor and middle class of French society towards the nobility and the clergy, comprising, respectively, the...
The French Revolution
When France Sneezes Europe Catches A Cold
Metternich was an Austrian alive during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Era. He would have been around to witness the revolution in France and its wide-reaching consequences, like involving...
The French Revolution
How did the French Revolution impact other countries?
The French Revolution affected other countries because there was immediately a perceived threat that the French would attempt to spread the Revolution to other countries. The movement to overthrow,...
The French Revolution
Were children guillotined during the French Revolution?
It is unclear for certain if and how many children were subjected to the guillotine during the French Revolution, but some sources imply that they did in fact guillotine children. In many cases,...
The French Revolution
What was the cause of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution?
The Reign of Terror was a period of violence during the French Revolution emanating from conflicts between the Girondins and the Jacobins. During this period people perceived to be against the...
The French Revolution
What event marked the beginning of the French Revolution ? Add this point to the time line
The storming of the Bastille on 14th July, 1789, is usually taken to be the day on which the French Revolution began. The significance of the event, however, is more symbolic than anything...
The French Revolution
In what ways was Napoleon influenced by the Enlightenment and the French Revolution during his rule?
Although Napoleon was in practice very much a despot, he was still a product of the Enlightenment. Growing up in Corsica, Napoleon was exposed to the enlightened ideals of the Corsican nationalist...
The French Revolution
How did the French Revolution lead to democracy?
The French Revolution of 1789-1799 followed on the American Revolution and was inspired by similar ideals, albeit in different circumstances. A key element in the Revolution was revulsion against...
The French Revolution
Explain the weaknesses of the Directory in the French Revolutionary period.
The Directory ruled France from 1795-1799. There were five Directors that led France. The Directory dealt with competing forces that wanted a constitutional monarchy or a radical democracy. The...
The French Revolution
What were the most important conflicts between various social groups in eighteenth-century France?
The major conflicts between classes in the decades leading up to the French Revolution were between the lower classes (proletariat) and the upper class (bourgeoisie), which consisted mainly of the...
The French Revolution
How were Robespierre and Danton similar and different during the French Revolution?
Danton and Robespierre were around the same age, were both provincial lawyers before they started out in politics, and were both fanatical revolutionaries who believed in meting out extreme...
The French Revolution
What were the major achievements of the French Revolution?
The French Revolution was a deeply transformative (as well as destabilizing) period in history, and its repercussions continued to be felt across the nineteenth century. It's also deeply difficult...
The French Revolution
In the French Revolution, why did the Directory fall?
The directory was the government set up by the Constitution of the Year III as a result of the French Revolution. It was a very short-lived government, lasting only 4 years. The Directory included...
The French Revolution
What caused the French Revolution?
The French Revolution was caused by a number of factors, some of which served to exacerbate others. Some of these factors, like a dying class system, were common to most of the European...
The French Revolution
What advantages did the clergy and nobility have before the French Revolution?
Actually, the First and Second Estates paid no taxes whatsoever. This meant that one hundred per cent of the tax burden fell on the Third Estate. To make matters worse, as a means of raising money...
The French Revolution
During the French Revolution, what were the major turning points from 1789 -1794?
There were a number of turbulent events of the French Revolution. Some of the key ones between 1789 to 1794 are described below. The Tennis Court Oath - June 20, 1789 - This pivotal event occurred...
The French Revolution
What were some positive and negative effects of the French Revolution?
The French Revolution is often referred to as a watershed event because it had a profound effect on France, as well as other European countries. Because of the financial excesses of King Louis XV,...
The French Revolution
How did the French Revolution affect working-class people in France?
Though the French Revolution was largely the handiwork of the bourgeoisie, the working-class people of France also played their part. For the most part, their political role was outside the formal...
The French Revolution
Compare and contrast the French and Haitian revolutions: discuss the immediate and long-range causes and impacts of...
The French Revolution, which begin in 1789, and the Haitian Revolution, which first began in 1794, were products of the Enlightenment. In the eighteenth century, philosophers like John Locke began...
The French Revolution
What is the significance of the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen" in history?
One major significance of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was that it was one of the first European governing documents to apply the concepts of the Enlightenment to the...
The French Revolution
Is there any justification for the Reign of Terror in France (1793-1794)? Does the end justify the means?
I would argue that the end should never justify the means. If the French Revolutionaries genuinely wanted to build a society based on liberty, equality, and fraternity, then they should have used...
The French Revolution
How did the Reign of Terror cause the National Convention to be replaced by the Directory?
Robespierre and the Jacobins massively overreached during the Terror. The Terror was getting rapidly out of hand, destroying the lives of many who, by no stretch of the imagination, could...
The French Revolution
How did the slogan "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" sum up the goals of the French Revolution?
A major cause of the French Revolution was the severe economic stress the country faced near the end of the eighteenth century. France was heavily in debt due to foreign wars, including its support...
The French Revolution
What was the difference between the Old Regime of pre-revolution France and the Napoleonic Regime?
While the Napoleonic Regime did function essentially as an authoritarian monarchy, it differed greatly from the Ancien Régime, or Old Regime, as it existed before the French Revolution. Where the...
