Learning Outcome 1: Historical Enquiry

Assessment Standards: Asking questions about aspects of the past and asking questions to begin an investigation of the past.

Activity 7

A. Answer the following questions:

1. What is a monarch?
2. What do you call a monarch that has no real limits to his rule?
3. What is a republic?

Learning Outcome 2: Historical knowledge and understanding

Assessment Standards: Beginning to make links between historical events and processes in different contexts in the same period.

B. Look at the map. It shows what Europe looked like at the end of the 18th century:

Above: Europe at the end of the 18th century. The major powers were England, Austria,
Prussia, Russia and France. At this time France was ruled by the Directorate and
England had a limited monarchy. The other powers were absolute monarchies.

Now answer the following questions:

1. Find Prussia and Austria on the map.
2. Did these two countries have absolute monarchs?
3. If you were an absolute monarch and suddenly the absolute monarch in the neighbouring country next to you was killed by his own people, how would you feel?
4. Why do you think the kings of Prussia and Austria invaded France?

C. Look at the map of modern Europe:

Above: Limited monarchies in modern Europe

1. Compare the two maps.
2. Modern Prussia is part of which country / countries?
3. Does Prussia still have a monarch?
4. Which European countries still have monarchs?
5. Do these monarchs have absolute power? If not, how are they limited?

THE JACOBINS AND THE REIGN OF TERROR

The new group that came into power was called the Jacobins. They came from the masses, and wrote a new constitution. Under this constitution all men over 25 years old would have voting rights no matter how much money they had. The Jacobins used violence to stay in power and killed those who did not support or agree with them. The Jacobins became a feared and hated group, and their rule became known as the “Reign of Terror”. They killed the aristocracy in big public displays, so that the other people could see how they dealt with their enemies.

The man who was responsible for these deaths was Maximilien Robespierre. His terror and violence grew so great that even people who did support the Jacobins were killed. Finally, the people decided that they had had enough. Robespierre’s own friends turned against him and on 27 July 1794 Robespierre was killed at the guillotine. The Reign of Terror ended and the Radical Stage of the Revolution was over.

Maximilien Robespierre, the man who was responsible for the Reign of Terror
(Source: www.historywiz.com/ frenchrev-mm.htm)

Learning Outcome 1: Historical Enquiry

Assessment Standards: Asking questions about aspects of the past and asking questions to begin an investigation of the past.

Activity 8

Look at these points in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen:

Now answer these questions:

1. Whose head has been cut off?
2. How was his head cut off?
3. What is the reaction of the people watching?
4. Write a short paragraph (not more than 100 words) on how you would react if you had to witness this scene.