Key Terms of 18th-Century Revolutions

Historical Vocabulary

Boston Tea Party

On Tuesday, December 16, 1773, the event known as the Boston Tea Party took place in Boston, during which a cargo of tea was thrown into the sea. It was an act of protest by the American colonists against Great Britain and is considered a precursor to the American War of Independence.

The revolt of the settlers at the port of Boston, Massachusetts, was born as a result of Britain's adoption in 1773 of the Tea Act. This act imposed duties on the import of various products, including tea, aiming to benefit the British East India Company, as Americans had been boycotting their tea by buying from Holland.

Girondists

Girondists was the name given to a political group and moderate federalist faction within the National Assembly and National Convention. It was composed of several deputies from the Gironde region. They belonged mostly to the provincial bourgeoisie from major coastal ports. Their violent confrontation with the group of Montagnards dominated the early months of the National Convention.

Jacobins

The Jacobins were members of a political group of the French Revolution called the Jacobin Club, whose headquarters was in Paris. Republicans and advocates of popular sovereignty, their vision of the indivisibility of the nation led them to advocate a centralized state. They are often confused with the Terror, in part because of the black legend disseminated by the Thermidorian Reaction regarding Robespierre. In the nineteenth century, Jacobinism was the source of inspiration for the Republican parties that promoted the Second and Third Republics. In contemporary French usage, the term is associated with a centralist conception of the Republic.

Estates-General

The Estates-General was an assembly composed of representatives of the three estates: the Nobility, the Clergy, and the Commoners. Each estate had one vote.

National Assembly

The National Assembly was an assembly representing the people or nation, and not a particular estate.

Sans-culottes

Sans-culottes were political activists from popular social groups.

The Holy Alliance

The Holy Alliance was a pact between Russia, Prussia, and Austria, directed against liberal and nationalist movements that emerged after the French Revolution.

Census Suffrage

Also called restricted suffrage, where only citizens meeting certain property or tax qualifications (a 'census') could vote.

Universal Suffrage

Universal Suffrage is an electoral system in which all adult citizens can vote without any discrimination. In this era, it often only contemplated the possibility of male suffrage.

Atlantic Revolutions

The American and French Revolutions, known as Atlantic Revolutions, are considered critical events in the decline of the Old Regime.