HISTORY-LESSON 1

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

Q1. Name the event that marks the beginning of the French Revolution.

Ans 1. Storming of the Bastille on 14th July 1789.

Q2. What was the Bastille? Why was it stormed by the French people?

Ans 2. Bastille was a fortress prison located in the city of Paris.

French people stormed the Bastille because they hoped to find hoarded ammunition.
It stood for the absolute and despotic power of the king.

Q3. Why was the Bastille hated by all?

Ans 3. Bastille was hated by all because it stood for the despotic and absolute power of
the king.

Q4. Analyze the causes of the French revolution under the following heads:

a. Political Causes

b. Social Causes

c. Economic Causes

d. Role of the Middle class

e. Role of Enlightenment thinkers

f. Immediate Cause

I. POLITICAL CAUSES: Q. Enumerate

1. France was a monarchy. In 1774, Louis XVI of the the political
Bourbon family of kings ascended the throne of France. circumstances
He was 20 years old and married to the Austrian prevalent in
princess Marie Antoinette. The king indulged in wasting France which
money on his luxurious lifestyle. led to a
2. He was an autocratic and despotic ruler. revolution in
3. The people were tired of such a rotten system of 1789.
administration and wanted a change.

II. SOCIAL CAUSES: Q. What was

1. French society in the eighteenth century was divided the Old
into three estates: Regime?
✓ First Estate – clergy
✓ Second Estate – Nobles Q. Name the
✓ Third Estate – Businessmen, Officers, Lawyers, two estates
Peasants, Artisans, etc which enjoyed
The society of estates was part of the feudal system privileges
that dated back to the middle ages. The term Old based on
Regime is usually used to describe the society and birth.
institutions of France before 1789. Q. Name the
2. The members of the first two estates, that is, the estate that
 clergy and the nobility, enjoyed certain privileges by paid taxes.
birth. The most important of these was exemption
from paying taxes to the state. Only members of Q. Briefly
the third estate paid taxes. explain the
3. Peasants made up about 90 per cent of the terms Taille
population. However, only a small number of them and Tithes.
owned the land they cultivated. About 60 per cent of
the land was owned by nobles, the Church and other
richer members of the third estate.
4. Peasants were obliged to render services to the lord
, work in his house and fields, serve in the army or
to participate in building roads. There was social
inequality.
5. The nobles further enjoyed feudal privileges.
These included feudal dues, which they extracted
from the peasants.
6. The Church too extracted its share of taxes called
tithes from the peasants, and finally, all members
of the third estate had to pay taxes to the state.
These included a direct tax, called taille, and a
number of indirect taxes which were levied on
articles of everyday consumption like salt or
tobacco.

III. ECONOMIC CAUSES: Q. Enumerate

1. In 1774, Louis XVI ascended the throne of France. Upon the economic
his accession the new king found an empty treasury. circumstances
2. Long years of war had drained the financial resources of prevalent in
France. France which
3. Added to this was the cost of maintaining an led to a
extravagant court at the immense palace of Versailles. revolution in
4. Under Louis XVI, France helped the thirteen American 1789.
colonies to gain their independence from the common
enemy, Britain. The war added more than a billion livres
to a debt that had already risen to more than 2 billion
livres. Lenders who gave the state credit, now began to
charge 10 per cent interest on loans. So the French
government was obliged to spend an increasing
percentage of its budget on interest payments alone.
5. To meet its regular expenses, such as the cost of
maintaining an army, the court, running government
offices or universities, the state was forced to increase
taxes.
6. There was subsistence crisis. The population of France
was increasing but the production of food grains could
not keep a pace with it which led to increase in prices.
The wages were fixed and food shortages were
common.

