Chapter 1 The French Revolution

Question 1.
Describe the circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in France?
Answer:
The following circumstances led to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in France:

1. Louis XVI was an autocratic ruler who could not compromise with his luxurious life. He also
lacked farsightedness.

2. When he ascended the throne the royal treasury was empty. Long years of war had drained
the financial resources of France. Added to this was the cost of maintaining an extravagant
court at the immense palace of Versailles.

3. Under Louis XVI France helped the thirteen American colonies to gain their independence
from Britain the war added more than a billion livres to a dept credit, now began to charge
10% interest on loans. So the French government was obliged to spend an increasing
percentage of its budget on interest payments alone.

4. The state finally increased taxes to meet its regular expenses su?h as the cost of maintaining
an army, running government offices and universities.

5. The French society was divided into three estates but only members of the first two estates
i.e,, the clergy and the nobles were exempted to pay taxes. They belonged to privileged class.
Thus the burden of financing activities of the state through taxes was borne by the third
estate only.

6. The middle class that emerged in the 18th century France was educated and enlightened.
They refuted the theory of divine rights of the kings and absolute monarchy. They believed
that a person’s social position must depend on his merit. They had access to the various
ideas of equality and freedom proposed by philosophers like John Locke, Jean Jacques
Rousseau, Montesquieu etc. Their ideas got popularised among the common mass as a
result of intensive discussions and debates in saloons and coffee houses and through books
and newspapers.

7. The French administration was extremely corrupt. It did not give weightage to the French
Common man.
The state finally increased taxes to meet its regular expenses such as the cost of maintaining
an army, running government offices and universities.

Question 2.
Which groups of French society benefited from the revolution? Which groups were forced to
relinquish power? Which sections of society would have been disappointed with the outcome of
the revolution?
Answer:

1. The wealthy class of the third estate which came to be known as the new middle class of
France benefited the most from the revolution. This group comprised of big businessmen,
petty officers, lawyers, teachers, doctors and traders. Previously, these people had to pay
state taxes and they did not enjoy equal status. But after the revolution they began to be
treated equally with the upper sections of the society.
 Chapter 1 The French Revolution

2. With the abolition of feudal system of obligation and taxes, the clergy and the nobility came
on the same level with the middle class. They were forced to give up their privileges. Their
executive powers were also taken away from them.

3. The poorer sections of the society, i.e. small peasants, landless labourers, servants, daily
wage earners would have been disappointed with the outcome of the revolution. Women
also would have been highly discontented.

Question 3.
Describe the legacy of the French Revolution for the peoples of the world during the nineteenth
and the twentieth centuries.
Answer:
The French Revolution proved to be the most important event in the history of the world.

1. The ideas of liberty and democratic rights were the most important legacy of the French
Revolution. These ideas became an umpiring force for the political movements in the world
in the 19th and 20th centuries.

2. The ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity spread from France to the rest of Europe, where
feudal system was finally abolished.

3. Colonised people reworked on the idea of freedom from bondage into their movements to
Create a sovereign nation-state.

4. The idea of Nationalism that emerged after the French Revolution started becoming mass
movements all over the world. Now people began to question the absolute power.

5. The impact of the French Revolution would be seen in India too. Tipu Sultan and Raja
Rammohan Roy got deeply influenced by the ideas of the revolution. In the end, we can say
that after the French Revolution people all over the world became aware of their rights.

Question 4.
Draw up a list of democratic rights we enjoy today whose origins could be traced to the French
Revolution.
Answer:
Some of the democratic rights which we enjoy today can be traced to the French Revolution are as
follows:

1. Right to equality including equality before the law, the prohibition of discrimination, and
equality of opportunity in matters of employment.

2. Right to freedom of speech and expression including the right to practice any profession or
occupation.

3. Right against exploitation.

4. Right to life.

5. Right to vote.

Question 5.
Would you agree with the view that the message of universal rights was beset with contradictions?
Explain.
Answer:
 Chapter 1 The French Revolution

1. The message of universal rights was definitely beset with contradictions. Many ideals of the
“Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen” were not at all clear. They had dubious meanings.

