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Exams

Midterm Exam
  1. IDs (1 point each, 5 points total).  Identify FIVE of the following seven terms with a few sentences or a brief paragraph.

    Comédie-Française                         
    Assembly of Notables                    
    Lettres de cachet  
    Manifesto of Brunswick
    The Great Fear
    Varennes
    Cahiers de doléances (Lists of Grievances)


  2. Essay Question (25 Points).  Write a synthetic essay in response to ONE of the following two questions.
  • Explain why the government established under the Constitution of 1791 collapsed a year later.
  • "…before becoming a set of repressive institutions used by the Republic to liquidate its adversaries and establish its dominaton on a basis of fear, the Terror was a demand based on political convictions or beliefs, a characteristic feature of the mentality or revolutionary activism. As such, it predated the dictatorship of the Year II, the Republic, and the war with Europe.  It had existed since the early summer of 1789…." (François Furet, "The Terror", 137) 

    Write an essay in which you agree or disagree with this statement, based on evidence from our readings and class discussions.
Final Exam
  1. Visual Analysis (10 points total).

    In the fall of 1793, Jacques-Louis David received a commission from the Committee of Public Safety to create images “which could arouse the public spirit and make it perceive how atrocious and ridiculous are the enemies of Liberty and the Republic.”  The engraving on the back, entitled “the English Government”,  was one of two images created by David in late 1793 for this purpose.  In a few paragraphs, discuss David’s intentions in this piece of pro-Republican, pro-French propaganda.  Be sure to situate the image’s meanings in the context of events taking place in the second half of 1793.


  2. Essay (50 points).  Please write an essay in response to the question below.

    When did the French Revolution end?  Use specific evidence from class discussions and readings to support your argument.