•

causes of The French Revolution.

I)Despotic rule of Louis XVI. Louis XVI who was an absolute

monarch, was pleasure loving and extravagant. His wife
interfered with the administration. He drove France long years
of war which drained the financial resources of France.

ii) Privileges and Burden of the French Society. The French

society was divided into three estates the clergy, nobles and
peasants and only the members of the third estate paid taxes.

iii)Rising Prices. The Population of France had increased.

This resulted in more demand for foodgrains.So, the price of
bread rose rapidly; the poor were not able to buy the high-
priced bread. So, the gap between the rich and poor widened.

IV)Role of Middle Class. Another major cause was the role of

the middle class who earned their wealth through expanding trade
of manufactured goods, being exported.

v)Inspiration by the Philosophers. The emergence of political

philosophers like Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu etc.
inspired the French people.

Vii) Storming of Bastille prison. During the political

turmoil, France experienced severe winter leading to bad
harvest. The price of bread increased. Due to which Angry
women attacked the shops. An agitated crowd stormed and
destroyed Bastille prison administrative officials, i.e.
Those who were educated. They believed that no person in the
society should be privileged y birth.

circumstances under which Louis XVI finally accorded recognition to the

National Assembly.
•
A. Assembly of the Estate: On 5th May1789. Louis XVI called
together an assembly of the estate general to pass a proposal
for new taxes. Voting in the estate 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 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. On
20th June they assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court
in the grounds of Versailles. They declared themselves a
National Assembly and sworn not to disperse till they had
drafted a constitution for France that would limit the power
of the monarch. Turmoil in France: While National Assembly was
busy at Versailles drafting constitution, the rest of France
seethed with turmoil. Due to the bad harvest, there was
shortage of food and there was also rumor that bands of brigade
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.

short note on National Assembly of 1791?

i) When Louis XVI accepted the national assembly his powers

would now be checked.
ii) The national assembly completed the draft of the
constitution in 1791 limiting the powers of the monarch.
iii) These powers were separated by different institutions,
the legislative, executive and judiciary. This made
France a Constitutional monarch.

What was the importance of the declaration of the right of man or what is
inalienable right?

1. The importance of the declaration was it provided equality

before law, freedom of speech and press, the right to life.
2. It stated that right belonged to human being by birth and
could not be taken away.
3. It was the duty of each state to protect each citizen’s
natural rights.
The Declaration of Rights of Man and citizen:

i) Men are born and remain free and equal in rights.

ii) Liberty consist of the power to do whatever is not
injurious to others
iii) The source of all sovereignty resides in the nation: no
group or individual may exercise authority that does not
come from the people. In cases detained by the law.
iv) The law has the right to forbid only actions that are
injurious to health.
v) No man may be accused, arrested or detained, except in
cases determined by the law.