History – 1 The French Revolution

CLASSWORK

I. Very Short Answers:

1. What was the Estates General?
The Estates General was a political body of France in which the three classes or estates
sent their representatives. Before the French Revolution in 1789, its last meeting was
called in 1614.
2. When was France made a constitutional monarchy? What was its objective?
In 1791, France was made a constitutional monarchy with the aim of restricting the
powers of the monarch.
3. What is the national anthem of France? Who composed it?
The national anthem of France is ‘Marseillaise’. It was composed by poet Roget de
L’Isle.
4. Who was Olympe de Gouges?
She was a revolutionary woman and the write of ‘Declaration of Rights of Woman and
Citizen’.
5. Which event marked the beginning French Revolution in 1789?
Fall of Bastille marked the beginning of French Revolution on 14th July, 1789.
6. Who wrote the ‘Two Treatises of Government’?
This book was written by John Locke.
7. Who was Jean Jacques Rousseau?
He was a renowned philosopher who wrote the famous book, The Social Contract.
8. Mention any two legacies of the French Revolution?
i. It gave the idea of liberty.
ii. It showed the way for achieving democratic rights.
9. When was emancipation of slavery introduced in France?
Emancipation of slavery was introduced in France in 1794.
II. Short Answers:
1. Write any three economic causes of the French Revolution?
The economic causes of the French Revolution were as follows:
a. Heavy debt on treasury: The rules of France were spendthrifts. Louis XV spent
money lavishly. As a result, the treasury became empty and France came under heavy
debt. During the period of Louis XVI, the situation deteriorated further.
b. Tax collection poorly administered: Not only taxes were unfairly levied; they were
collected in an improper manner as well. Anybody who bade to give the highest
amount of money to the king was given the right to collect taxes. The tax collectors
collected maximum taxes from the people and transferred a fraction of it to the
 government. This system of collection of revenue was a source of trouble for the
peasants.
c. Taxes collected unfairly: The common people of the country were poor and had to
bear the entire burden of taxes. On the other hand, the nobles were rich and did not
pay any taxes. This unfair collection of taxes made the people very unhappy.
d. Extravagance in the court: The rulers of France were extravagant and despotic.
They spent huge sums on luxury and comfort. Louis XIV emptied the treasury
because of his extravagant habits. After him, Louis XV involved himself in wars and
drained the country’s wealth. He was followed by Louis XVI who did not lag behind
in living a life of luxury.
2. How did the political system work in France under the Constitution of 1791?
i. This constitution gave powers to the National Assembly for making laws and this
national assembly was indirectly elected.
ii. Citizens were given the right to vote for an electoral group which in turn, elected
the Assembly. But all citizens were not given this right. Only those men older than
25 years who paid taxes equal to minimum of 3 days labourer’s wage were given
this right.
iii. If anyone wanted to become the member of the Assembly, then he should be one
of the highest tax-payers of the state.
iv. The constitution declared the rights of man and citizen. Rights like rights to life,
freedom of speech, freedom of opinion and equality before law were made natural
rights of person and they could not be taken away.
3. How was slavery abolished in France?
i. The most revolutionary social reform of Jacobins regime was the abolition of
slavery in French colonies but it did not pass any laws because it felt that
businessmen would oppose this step as government depended on incomes from
slave trade.
ii. Finally in the Convention of 1794, a law passed to free all slaves in the French
colonies. But it was again introduced by Napoleon after 10 years.
iii. Plantation owners enslaved African natives in pursuit of their economic interests.
In 1848, slavery was abolished in French colonies.
4. Which groups of French society benefited from the revolution? Which groups were
forced to relinquish power? Which sections would have been disappointed with the
outcome of the revolution?
i. The third estate benefitted a lot from the revolution. This comprised the
professional classes, small and big businessmen, peasants, landless labourers and
servants. Most of them got land to till, the burden of labourers was removed and
the rule of law was established.
 ii. The first and second estates were forced to relinquish power, the churches were
shut down and the church property was confiscated. The predominance of the first
and second estates over administration, social and economic privileges was
abolished and equality was established.
iii. The common people were disappointed with the outcome of the revolution.
Although principles of equality, liberty and fraternity were implemented in France,
the French society remained a divided house between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’.
The social and economic conditions of the common people did not improve as
much as they had expected.
III. Long Answers:
1. Describe the circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in
France.
The circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in France were as
follows:
i. The French Revolutionary was an uprising of the French people against the
prevailing monarchy and aristocracy. The French society was a feudal one that was
ridden with inequalities.
ii. The clergy and the nobles belonged to the privileged class. They led a life of
luxury and exploited the common people.
iii. The peasants and workers, which made up most of the population, were compelled
to live a miserable life. They were forced to pay taxes and performed hard labour.
iv. The middle class comprising of lawyers, doctors, teachers, traders and petty
government officers were wealthy and wise, but were deprived of any political
rights. They suffered humiliation at the hands of clergy and nobles.
v. The social inequalities and luxurious lives by the clergy and nobles created
discontentment and restlessness among the common people.

