a revolution is the forcible overthrow of a government: a great or complete change

the status quo is a term used to refer to the way things are or the existing way society is set up

a pamphlet is a small booklet or leaflet written to argue for or against an idea

when there is a great change in society it is known as a social upheaval

a constitution is a set of basic principles or laws that govern a nation

British responses to the French Revolution

History

The spread of radical revolutionary ideas from France to Ireland

The rise of Napoleon and his fight for the new French Republic

The reign of Napoleon: war and legal reforms

Britain and the Napoleonic Wars

Understanding the Napoleonic era through political cartoons

In this unit, pupils analyse how European nations reacted to the French Revolution and its challenges to monarchy and social order. In the unit, ‘Women's suffrage: why did it take so long for women to get the vote in Britain?’, pupils will trace the long fight for democratic rights in Britain, building on the revolutionary ideas of equality and representation.

In ‘The Enlightenment: what was the Enlightenment?’, pupils explored the rise of new ideas about reason, liberty, and individual rights that challenged traditional authority. Building on this, the current unit examines how these Enlightenment ideas influenced Europe’s reactions to the French Revolution and its radical transformation of society and politics.

In this unit, pupils learn about British responses to the French Revolution and Napoleon's rise. They examine how revolutionary ideas spread to Ireland and end the unit by learning about the Napoleonic Wars and how this period was represented in political cartoons of the day.

The French Revolution: How did Europe respond to the French Revolution?

a sectarian society is one that is divided along religious and political lines

a Catholic is a Christian who belongs to Roman Catholic Church, whose spiritual leader is the Pope in Rome

an Anglican (in this context) is a member of the Church of Ireland, which belongs to the Protestant denomination of Christianity

people regarded as belonging to the best or most powerful group in society are known as the elite

each different type of Christianity is known as a denomination e.g. Catholicism, Protestantism, etc.

an emperor is the absolute ruler of an empire

the Directory was the name given to the group who controlled France in the period following the French Revolution

a Consul is normally one of two or more leaders of a republic who share power between them

a dictatorship is another name for a country that is ruled by just one person with absolute power and authority

a Consulate is a government normally ruled by more than one ‘Consul’ in a power-sharing arrangement

an emperor is a ruler with absolute power, with control over an empire, which is usually a group of countries taken by conquest

feudal describes the old French social hierarchy where the king owned all land and distributed it to those below him, who did the same for those below them, in exchange for work, money or service

a coalition is an alliance between countries against a common enemy

the navy refers to a country’s military force based at sea

the economy refers to the ways a country makes money and how much money it is making

smuggling involves trading goods in secret to avoid paying taxes

abdication refers to a ruler giving up their power.

exile means being sent away from your home country as punishment

a contemporary source is one created at the time of the events it depicts or is commenting on

provenance is a term used to describe a source's background; its nature, origin and purpose

reliable is another word for trustworthy and accurate

when something serious is made fun of in order to make a point it is known as satire

The French Revolution: How did Europe respond to the French Revolution?

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