IV. ROLE OF MIDDLE CLASS Q. Who

1. The eighteenth century witnessed the emergence of formed the
social groups, termed the middle class, who were middle class
educated and has access to new ideas. in France?
2. They had earned their wealth through an expanding Highlight their
overseas trade and from the manufacture of goods such role in the
as woollen and silk textiles that were either exported or revolution.
bought by the richer members of society.
 3. In addition to merchants and manufacturers, the third
estate included professions such as lawyers or
administrative officials.
4. All of these were educated and believed that no group
in society should be privileged by birth. Rather, a
person’s social position must depend on his merit.

V. ROLE OF PHILOSOPHERS: Q. Name the

1. These ideas envisaging a society based on freedom and three
equal laws and opportunities for all, were put forward philosophers/
by philosophers such as John Locke, Montesquieu enlightenment
and Jean Jacques Rousseau. thinkers. Also
2. In his Two Treatises of Government, Locke sought name their
to refute the doctrine of the divine and absolute right of books and
the monarch. explain their
3. Rousseau carried the idea forward, proposing a form theme.
of government based on a social contract between Q. ‘The ideas
people and their representatives. of the
4. In The Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu proposed a philosophers
division of power within the government between the played a
legislative, the executive and the judiciary. significant
5. The ideas of these philosophers were discussed role in the
intensively in salons and coffee-houses and spread French
among people through books and newspapers. These Revolution.’
were frequently read aloud in groups for the benefit of Justify.
those who could not read and write.
VI. IMMEDIATE CAUSES: Q. Highlight
1. On 5 May 1789, Louis XVI called together an assembly the
of the Estates General to pass proposals for new taxes. immediate
Voting in the Estates General till now was done cause of the
according to the principle of one estate one vote. But French
members of the third estate demanded that voting Revolution.
should now be conducted by the assembly as a whole,
where each member would have one vote. Q. Why did
2. When the king rejected this proposal, members of the the members
third estate walked out of the assembly in protest and of the 3rd
formed a national assembly. They swore not to disperse estate move
till they had drafted a constitution for France that would out of the
limit the powers of the monarch. meeting of
3. While the National Assembly was busy at Versailles Estates
drafting a constitution, the rest of France seethed with General?
turmoil. A severe winter had meant a bad harvest; the
price of bread rose, often bakers exploited the situation
and hoarded supplies.
4. After spending hours in long queues at the bakery,
crowds of angry women stormed into the shops. At the
same time, the king ordered troops to move into Paris.
On 14 July1789, the agitated crowd stormed and
destroyed the Bastille.

Q5. Explain the term subsistence crisis. Enlist the factors that led to this crisis
in France.
Ans 5. Subsistence crisis - An extreme situation where the basic means of livelihood
are endangered

1. INCREASE IN POPULATION: The population of France rose from about 23

million in 1715 to 28 million in 1789. This led to a rapid increase in the
demand for food grains.

2. PRICE RISE: Production of grains could not keep pace with the demand. So the
price of bread which was the staple diet of the majority rose rapidly.

3. WAGES WERE FIXED: Most workers were employed as labourers in workshops

whose owner fixed their wages. But wages did not keep pace with the rise in
prices. So the gap between the poor and the rich widened.

4. DROUGHT/HAIL: Things became worse whenever drought or hail reduced

the harvest. This led to a subsistence crisis, something that occurred frequently
in France during the Old Regime.

Q6. What was the Estates General? Why the meeting of the estates general was
called on 5th may 1789? Also, explain the composition of the assembly.

Ans6. The Estates General was a political body to which the three estates sent their
representatives.

The meeting of the Estates General was called on 5th May 1789 to pass the proposal of
new taxes.

COMPOSITION:

• The first and second estates sent 300 representatives each, who were seated in
rows facing each other on two sides, while the 600 members of the third estate
had to stand at the back. Each estate had one vote.

• The third estate was represented by its more prosperous and educated
members. Peasants, artisans and women were denied entry to the assembly.
However, their grievances and demands were listed in some 40,000 letters which
the representatives had brought with them.

Q7. Explain the Tennis Court Oath. Also, name the leaders.

Ans 7.