2. The French Revolution could not bring economic equality and it is the fact that unless there
is economic equality, real equality cannot be received at any sphere. The Declaration of
Rights of Man and Citizen laid stress on equality but large section of the society was denied
to it. The right to vote and elect their representatives did not solve the poor man’s problem.

3. Women were still regarded as passive citizens. They did not have any political rights such as
right to vote and hold political offices like men. Hence, their struggle for equal political rights
continued.

4. France continued to hold and expand colonies. Thus, its image as a liberator could not last
for a long time.

5. Slavery existed in France until the first half of the 19th century.

Question 6.
How would you explain the rise of Napoleon?
Answer:

1. The political instability of the Directory paved the way for the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon had achieved glorious victories in wars. This made France realize that only a
military dictator like Napoleon would restore a stable government.

2. In 1804, he crowned himself the emperor of France. He set out to conquer neighboring
European countries, dispossessing dynasties and creating kingdoms where he placed
members of his family. Napoleon viewed himself as a moderniser of Europe.

3. He introduced many laws such as the protection of private property and a uniform system of
weight and measures provided by the decimal system. But his rise to power did not last for a
long time. He was finally defeated at Waterloo in 1815.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
“Ideas of liberty and democratic rights were the most important legacy of the French Revolution”.
Explain the statement in the light of French Revolution.
Answer:

 People of Third Estate demanded a society based on freedom and opportunities to all.

 The National Assembly was formed in 1791 with an object to limit the powers of the
monarch.

 The Constitution framed in 1791 began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens.

 Censorship was abolished in 1789.

Question 2.
Explain the impact of the French Revolution on the life of people of French.
Answer:

 Divorce was made legal, and could be applied by both women and men. Women could be
now trained for jobs, could become artists or run small businesses.
 Chapter 1 The French Revolution

 The Constitution of 1791 began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. It
proclaimed that Freedom of speech and opinion and equality before law were natural rights
of each human being by birth. These could not be taken away.

 Newspapers, pamphlets and printed pictures appeared steadily in the towns of French. From
there, they travelled into the countryside. These publications described and discussed the
events and changes taking place in the country.

Question 3.
What compelled Louis XVI to raise taxes in France?
Answer:

 Wars and Economic Crisis : In 1774, when Louis XVI ascended the throne, he found and
empty treasure. The nation had gone into deep dept because of the fighting in the Seven
Years War (1756-1763) and the Revolutionary War in America under Louis XVI. In this war,
France helped the 13 American colonies to gain their independence from Britain. The war
added more than a billion livers to a dept that had already risen to more than 2 billion livres.

 Debt Trap: 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. 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.

 Extravagant Court: France under various kings had a extravagant court at the immense
palace of Versailles.

Question 4.
Describe the status of the nobles in France before the revolution.
Answer:
The clergy and the nobles led a life of luxury and enjoyed numerous privileges. On the other hand,
the peasants and workers lived a wretched life. They groaned under heavy taxes and forced labour.
The middle-class comprising of lawyers, doctors, teachers, etc also suffered humiliation at the hands
of the clergy and the nobles. This state of social inequality was the chief cause of the French
Revolution.

Question 5.
“The inequality that existed in the French Society in the Old Regime became the cause of French
Revolution”. Justify the statement by giving three suitable examples.
Answer:
The examples are :

 French Society was divided into three Estates. The First Estate comprised of clergy, the
Second Estate comprised of nobility and the Third Estate comprised of businessmen, traders,
merchants, artisans, peasants and servants.

 The members of Church and nobility enjoyed certain privileges by birth, the most important
being the exemption from paying taxes to the State.

