The Estates General~The Estates General was a group of representatives of each class in France. It was comparable to English Parliament, but it had no true power of its own. It met in 1789 to discuss a financial crisis in France. Ultimately, the third estate took control and paved the way for the French Revolution.
1st Estate~The 1st Estate of France was made up of the church clergy members. In France during this time, the Church had much political and social power in society, therefore, members of the clergy were at the top of the social pyramid. Not all clergy members were as well off as the bishops and abbots, though. The 1st Estate had nuns, monks and priests in charge of running schools, hospitals and orphanages.
2nd Estate~The 2nd estate was made up of the nobility. Noble knights lost their military power under Richelieu and Louis XIV, but they were given the right to have top jobs in the government, army, courts and the church. They were landowners, but most did not have much financial income. They tended to hate absolutism, and they feared that they would eventually lose their traditional privileges and soon their status as well.
3rd Estate~The majority of the French population made the up the last, 3rd Estate. Bourgeoisie was at the top of the 3rd estate, and they were the middle class, including bankers, merchants, manufacturers, lawyers, doctors, journalists and professors. The rural peasants made up the majority of the 3rd Estate, and they ranged from prosperous landowners to day laborers. Urban workers also made up this last estate. All members of this Estate resented the 2nd and 1st Estates, especially all of their traditional privileges. The Enlightenment caused the population to question the upper Estates, and demand their fair share of things.
Bourgeoisie~Bourgeoisie, or middle class, were members of the 3rd Estate, but they tended to be wealthy or well off compared to the majority of the population. They included bankers, merchants, manufacturers, lawyers, doctors, journalists and professors. Unlike the upper Estates, members of the Bourgeoisie had to work for their wealth and power, but they were deprived of traditional privileges that the 1st and 2nd Estate members enjoyed.
Declaration of The Rights of Man~The declaration was written by the National Assembly, and it was modeled after the American Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of the Rights of Man says that all man were born and remain free and equal in rights. Men have the natural rights to liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression. It also said that all Frenchmen had equal rights in law and politics, and it believed in freedom of religion. Women were disappointed when the Declaration did not grant them the same equal rights as men.
Era of Mutual Discontent~Members of the 3rd Estate began to complain of their lack of traditional privileges as well as their natural rights. They became very upset and discontent, causing the 1st and 2nd Estates to also grow upset and discontent, thus leading to the Era of Mutual Discontent.
National Assembly~The National Assembly was a transitional legislative group from Estates-General to the National Constituent Assembly. After the Estates General, the 3rd Estate was unhappy with its lack of power, so its members decided to form their own National Assembly, in which all common class people were able to join. The other Estates were invited, but none joined in the National Assembly's meetings. King Louis was against this new group, but he could not stop them or their force in politics.
Tennis Court Oaths~The delegates of the National Assembly went to Versailles to try and solve the financial crisis as well as to ask for a political reform. Their meeting room was locked and guarded, so they went to an indoor tennis court in fear that the king was upset at them. There, they took an oath, saying that they would never separate and that the would meet whenever they could until their circumstances were met. All but one man signed the oath.
King Louis XVI~King Louis was the king of France from 1754 to 1793. Louis was disliked during his time, for he was conservative in a country of revolutionists. His people blamed him for their problems, although he tried his best to change the monarchy. He had good intentions, but the French public used him as a scapegoat for all of their problems. King Louis was married to Marie Antoinette, and he was often blamed for being a tyrant.
Maximilien Robespierre~Maximilien Robespierre is was an important, well known, influential figure of the French revolution. He was involved in what is known as the Rein of Terror, which ended with his own death. He was influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment, especially those of Rousseau and Montesqueiu. He believed in a left winged bourgeoisie. He had many supporters who called him the Incorruptible and many opposers who called him the Tyrant.
Reign of Terror~The Reign of Terror was a time period during the French Revolution which went from 1793 until 1794. Symbolized by the guillotine, it is not known how many lost their lives, but many famous deaths include the death of Marie Antoinette and the death of Madame Roland. The Terror was mainly caused by conflict between Girondins and the Jacobins. Finally, the French government stepped forward and ended the reign with the deaths of many powerful supporters of the reign, such as Robespierre and Saint-Just.
Jacobins~The Jacobin Club was the most powerful group during the French Revolution. The club had many chapters throughout France, but after the death of Robespierre, it ended. It became notorious during the Reign of Terror, and they are known to have conflicted with the Girondins.
Committee on Public Safety~The National Convention created the Committee on Public Safety, which is made up of twelve members. It had almost absolute power during the Revolution, and it prepared the country for war. Maximilien Robespierre quickly rose to power in the committee. They sent recruits to spread the revolutionary fever, and soon they had conquered Italy and the Netherlands all while keeping down the revolts in England as well. Soon, members of the Convention turned on the committee, and killed its main players, such as Robespierre, thus ending the Reign of Terror.
Girondins~The Girondins, the enemies of the Jacobins, consisted of the other half of the National Assembly. They were an unorganized bunch, without an extremely organized cause or leader. There political beliefs during the Assembly more closely resembled those of republicans than those of monarchs. They were named after Gironde, whose theories they were modeled after.