1. On 20 June 1789, they assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court in the
grounds of Versailles. They declared themselves a National Assembly and swore
not to disperse till they had drafted a constitution for France that would limit the
powers of the monarch.
2. They were led by Mirabeau and AbbÈ SieyËs.

Q8. Highlight the features of the constitutional monarchy formed in France in

1789.

Ans 8.

1. SEPARATION OF POWERS: National Assembly completed the draft of the

constitution in 1791. Its main object was to limit the powers of the monarch.
 These powers instead of being concentrated in the hands of one person, were
now separated and assigned to different institutions - the legislature, executive
and judiciary. This made France a constitutional monarchy.

2. NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: The Constitution of 1791 vested the power to make

laws in the National Assembly, which was indirectly elected. That is, citizens
voted for a group of electors, who in turn chose the Assembly.

3. ACTIVE CITIZENS: Only men above 25 years of age who paid taxes equal to at
least 3 days of a labourer’s wage were given the status of active citizens, that is,
they were entitled to vote. They were 4 million out of a population of 28 million.

4. PASSIVE CITIZENS: The remaining men and all women were classed as passive
citizens. To qualify as an elector and then as a member of the Assembly, a man
had to belong to the highest bracket of taxpayers.
5. RIGHTS OF MAN AND CITIZENS:
The Constitution began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.
Rights such as
• the right to life, freedom of speech
• freedom of opinion
• equality before law
were established as natural and inalienable rights, that is, they belonged to each
human being by birth and could not be taken away. It was the duty of the state to
protect each citizen’s natural rights.

KINDLY NOTE YOU HAVE TO DRAW THE FIGURE OF CONSTITUTIONAL

MONARCHY AND POLITICAL SYMBOLS GIVEN AFTER THIS

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Q9. Name the following:

a. the country with which Louis XVI entered into secret negotiations- Prussia
 b. The two countries against which National Assembly declared a war in April 1792-
Prussia and Austria
c. The National Anthem of France- Marseillaise
d. The Place where it was sung for the first time-Marseilles
e. The Poet who composed it-Roget de LíIsle
f. Newly elected assembly formed in 1792-Convention

Q10. a. Who were the Jacobins?

b. Who was their leader?

c. Why were they called sans-culottes?

d. Why did they wear a red cap?

a. The Jacobins club got its name from the former convent of St Jacob in Paris. The
members of the Jacobin club belonged mainly to the less prosperous sections of
society. They included small shopkeepers, artisans such as shoemakers, pastry
cooks, watch-makers, printers, as well as servants and daily-wage workers.

b. Their leader was Maximilian Robespierre.

c. Jacobins came to be known as the sans-culottes, literally meaning those without knee
breeches. They started wearing long striped trousers similar to those worn by dock
workers to set themselves apart from the fashionable sections of society, especially
nobles, who wore knee breeches. It was a way of proclaiming the end of the power
wielded by the wearers of knee breeches.

d. They wore a red cap that symbolised liberty.

Q11. ‘The period from 1793 to 1794 is referred to as the Reign of Terror.’
Analyse this statement.

Ans 11.

1. Robespierre followed a policy of severe control and punishment.

2. All those whom he saw as being enemies of the republic, ex-nobles and clergy,
members of other political parties, even members of his own party who did not
agree with his methods were arrested, imprisoned and then tried by a
revolutionary tribunal.

3. If the court found them guilty, they were guillotined.

Robespierre pursued his policies so relentlessly that even his supporters began to
demand moderation. Finally, he was convicted by a court in July 1794, arrested
and on the next day sent to the guillotine.
Q12. Enumerate the equality measures introduced by Maximilian Robespierre.

Ans 12.

1. Robespierre’s government issued laws placing a maximum ceiling on wages and

prices.

2. Meat and bread were rationed.

3. Peasants were forced to transport their grain to the cities and sell it at prices
fixed by the government.

4. The use of more expensive white flour was forbidden; all citizens were required to
eat equality bread, a loaf made of wholewheat.