 Feudal dues were extracted by nobles from peasants and one-tenth of the agricultural
produce of peasants, in the form of Tithes came to the share of clergy. All members of the
 Chapter 1 The French Revolution

Third Estate including peasants paid taxes, thus, the burden of financing activities of the the
state through taxes was borne by the Third Estate alone creating heavy discontentment.

Question 6.
How did philosophers influence the thinking of the people of France?
Answer:
Philosophers influence the thinking of the people of France as :

 Major changes were introduced in the Russian economy and agriculture after the revolution.
Private property was abolished and land became a state property. Peasants had the freedom
to cultivate on state ” – controlled land.

 A proper system of centralized planning was introduced with the help of five year plans. It
helped in bringing about technological improvements, economic growth and helped in
removing the inequalities in the society.

 The revolution acknowledged right to work and identified dignity of labour. Socialist
economy added a new dimension to democracy, by attributing it as a socio-economic system.

Question 7.
What was the role of philosophers and thinkers in the French Revolution? Explain by giving three
examples.
Answer:

 The philosophers and thinkers believed that,no group in a society should be privileged by
birth. They supported a society based on freedom and equal laws.

 In his Two Treatises.of government, John Locke sought to refute the doctrine of the divine
and absolute right of the monarch.

 Rousseau carried the idea forward, proposing a form of government based on a social
contract between people and their representatives. In The Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu
proposed a division of power within the government between the legislative, the executive
and the judiciary.

Question 8.
What measures were taken by Robespierre to bring equality in the French Society? HOTS
Answer:
Measures are :

 Robespierre government issued laws placing a maximum ceiling on wages and prices.

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

 The use of more expensive white flour was forbidden; all citizens were required to eat the
quality bread, a loaf made of whole wheat.

 Equality was also sought to be practised through forms of speech and address.

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

 Equality was also sought to be practised through forms of speech and address.
 Chapter 1 The French Revolution

Question 9.
How did the peasants contribute to the outbreak of the French Revolution? Explain. HOTS
Answer:
Contribution of the peasants to the outbreak of the French Revolution :

 The peasants had to pay various taxes to the government, to the nobles and to the Church.

 They were subjected to forced labour, they had to work free in the land of the nobles for
three days in a week.

 Crops were trampled by hunting parties of the nobles. About 81% of their income went to
the State, Nobles, Church, 19% of the income was their to live on grass and roofs and 1,000
peoples of them died due to starvation. As as whole, the Administration was corrupt.

Question 10.
State the events that led to the formation of the National Assembly.
Answer:

 The Estates General was a political body of France to which the three estates sent their
representatives. The voting in it had been conducted according to the principle that each
estate had one vote.

 This time too when Louis XVI called a meeting of the Estates General, he decided to continue
the same old practice.

 But the members of the Third Estate demanded that voting now be conducted on the
democratic principle of one person, one vote.

 When the king rejected this proposal, the members of the Third Estate walked out of the
assembly in protest.

 They assembled on 20 June, 1789 in the hall of an indoor tennis court in Versailles. These
representatives of the Third Estate viewed themselves as spokesmen for whole French
nation. They declared themselves a National Assembly.

Long Answer Type Questions

 The First Estate: It consisted of the clergymen and church-fathers.

 The Second Estate: It consisted of landlords, men of noble birth and aristocrats.

 The Third Estate: It consisted of the vast majority of the common masses, the landless
peasants, servants, etc.
 Chapter 1 The French Revolution

(ii) Heavy Burden of Taxes on the Third Estate: The members of the first two Estates were exempted
from paying taxes to the state. So all the taxes were paid by the people of the Third Estate.
(iii) Wide Gap between People of Different Estates: Most of the people of the Third Estate were
employed as labourers in workshops with fixed wages. The wages failed to keep pace with the rise in
prices. So the gap between the poor and the rich widened.
(iv) No Political Rights: Out of the total population, the first and the second Estates had share of 2%.
The remaining people belonged to the Third Estate. Although the upper two classes made up only a
small fraction of the total population, yet they were the people who controlled the political and
economic system of the nation. They enjoyed all the rights and privileges. The entire machinery of
the government was designed to protect their interests and privileges.
(v) Unequal Distribution of Wealth : In the French society, peasants made up about 90% of the
population. However, only a small number of them owned the land they cultivated. About 60% of the
land was owned by nobles, the church and other richer members of the Third Estate.