Political causes or Political conditions:

i. The kings of France were despotic rules. They believed in the Theory of Divine
Rights of Kingship. They claimed themselves to be the representatives of God on
earth.
ii. On the eve of the revolution, Louis XVI was the king of France. He was an
autocratic ruler. He and his queen, Marie Antoinette squandered the state revenue
on luxuries and wasteful festivities. They high government posts were auctioned.
As such corruption, maladministration and inefficiency reigned supreme.
iii. There were different laws in different areas and due to the absence of any uniform
system, the condition worsened, thus creating confusion. People were dissatisfied
with the government.
 Economic causes or economic conditions:

i. The shattered economy of France proved to be a major cause of the revolution.

Due to prolonged wars and extravagant habits of the royal family, the French
government reached the state of bankruptcy.
ii. The clergy and the nobility owned almost 96% of the wealth of the country.
iii. The common people were too poor to pay taxes and the corrupt system of taxation
added to their miseries.

Psychological causes:

i. In the second part of the 18th century, there was an intellectual Renaissance in
France. The Great French philosophers like Montesquieu, Rousseau and Voltaire
exploited the social shortcomings. They fanned the flame of revolution.
ii. The American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence by the American
revolutionaries inspired the people of France to overthrow the oppressive king.

Immediate cause:

In 1788, there spread a severe famine in many parts of France. People suffering from
hunger assembled in the streets in Paris. The state treasury had fallen empty. Emperor
Louis XVI was compelled to summon a meeting of the estates general in 1789 after a
lapse of 175 years. The first two estates i.e., the clergy and nobility refused to have a
common meeting with the third estate. It generated much excitement and people lost their
temper. With the meeting of estates general on 5th May, 1789 the French Revolution
began.