5. The traditional titles of Monsieur (Sir) and Madame (Madam) were abolished. All
French men and women were henceforth Citoyen and Citoyenne (Citizen).

6. Churches were shut down and their buildings converted into barracks or offices.

Q13. Explain the rise of Directory in France.

Ans 13.

1. The fall of the Jacobin government allowed the wealthier middle classes to seize
power.
2. A new constitution was introduced which denied the vote to non-propertied
sections of society. It provided for two elected legislative councils.

3. These then appointed a Directory, an executive made up of five members. This

was meant as a safeguard against the concentration of power in a one-man
executive as under the Jacobins.

4. However, the Directors often clashed with the legislative councils, who then
sought to dismiss them.

5. The political instability of the Directory paved the way for the rise of a military
dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte.

Q14. Describe the legacy of the French revolution.

Ans 14.

1. The French Revolution broke out in 1789 with the slogan of ‘Liberty’, ‘Equality’ and
‘Fraternity’. It led to the end of monarchy in France.

2. The ideas of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity and Democratic Rights were the most
important legacy of the French Revolution for the people of the world during 19th and
20th centuries.
Q15. Compare and Contrast the condition of women before and after the
revolution.

Ans 15.

CONDITIONS OF WOMEN BEFORE THE REVOLUTION:

1. Most women of the third estate had to work for a living. They worked as
seamstresses or laundresses, sold flowers, fruits and vegetables at the market, or
were employed as domestic servants in the houses of prosperous people.

2. Most women did not have access to education or job training.

3. Only daughters of nobles or wealthier members of the third estate could study at
a convent, after which their families arranged a marriage for them.

4. Working women had also to care for their families, that is, cook, fetch water,
queue up for bread and look after the children.

5. Their wages were lower than those of men.

CONDITIONS OF WOMEN AFTER THE REVOLUTION:

1. Together with the creation of state schools, schooling was made compulsory for
all girls.

2. Their fathers could no longer force them into marriage against their will.

3. Marriage was made into a contract entered into freely and registered under civil
law. Divorce was made legal, and could be applied for by both women and men.

4. Women could now train for jobs, could become artists or run small businesses.

5. Women’s struggle for equal political rights, however, continued.

Q16. Name the most popular women’s political club in France. Also, list its
demand.

Ans 16. The Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women was the most famous of
them. One of their main demands was that women enjoy the same political rights as
men.

Q17. Briefly explain the slave trade prevalent in France.

1. French Colonies- The colonies in the Caribbean, Martinique, Guadeloupe and San
Domingo were important suppliers of commodities such as tobacco, indigo, sugar and
coffee.

2. Shortage of Labour – The slave trade began in the 17th century. Europeans did not
want to go and work in distant and unfamiliar lands which meant a shortage of labour on
the plantations.

3. Triangular Slave Trade – This shortage of labour was met by triangular slave trade
between Europe, Africa and the Americas.
4. Slaves bought from Local Chieftains – French merchants sailed from the ports of
Bordeaux of Nantes to the African Coast, where they bought slaves from local chieftains.

4. Slave Exploitation – The slaves were packed tightly into ships for the 3 month long
voyage across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. There they were sold to plantation owners
and were exploited.

5. Abolition of Slavery: One of the most revolutionary social reforms of the Jacobin
regime was the abolition of slavery in the French colonies. However, it was reintroduced
by Napoleon ten years later. Slavery was finally abolished in French colonies in 1848.

Q18. Explain the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte in France.

Ans 18. RISE OF NAPOLEON

1. In 1774 King Louis XVI ascended the throne of France.

2. In 1789, a revolutionary protest broke out in France which resulted in the formation of
a constitutional monarchy in 1791 dividing the powers between judiciary, executive and
legislature. The society was divided between active and passive citizens out of which
only active citizens had a right to vote.

