Can you beat them?
The French Revolution Quiz
Ten questions on the revolution that brought down the French monarchy, from the storming of the Bastille in 1789 to Napoleon's rise. Each answer comes with a short explanation.
- 10 questions
- About 3 minutes
- Easy
- Includes 2 photos
About this quiz
In 1789 France was the most populous kingdom in Western Europe, ruled by a king who claimed his power came from God. Within five years that king had been put to death and the Republic had rewritten the calendar. The quiz covers the high points: the fall of the Bastille, the king and queen, the guillotine, the Terror, the new weights and measures and Napoleon.
It is meant as an easy start. It sticks to famous names and events, but several questions check stories everyone has heard, such as "Let them eat cake", against what the sources say.
Topics in this quiz
Read up first
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Encyclopedia
Enlightenment
The 17th and 18th century movement that made reason, not kings or scripture, the judge of truth and government, and helped topple thrones.
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Encyclopedia
Maximilien Robespierre
The incorruptible lawyer who led the Committee of Public Safety and the Reign of Terror, then was guillotined without trial by the revolution he purified.
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Encyclopedia
Napoleonic Code
Napoleon's 1804 civil code that replaced feudal law with legal equality and secure property, and became the template for civil-law systems worldwide.