Question 2.
Explain the role of thinkers and philosophers in the French Revolution.
Answer:
(i) Influence of the Philosophers and Writers: There were many French philosophers and thinkers like
John Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Voltaire and Mirabeau, who exposed the evils prevailing in the
system. They infused people with the idea of liberty, equality and fraternity.

(ii) Charles Montesquieu (1689-1775): A nobleman by birth, he became a lawyer and a judge. In his
book, “The Spirit of Laws”, he criticised autocracy and praised the democratic republic.

(iii) Francis Aronet Voltaire (1694-1778): Voltaire was another outstanding philosopher of the
Revolution. He wanted the people to think about their material life on earth, and forget about
heaven. He condemned the Church which supported the privileged class, and ignored the poor.

(iv) Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778): Rousseau is regarded as the architect of the French
Revolution. He gave the slogan “Man was born free, yet he is everywhere in chains”. In the famous
book, “The Social Contract”, he proved that the government was the result of a social contract
between the people on the one hand, and ruler on the other. So if the ruler did not fulfil the
contract, the people had the right to withdraw their loyalty to him, and bring down the tyranny of
the ruler, by revolting.

(v) John Locke: He was also a great political thinker. He wrote ‘Two Treatises of Government’ in which
he sought to refute the doctrine of the divine and the absolute right of the monarch.

Question 3.
Explain the events that led to the insurrection of 1792 in France.
Answer:
(i) Assembly of the Estates: On 5th May, 1789 Louis XVI called together an assembly of the Estates
General to pass proposals for new taxes. Voting in the Estates General in the past had been
conducted according to the principle that each estate had one vote. This time too, Louis XVI was
determined to continue the same practice. But members of the Third Estate demanded that voting
now should be conducted by the assembly as a whole, where each member would have one vote.
When the king rejected this proposal, members of the Third Estate walked out of the assembly in
protest.

(ii) National Assembly : The representatives of the Third Estate viewed themselves as spokesmen for
the whole French nation. On 20th June, they assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court in the
 Chapter 1 The French Revolution

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. They were led
by Mirabeau and Abbe’ Sieye’s.

(iii) Turmoil in France : While the National Assembly was busy at Versailles drafting the Constitution,
the rest of France seethed with turmoil. Due to bad harvest, there was shortage of food, and there
was also rumour that bands of brigands were on their way to destroy the ripe crops. Caught in a
frenzy of fear, peasants started attacking nobles. Under all these circumstances, Louis XVI finally
accorded recognition to the National Assembly.

(iv) Storming the Bastille : On the morning of 14th July, 1789 the agitated crowd stormed and
destroyed the Bastille. Under all these circumstances, Louis XVI finally according recognition to the
National Assembly.

(v) France became a Republic : In 1792 the Jacobians held the king hostage and declared to form a
new government. The newly elected Assembly was called the Convention. On 21st September, 1792
it abolished the monarchy and declared France as a republic.

Question 4.
Explain the role of Mirabeau and Abbe’ Sieye’s in the French Revolution. HOTS
Answer:

 Both Mirabeau and Abbe’ Sieye’s were great political thinkers.

 They were the leaders of the National Assembly which was formed in 1789 after the failure
of the meeting of the Estate General.

 Mirabeau was born in a noble family but was convinced of the need to do away with a
society of feudal privilege.

 He brought out a journal, and delivered powerful speeches to the crowds assembled at
Versailles.

 Abbe’ Sieye’s originally a priest, wrote an influential pamphlet called, ‘What is the Third
Estate?’