Reference no: EM133333911

Short Answer

This program opens with a discussion of Louis XVI's inexperience as leader.

What was he like? How did others see him? How do you think Louis XVI's qualities as a leader led to the French Revolution?

What happened at Versailles in the spring of 1770? Why was this event historically significant?

Describe Marie Antoinette. Who was she and what is she like, and why is this important? Why did the French people have such negative feelings toward Marie Antoinette?

Other than the monarchy, what were the causes of the French Revolution discussed in this program? Categorize them as long term and short term.

Why does Louis contribute to the American Revolution? How does this involvement affect France?

How did bread play a role in the Revolution?

Who is Jacques Necker and why is he important?

What was the Third Estate? Which groups in French society did it include? Why was its role in the Estates General problematic?

What was the Tennis Court Oath and why was it important?

Why did the people of Paris attack the Bastille? (Think practically and symbolically here)

What was the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen"? What did it demand?

Who was Jean-Paul Marat? Why is he important to the Revolution?

Why was the Women's March on Versailles significant? What were its motivations? What were its results?

Why was Louis' attempt at escape so problematic?

How did the guillotine represent the Enlightenment and the Revolution?

How did the French Revolution become an international war? What is the impact on the French government and on the Revolution?

Who were Girondists and Jacobins? What did they disagree about?

Who were the sans-culottes? What were their demands?

Who is Georges Danton? Why is he important?

Who is Charlotte Corday and what does she do? Was she successful in her goal?

What was the Terror and why does it happen?

What was de-Christianization and was did it do? What is Christianity replaced with?

What causes the downfall of Robespierre?

Short Essay

1. Why do you think the initial goals of the Revolution became so changed during the "Reign of Terror"?

2. Evaluate the key leaders of the Revolution: Robespierre, Marat, and Danton. What kind of leaders were they? Why do you think they were so popular?

3. Based on the video and your knowledge of history, what do you think were the most important long-term effects of the French Revolution? What were its legacies?

4. Was the French Revolution the cause or the result of social upheaval?

5. The Revolution has sometimes been called the end that justified the means of violence. What are the limits of violence in politics, in your mind? Does violence have any legitimate role in the political realm? Why or why not?

6. Was the French Revolution inevitable? Given what you know, if you were Louis XVI, what would you have done to try and stop the French Revolution?