Which event is seen as the start of the French Revolution?
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The storming of the Bastille
The Bastille was a hated royal prison.
💡 Did you know? 14 July is still France's national holiday.
All questions with answers
In which year did the French Revolution begin?
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1789
A deep financial crisis and hunger drove the people.
💡 Did you know? It changed France and Europe forever.
Which king reigned at the revolution's start?
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Louis XVI
He was executed in 1793 as “Citizen Capet”.
💡 Did you know? With him absolute monarchy in France ended.
Which form of rule prevailed before the revolution?
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Absolutism
The king ruled with unlimited power.
💡 Did you know? The old order was called the “Ancien Régime”.
Which estate bore the main tax burden?
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The Third Estate
Townsfolk and peasants paid, nobility and clergy were exempt.
💡 Did you know? The Third Estate was over 95% of the population.
What was the famous 1789 declaration of rights called?
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Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
It declared all people free and equal in rights.
💡 Did you know? It is a milestone of human rights.
Which three-part motto shaped the revolution?
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Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
In French: “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité”.
💡 Did you know? It is still France's motto today.
Which queen was also executed?
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Marie Antoinette
The Austrian-born queen died under the guillotine in 1793.
💡 Did you know? The famous line “Let them eat cake” is probably invented.
With which device were the condemned executed?
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The guillotine
The blade was seen as an “equal” execution for all estates.
💡 Did you know? It is named after the doctor Joseph-Ignace Guillotin.
In which year was King Louis XVI executed?
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1793
The regicide shocked the monarchies of Europe.
💡 Did you know? A few months later Marie Antoinette followed him.
What is the revolution's bloodiest phase of 1793 to 1794 called?
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The Reign of Terror
Thousands of “suspects” were executed.
💡 Did you know? It ended when its leader was himself executed.
Which radical leader shaped the Reign of Terror?
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Robespierre
He was known as “the Incorruptible”.
💡 Did you know? In 1794 he was himself guillotined.
What were the radical revolutionaries around Robespierre called?
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The Jacobins
Their political club pushed the revolution to the left.
💡 Did you know? Their opponents were the more moderate Girondins.
Which form of state was proclaimed in 1792?
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The Republic
The monarchy was abolished.
💡 Did you know? It was France's first of several republics.
Which song became France's national anthem?
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La Marseillaise
Originally a war song of the revolutionary troops.
💡 Did you know? It got its name from volunteers from Marseille.
Which blue-white-red flag emerged from the revolution?
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The Tricolour
Blue, white and red replaced the royal lily.
💡 Did you know? It is still France's flag today.
Which holiday commemorates the storming of the Bastille?
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14 July
The “Quatorze Juillet” is France's national day.
💡 Did you know? In Paris there is a great military parade for it.
What did the revolution abolish?
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The estate society
The privileges of nobility and clergy fell away.
💡 Did you know? Before the law all were now to be equal.
Which general seized power at the end of the turmoil?
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Napoleon Bonaparte
In 1799 he ended the revolution with a coup.
💡 Did you know? Later he crowned himself emperor.
Which lasting legacy did the revolution leave?
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The idea of human rights
Popular sovereignty and equality before the law.
💡 Did you know? Its ideas inspired freedom movements worldwide.
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