The French Revolution
Did Napoleon preserve the French Revolution or did he destroy it?
This is one of the great questions on the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Era and a subject of considerable debate (and you can probably make a case for either side of it). Of course, it...
The French Revolution
Describe the circumstances leading to the outbreak of the French Revolution.
The circumstances that led to the outbreak of the French Revolution were intricate and complex. In analyzing these conditions, it becomes clear how seismic the French Revolution actually was. One...
The French Revolution
How would you evaluate how much France's conflicts with its neighbors and its policies regarding "Sister Republics"...
France’s conflicts with its neighbors can be evaluated in the context of its internal strife. Domestically, the French Revolution produced myriad violence and death. In June of 1793, the radical...
The French Revolution
How does the French Revolution compare and contrast to the Orange Revolution?
One similarity between both revolutions is in how the will of the majority of the body politic was expressed extremely loud and extremely clear. There was an undeniable will of the people heard in...
The French Revolution
Among the Atlantic revolutions, why is the French Revolution considered to be more radical than the American Revolution?
I think that much of this answer is going to be dependent on the idea of what defines "radical." If we are examining the idea of "radical" as one that fundamentally changes the way revolution is...
The French Revolution
What are many similarities of the Glorious, French,& American revolutions?
Let's try for four. 1) All three represented a transition from a less democratic to a more democratic government. The Glorious Revolution replaced a king who had come to the throne by monarchic...
The French Revolution
To what extent was the French monarchy both the main cause and the main victim of the French Revolution?
The Bourbon Monarchy was undoubtedly both the main cause and the main victim of the French Revolution. Enlightenment ideas encouraged the people of France to question their government and demand...
The French Revolution
What Enlightenment ideals were reflected in the French Revolution?
The ideals of the French Revolution were a direct outgrowth of Enlightenment philosophy. A major focus of the Enlightenment was the worth of the individual and his or her right to take a role in...
The French Revolution
How did the government policies of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Era shape French national identity?
The French Revolution began the establishment of social and economic rights for all citizens, affording them voice and some control over their political destinies. The Napoleonic Era established...
The French Revolution
Napoleon invaded Russia in June of 1812. Why was this military decision so unwise?
Napoleon underestimated several crucial factors that would arise during his invasion of Russia. First, the distance his armies had to cross in order to reach Moscow was enormous in an age long...
The French Revolution
How were the French and English Revolutions both different and alike?
The French and English Revolutions were alike in terms of how they dethroned monarchs and involved religion, and they were different due to the level of violence. In the French and English...
The French Revolution
What were the impacts of the French Revolution on English society and literature?
The French Revolution had significant impacts on English society and literature. To get you started on this assignment, we will go over a few points you will want to include in your answer. You...
The French Revolution
Identify the decline of absolutism in the French Revolution.
The French Revolution led to the fall of absolutism in France through very extreme means. The Revolution was not something that came about unprovoked—a number of factors contributed to this event....
The French Revolution
What were some positive and negative outcomes of the French Revolution?
I think the negative outcomes were mainly short-term and the positive ones long term. There is no question that the French Revolution was needed. The Ancien Régime was brutal, denying basic human...
The French Revolution
What is a summary of the French Revolution, including the key events, causes, effects, and key players?
The French Revolution occurred in several stages, beginning in 1789 with the overthrow of the Ancien Régime and culminating in 1799 with a military coup led by Napoleon Bonaparte. There were...
The French Revolution
Discuss the role of print in the French Revolution.
I think that the contribution of print, or the printed word, had a huge impact on the French Revolution. The "rise of Enlightenment" ideals played a massive role in the initiation of thought that...
The French Revolution
The English political system inspired the French to provoke their revolution in 1789. Explain why the French were...
Many of the philosophes cited as inspirations by the liberal revolutionaries (though not, admittedly, the radicals) were strongly impressed by the English constitution, which they believed to be...
The French Revolution
Explain the effects of the French Revolution.
To me, the major effect of the French Revolution was that it created the idea of nationalism in Europe. This idea came to be hugely influential -- it led, for example, to the creation of the...
The French Revolution
How true is the statement that the French Revolution was avoidable?
Looking back through the lens of history, there are several points where the revolution could have been avoided, or at the very least, delayed. The food shortages and economic decline that began in...
The French Revolution
What was the Tennis Court Oath?
In the early phase of the French Revolution, members of the Third Estate, the commoners who made up most of France's population, which was divided into a series of "estates" denoting one's place in...
The French Revolution
Describe the most important achievements of the French Revolution.
The French Revolution produced many reforms and changes for French citizens. Obviously, the main reform that happened was the removal of the monarchy and the nobility, who were oppressive to the...
The French Revolution
I need help on an assignment which requires that I write an essay comparing and contrasting the French and American...
The people expressed their resentment towards the oppressive absolute monarchs by supporting the revolution in their countries. America stood against King George while France rejected King Louis...
The French Revolution
Assess the Jacobin club in the French Revolution.
I am not sure there is going to be much in the way of good about the Jacobins in the French Revolution. I think that one positive element could be how the group started. Its origins were rooted...
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