2. Describe the legacy of the French Revolution for the people of the world during the
19th and 20th centuries.
The legacy of the French Revolution for the people of world during the 19th and 20th
centuries can be explained under following heads:
i. Equality: Equality was one of the major principles of the French Revolution. The
distinction between the poor and the rich was removed. Every government began
to give equal rights to the rich and the poor.
ii. Liberty: Before the French Revolution, freedom meant political freedom but now
freedom meant social and religious freedom too. The welfare of the people was to
be the duty of the rulers. Therefore, they were no longer absolute kings.
iii. Fraternity: The ideas of fraternity also got an impetus from the French
Revolution.
iv. Democracy: Monarchical systems gave place to the democratic systems.
 v. Welfare of the People: Government all over the world began to think the welfare
of the people as its duty. The children were stopped from working in the factories.
The conditions in the factories were improved. A number of steps were taken to
improve the working conditions in the mines.
3. Draw up a list of democratic rights we enjoy today whose origins could be traced to
the French Revolution.
Some the rights that we enjoy today originated from the French Revolution. Equality,
liberty and fraternity were the basic principles of the Declaration of the Rights of Man
and Citizen declared by the French National Assembly on 27th August, 1789. The
following are the democratic rights that we enjoy today which came into existence due to
the French Revolution.
i. Right to liberty is the power of doing anything which is not injurious to any other
individual.
ii. Right to equality is the birth right of every individual that prohibits any kind of
discrimination. For example, voting rights are given to all individuals regardless of
gender, class, etc.
iii. Fraternity implies peace and brotherhood among all individuals living in a society.
iv. Freedom of expressing one’s opinion through speaking, printing or writing and
taking responsibility of the same if such liberty is abused.
v. Natural and inalienable rights such as right to life, freedom of speech and opinion,
equality before law, etc, are given to all citizens in modern nations.
4. Would you agree with the view that the message of universal rights was beset with
contradictions? Explain.
The message of universal rights was definitely beset with contradictions. It had the
following defects:
i. Nothing was given in it about organizing a meeting and the freedom to make
associations.
ii. Nothing was mentioned about the subject of public education.
iii. It did not give the freedom of trade and occupation.
iv. It gave limited rights to citizens for owing property. State was free to confiscate
anyone’s property with the excuse of public welfare.
v. Improvement in the condition of black slaves working in the French colonies was
also not mentioned.
vi. It did not determine any duties without which, the rights were considered baseless.
5. How would you explain the rise of Napoleon?
Rise of Napoleon: In 1799, Napoleon became the First Council after overthrowing the
rule of Directory. He acquired numerous powers and even opted for a plebiscite in which
99.9% people voted for his new administrative system. He not only conquered new areas
but also made peace treaties with the enemies. All this proves that he was an able
 administrator. He implemented many reforms from 1799 till 1804 which are given as
follows:
i. He stopped inflation through financial reforms.
ii. He established the Bank of France.
iii. He resolved the long-time confrontation with the Pope which was started
with the confiscation of church’s property in 1789. For this, he even
declared Catholic religion as the religion of the majority of French people.
iv. Later on, he introduced the Napoleonic code which became the basis of
French legal system in the future.

Napoleon as a King: Till 1804, Napoleon was not satisfied with his role as the First Council.
He again opted for a plebiscite and achieved what he wanted. In December 1804, he crowned as
the king of France. In this way, Napoleon rose to power.

6. Describe the contribution of philosophers to the outbreak of the French Revolution

of 1789.
i. Role of Montesquieu (1689 – 1755): Montesquieu was a great philosopher of his
times. He was vehemently opposed to the Divine Right Theory of Kingship and
was in favour of the monarchical system. His ideas gave impact to the
revolutionary sentiments.
ii. Role of Voltaire (1694 – 1778): Voltaire attacked the vices of the society, the
church and the blind faith. He gave church the name of an ‘infamous thing’. He
instigated the people to ask for reform.
iii. Role of Rousseau (1712 - 1778): Rousseau gave his ideas in his book, ‘social
contact’. He propounded that people are real masters of the state and the king rules
with their consent. Thus, under the influence of the writings of Rousseau, people of
France began to agitate for a revolution. Somebody had rightly said, “But for
Rousseau, there had been no French Revolution”.
iv. Other philosphers: Besides these, there were other philosophers such as Diderot,
Quesnay, etc., who flamed of revolution through new ideas.
7. What were the political reasons behind the outbreak of French Revolution?
The political reasons of the French Revolution are given as follows:
i. Arbitrary rulers: The kings of France were autocratic rulers. They believed in the
Theory of Divine Right of Kingship. They claimed to be the representatives of God
on the earth. Therefore, they did not consider that they had any duty towards the
people. Their courtiers used to sign stamped and blank papers. They just had to
write down the name of the person to be sent to jail.
ii. Inefficiency and corruption in administration: The country was in the grip of
corruption. The government offices were sold to the highest bidder. They were
 unintelligent and incompetent. The people of France wanted to end this corrupt
rule.
iii. Centralization of powers: All the political powers were in the hands of the kings.
All the representative bodies in the country had either ended or were a tool in the
hands of the king. The king imposed taxes on the people at his own will. He also
spent the money collected through taxes as he pleased.

Discontentment in the army: There was a lot of discontentment in the army. There were no
avenues of promotion for the ordinary soldiers. This discontentment also contributed to the
French Revolution.