3. In 1792, the Jacobins captured the power and newly elected assembly called

‘Convention’ was formed. The fall of the Jacobin government allowed the wealthier
middle classes to seize power.

4. A new constitution was introduced which denied the vote to non – propertied sections
of the society. A Directory – an executive made up of five members was appointed. The
Directors often clashed with the legislative councils.

5. The political instability of the Directory paved the way for the rise of military power,
Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1804, he crowned himself Emperor of France. Napoleon
Bonaparte was a great conqueror and an able administrator in France.

Q19. Explain the role of Napoleon Bonaparte as a Moderniser /Liberator.

Ans 19. NAPOLEON AS A MODERNISER

1. In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of France. He set out to

conquer neighbouring European countries, dispossessing dynasties and creating
kingdoms where he placed members of his family. Napoleon saw his role as a
moderniser of Europe.

2. He introduced many laws such as the protection of private property and a uniform
system of weights and measures provided by the decimal system.

3. Initially, many saw Napoleon as a liberator who would bring freedom for the
people. But soon the Napoleonic armies came to be viewed everywhere as an
invading force. He was finally defeated at Waterloo in 1815.

4. Many of his measures that carried the revolutionary ideas of liberty and modern
laws to other parts of Europe had an impact on people long after Napoleon had
left.
Q20. Enumerate the consequences of the French Revolution.

Ans 20.

1. Feudal system was abolished. All the laws of old regime were annulled.

2. The social, economic and political discrimination came to an end. A new society
was organized on the basis of equality, liberty, fraternity and freedom.

3. Right such as Freedom of speech, expression and opinion became the natural
rights of the citizens.

4. Censorship was abolished. Freedom of press was granted

5. Abolition of titles of aristocracy. Everyone was treated as the citizen of France.

5. Slavery was abolished in French colonies in 1848.

Q21. Name the leaders from India who were influenced by the ideas of
French revolution.

Ans 21. Tipu Sultan and Rammohan Roy are two examples of individuals who
responded to the ideas coming from revolutionary France.

Q22. Draw up list of democratic rights we enjoy today whose origin could be
traced to the French Revolution.

Ans 22.

India being a democratic country allows its citizens to enjoy equal rights. The
constitution guarantees the following rights:

1. Right to Equality

2. Right to Freedom

3. Right to freedom of speech and expression

4. Right to freedom of press and opinion

5. Right to vote

The above mentioned democratic rights have their origin in the French Revolution.
YEAR NAME OF THE EVENT

1774 LOUIS XVI ASCENDED THE THRONE OF FRANCE

1789 • MEETING OF THE ESTATES GENERAL WAS CALLED BY LOUIS XVI TO DISCUSS THE PROPOSAL OF
TH
NEW TAXES (5 MAY 1789)
TH
• THIRD ESTATE FORMED A NATIONAL ASSEMBLY (20 JUNE 1789)
TH
• STORMING OF THE BASTILLE, BEGINNING OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION (14 JULY 1789)

1791 FRANCE BECAME A CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY WHICH LIMITS THE POWER OF THE MONARCH

1792 NEWLY ELECTED ASSEMBLY CONVENTION WAS FORMED, FRANCE BECAME A REPUBLIC
ST
(21 SEPTEMBER 1792)

1793 LOUIS XVI WAS EXECUTED PUBLICLY AT THE PLACE DE LA CONCORDE (21ST JANUARY 1793 ). HE WAS
CHARGED FOR TREASON.

1793-94 REIGN OF TERROR UNDER MAXIMILIAN ROBESPIERRE

1794 ROBESPIERRE WAS GUILLOTINED

1794-1804 DIRECTORY RULESDFRANCE

1804 NAPOLEON CROWNED HIMSELF AS THE EMPEROR OF FRANCE

1815 NAPOLEON BONAPARTE WAS DEFEATED AT THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO

1946 FRENCH WOMEN GOT THE RIGHT TO VOTE