French Government Instability 1790-1795: Revolutionary Crisis and Political Upheaval

Which factor most fundamentally explains why the Girondins and Jacobins, despite both being revolutionary groups, became bitter enemies by 1793?

• Their conflicting views on centralised versus federalised government
• Their opposing positions on whether to continue the war with European powers
• Their different social class backgrounds and economic interests
• Their disagreement over the execution of Louis XVI

The sans-culottes' political demands created instability because they represented a challenge to which fundamental principle that moderate revolutionaries wanted to maintain?

• The concept of property rights and economic hierarchy
• The principle of representative rather than direct democracy
• The idea of constitutional monarchy
• The separation of church and state

Why did the émigré nobles pose such a persistent threat to French government stability between 1790-1795?

• They had formed effective military alliances with foreign powers
• They maintained control over the Catholic Church hierarchy
• They controlled most of France's overseas colonies
• They represented both an external military threat and an internal legitimacy crisis

The transition from the Legislative Assembly to the National Convention in 1792 demonstrates which key pattern in French governmental instability?

• Revolutionary crises repeatedly forced the creation of new institutions with expanded powers
• Foreign military pressure consistently determined domestic political changes
• Each new government became more conservative than its predecessor
• Economic problems always preceded major constitutional changes

Which aspect of the Constitution of 1791's design most directly contributed to the governmental crisis that led to its abandonment?

• It did not provide adequate representation for the provinces
• It failed to address the economic grievances of the urban poor
• It gave too much power to the Catholic Church
• It created an unworkable division between the king's executive authority and legislative sovereignty

The assignats currency system created political instability primarily because it:

• Required the confiscation of Church lands
• Created inflation that undermined support for whichever government issued them
• Could only be used by the wealthy bourgeoisie
• Was rejected by foreign trading partners

Why did the Maximum (price controls) policy create a dilemma that destabilised the Committee of Public Safety?

• It violated the revolutionary principle of economic freedom
• It conflicted with the need to fund the war effort
• It satisfied urban workers but alienated rural producers essential for food supply
• It was impossible to enforce without a large bureaucracy

The Declaration of Pillnitz (1791) contributed to French governmental instability by:

• Establishing a trade embargo against French goods
• Creating pressure for a war that French governments were unprepared to fight
• Directly threatening military invasion of France
• Encouraging counter-revolutionary uprisings within France

Which factor best explains why the Thermidorian Reaction occurred when it did in July 1794?

• Fear that the Terror had become a threat to the revolutionaries themselves
• Military defeats had made Robespierre's government untenable
• Economic recovery had reduced the need for emergency measures
• Foreign powers had agreed to negotiate peace

The levée en masse (mass conscription) of 1793 created political tensions because it:

• Forced the government to rely on potentially unreliable citizen-soldiers
• Required resources the government could not afford
• Violated traditional exemptions for the wealthy and clergy
• Demonstrated the government's desperation and weakness to foreign enemies