FRENCH REVOLUTION

Q1.Desccribe the circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in

France.
Ans. The following circumstances lead to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in
France:

a. Social Causes - On the eve of the revolution, the French society was ridden
with several inequalities. 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.
b. Political Causes - Emperor Louis XVI of France was an empty headed
despot. He and his queen, Marie Antoinette, squandered money on their
luxurious living and wasteful festivities. The high posts were often auctioned,
so inefficiency reigned supreme. The whole administration was corrupt and
each department had its own laws. In the absence of any uniform system
there was confusion all around. The people were tired of such a rotten system
of administration and wanted a change.
c. Economic Causes - France had been continually involved in wars which had
broken her economy. The luxurious life led by the French King Louis XVI and
his queen had made the matter still worse. The people groaned under heavy
taxes. The system was so faulty that only a fraction of the taxes could be
realized as the people were too poor to pay the taxes while nobles and the
clergy who could pay, were completely exempted from all the taxes. The
economy became so bad that the French Government had almost reached a
state of bankruptcy. Thus the shattered economy of France proved a major
cause of the Revolution.
d. Immediate Cause - Forced by financial bankruptcy, Emperor Louis XVI was
compelled to call a meeting of the Estates General in 1789 A.D. after a lapse
of 175 years. It generated much excitement as the members of the Third
Estate were determined to put forth their problems. But when the first two
Estates i.e. the Clergy and the Nobility refused to have a common meeting
with the Third Estate, the people lost their temper. They had already suffered
much in the severe famine in 1788 - 1789. In this way the calling of the states
General in 1789 A.D. proved to be the immediate cause of the French
Revolution.
Q2.Which groups of french society benefited from the revolution?Which
groups were forced to relinguish power? Which sections of society would
have been disappointed with the outcome of the revolution?

Ans.The benifited groups of the french society:

(i)All thhe groups of the third estate were benefited from the revolution. These
included peasants,artisans,landless labour,servants,merchants,court
officials,lawyers, etc.But the powerful middleclass benefited most.

(ii) The clergy and the nobility who enjoyed many privileges were forced to relinquish
power.

(iii)Feudal lords,nobles,clergy and women would have been disappointed with the
outcome of the revolution.

Q3.Describe the legacy of the French Revolution for the people of the world
during the nineteenth and twentieh centuries?

Ans.The legacy of the french revolution for the people of the world

:Consequences of the french revolution (1789) did not bring several vital results for
french only but for the other parts of the world as well.

(i)It inspired revolutionary moments in almost every country of Europe and in south
and central America.

(ii)The french revolution gave the term 'nation' its modern meaning.A nation is not
the territory that the people belonging to it inhabit but the people themselves.

(iii)It ended the arbitrary rule and developed the idea of people's republic.

(iv)This revolution inspired the people with the ideal of freedom which became the
basis of sovereignty.
(v)It gave the concept of social equality,i.e. equal rights for all the citizens of the
country.
(vi)It also spread the idea of world fraternity.

Q4.Draw up a list of democratic rights whose origins could be traced to the

French Revolution.
Ans.We can trace the origin of the following democratic rights we enjoy today to the
french revolution:
1)Right to Equity
2)Right to Freedom
3)Right against exploitation
4)Educational Rights
5)Freedom of Speech
6)Right to Live
Q5.Would you agree with the view that the message of universal rights was
beset with contradictions? Explain

Ans.Though after the french Revolution the Republic of France was established and
equality became one of its guiding principles, the message of universal rights was
beset with contradictions.

The suffrage was not granted to the women.

The citizens having no property were deprived of this right.

Only the people who belonged to the highest bracket of tax payers were
granted the right to vote.

Q6.How would explain the rise of napoleon?

Ans.Political Instability:The rise of Napoleon Bonaparte was also an indirect result

of the French Revolution.As often happens in revolutions,there was political and
economic in stability in France,and there was a struggle for power.

(2)New Constitution:After the fall of Jacobian government, a new constitution was

introduced.It provided for two elected legislative councils and a directory.However
the directory often clashed with the legislative councils,who then sought to dismiss
them.The Clash was responsible for political instability.Napoleon took advantage of
the situation and became a dictator with the help of the army.