SHANTADEVI SITARAM MUNDRA

MAHESHWARI PUBLIC SCHOOL

SOCIAL SCIENCE
Grade IX

CH-French Revolution-Practice questions

Question 1.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.
 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 2.
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 3.
“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 Revolution-themed party supplies

 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. Different
kind of taxes paid by them were as follows:
 Taille: This was a direct land tax levied on the peasantry and non-nobles.
 Tithes: The Church collected a portion of the peasants' income, typically
around 10%, as a religious tax.
 Indirect Taxes: These were levied on everyday goods and items like salt
(gabelle) and tobacco.
 Feudal Dues: The Third Estate also had to pay the nobility for the use of their
land and other services.

Question 4
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 5.
What measures were taken by Robespierre to bring equality in the French Society?
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.

Question 6
What was subsistence crisis and describe its reasons.
Answer:
A subsistence crisis is a situation where a significant portion of a population faces
extreme hardship due to the inability to obtain basic necessities like food, often
leading to famine. In the context of 18th century France, this crisis was primarily
caused by a combination of factors, including a rapidly growing population,
insufficient food production, and economic inequality.

Here's a breakdown of the reasons:

 Increased Population:
France's population grew from 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in 1789,
significantly increasing the demand for food.
 Lagging Food Production:
The production of food grains (like wheat, the staple diet) couldn't keep pace with
the rising demand.
 Rising Food Prices:
The imbalance between supply and demand led to a dramatic increase in the price of
basic food items, especially bread.
 Fixed Wages:
Many workers, particularly in workshops, had fixed wages that did not increase
along with the rising cost of food. This meant their purchasing power decreased,
widening the gap between the rich and poor.
 Adverse Weather:
Unfavorable weather conditions like drought or hail further reduced food
production, exacerbating the crisis.
 Inequality:
The gap between the wealthy and the poor grew, with the poor facing starvation
while the rich continued to prosper.
Question 7.
Explain the role of Mirabeau and Abbe’ Sieye’s in the French Revolution.

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 8
why Robespierre time period is known as reign of terror?

The Reign of Terror refers to the violent period during The French Revolution
from 1793-1794 when the Radicals led by Maximilien Robespierre were running
the Govt. During this period, thousands of people who were suspected to be
disloyal to the Revolution were arrested and executed or Guillotined.

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 short term 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.
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.