FRENCH REVOLUTION

Long Answer Type Questions

How was the French society organized? What privileges did certain sections of the society enjoy? Describe.

Or

‘Social disparity was one of the major causes of the French Revolution.’ Justify by giving examples. HOTS

Answer:

(i) Division of the society into three Estate :

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.

(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.

(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.

(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.

(ii) National Assembly : 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.

(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?’
Question 5.

Explain triangular slave trade carried on during 18th and 19th century.

Answer:

The triangular slave trade was carried between Europe, Africa and America.

The slave trade began in the seventeenth century. French merchants sailed from the ports of Bordeaux or Nantes
to the African coast, where they bought slaves from local chieftains.

Branded and shackled, the slaves were packed tightly into ships for the three-month long voyage across the
Atlantic to the Caribbean. There they were sold to plantation owners.

The exploitation of slave labour made it possible to meet the growing demand in European markets for sugar,
coffee, and indigo.

Port cities like Bordeaux and Nantes owed their economic prosperity to the flourishing slave trade.

Question 6.

Evaluate the importance of the following years in concern with French Revolution, 1774, 1789, 1791, 1804 and
1815.

Answer:

The importance of the following years in concern with French Revolutions :

(i) 1774: Louis XVI ascended the throne of France. He believed in the Divine Right Theory of Kings.

He had no respect for the freedom of liberty. Because of his empty treasure he began to impose heavy taxes which
were disliked by his own people.

(ii) 1789: French Revolution began in 1789. It started with the convocation of the Estates General in May. The first
year of revolution proclaimed the Tennis Court oath, assault on the declaration of rights of man an citizen. Estates
General was called together by Louis XVI to pass proposals for new taxes.

(iii) 1791: The constitution of 1791 also established a short lived constitutional monarchy. The Third Estate which
assumed the name of the National Assembly framed a new constitution for France in 1791.

(iv) 1804: Napoleon became the emperor of France. He set out to conquer neighbouring Europeon countries. He
conquered Europe and saw his role as a moderniser of Europe.

(v) 1815: The French Revolution appeared nullified by 1815. The land owning classes and the bourgeois emerged
as the dominant power. Napoleon was defeated in the battle of Waterloo. Many of his measures that carried the
revolutionary ideas of liberty and modem laws to other parts of Europe had an impact on people long after
Naopleon had left.

Question 7.

Explain how the new political system of Constitutional monarchy in France worked. HOTS

Or
Explain any five features of the Constitution drafted in 1791.

Answer:

The Constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in the National Assembly, which was indirectly elected.

With the new Constitution the powers of govern the country were assigned to different institutions, i.e., the
legislature, executive and the judiciary.

The judiciary and the legislature were elected by the people. 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.

Under this system the powers of the monarch were limited. Most of the powers were in the hands of legislatures.

The ministers were also answerable to the legislature. The king enjoyed the veto power.

Question 8.

What was the role of Jacobins during the French Revolution?

Or

Explain the role of Jacobins in the French Revolution.

Answer:

(i) Middle Class: The members of the Jacobins 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. Their leader was Maximilian Robespierre.

(ii) Different Clothes: A large group among the Jacobins decided to start wearing long striped trousers similar to
those worn by dock workers.

(iii) Carrying the Revolution: They were the people who believed that the revolution had to be carried further, as
the Constitution of 1791 gave political rights only to the richer sections of society.

(iv) Storming the King’s Palace: In the summer of 1792 the Jacobins planned an insurrection of a large number of
Parisians who were angered by the short supplies and high prices of food. On the morning of August 10 they
stormed the Palace of the Tuileries, massacred the king’s guards and held the king himself as hostage for several
hours. Later the Assembly voted to imprison the royal family.

(v) France became a Republic: Elections were held. From now on all men of 21 years and above, regardless of
wealth, got the right to vote. The newly elected assembly was called the Convention. On 21 September, 1792 it
abolished the monarchy and declared France a republic.

Question 9

How was slavery abolished in France?

Answer:

One of the most revolutionary social reforms of the Jacobin regime was the abolition of slavery in the French
colonies.
Throughout the eighteenth century there was little criticism of slavery in France. The National Assembly held long
debates about whether the rights of man should be extended to all French subjects including those in the colonies.
But it did not pass any laws, fearing opposition from businessmen whose incomes depended on the slave trade.

It was finally the Convention which in 1794 legislated to free all slaves in the French overseas possessions.

This, however, turned out to be a shorterm measure : ten years later, Napoleon reintroduced slavery.

Plantation owners understood their freedom as including the right to enslave African Negroes in pursuit of their
economic interests. Slavery was finally abolished in French colonies in 1848.

Question 10

Describe the conditions of women during the period of French Revolution.

Answer:

Conditions of women during the period of French Revolution are :

From the very beginning women were active participants in the events which brought sfbout major changes in the
French Society.

Most women of the Third Estate had to work for a living as seamstresses or laundresses. They even sold flowers,
fruits and vegetables at the market.

They were employed as domestic servants in the house of prosperous people.

They started their own political clubs and newspapers in order to voice their interests.

They demanded the right to vote to be elected to the Assembly and hold political office.

They did not have access to education or job training. Only daughter wealthier members of the Third Estate could
stay at convent.

Working women had also to take care of their families. Their wages were lower than those of men.

Question 11

Who was Robespierre? Describe any four steps taken by him to bring equality.

Answer:

Maximilian Robespierre was the leader of Jacobin Club.

The period from 1793 to 1794 is referred to as the Reign of Terror. Robespierre followed a policy of severe control
and punishment.

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. If the court found them ‘guilty1 they were guillotined.

Robespierre’s government issued laws placing a maximum ceiling on wages and prices. Meat and bread were
rationed. Peasants were forced to transport their grain to the cities and sell it at prices fixed by the government.
Churches were shut down and their buildings converted into barracks or offices.

Question 12

Explain any five features of the Constitution of 1791 framed by the National Assembly in France.

Or

Highlight any five features of the constitution of 1791 in France.

Answer:

Features of the Constitution of 1791 :

It declared France a constitutional monarchy.

Powers of the king separated and assigned to the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.

Laws to be made by the National Assembly.

Only men above 25 years of age, who paid taxes equal to at least 3 days of a labourer’s wage, were

entitled to vote.

Many rights were given to the people.

To qualify as an elector and as member of the Assembly, a man had to belong to highest bracket of taxpayers.