Advanced Level History Handout written and Compiled By

The Duce of Africa. Mr.Charline Prazen Chikomo

&​Sara Frances McAlister

You can contact us at ​+263774035666(WhatsApp only)

,​stducecollege18@gamil.com​ Facebook ​@Charline
Chikomo/Educating the Continent

Twitter: ​Charline Prazen Chikomo

Edited by: Sara Frances McAlister

Schools with proper Wi-Fi access can request for free live online
lesson.

Topic 1: T​he outbreak of the French revolution of 1789.

The French revolution broke out in 1789 due to several causes

and shall be demonstrated in this write up. To perform well on
this topic, learners should be able to explore each and every
cause of and how it led to the outbreak of the French revolution
of 1789. This lesson is not about describing these causes but it is
all about being able to analyze and pinpoint how each and every
cause led to the outbreak of the French revolution in 1789.

The causes of the French revolution include

● The American War of Independence
● The dismissal of the capable financial ministers
 ● The failure of the Estate General Meeting
● The Seven-year war
● The failure of the government to support the peasants after
the poor harvests
● Absolutism of the monarchy
● Lettere decatchet system
● Confused administration of justice
● Financial crisis
● Unfair land distribution
● Unfair taxation
● Unfair privilege system
● Eden commercial treaty
● The seven-year war
● The extravagance at the court of Versailles
● The character of the king
● The influence of the philosophers
● The system of the ancient regime etc.

NB: These causes can be divided into different categories for

example

1. The long and the short term causes

2. Social, political and economic causes

3. Domestic and foreign causes of the French revolution etc.

When you understand these categories, questions will be easier
for you to answer, for example

1.J2019.To what extent was the foreign policy of France

responsible for the outbreak of the French revolution? (25)

2​ .To what extent was the economic problems of France

responsible for the outbreak of the French revolution? (25)

3. Why did the long standing problems of the ancient regime

become more acute in 1789?

From these questions, it clearly shows that these causes fall in

different categories, for instance, the number 1 question is on the
foreign policy of France and therefore, it means that the causes
have been divided into domestic causes and those that are
foreign. Therefore it is of great importance that the learner know
the meaning of the word Foreign policy. In short, it means what
was taking place outside of the geographical space of France
and. These are the likes of the American War of Independence,
the Seven-Year War, the Eden Commercial Treaty, the marriage
alliance etc. The word domestic, however, simply refers to what
was taking place inside France such as unfair taxation , unfair
land distribution and many other causes that shall be discussed
below as this write up unfolds.
Question 2 and 3 are also branching the causes of the revolution
into certain categories. Starting with question 2, which is on the
extent of which the French revolution was caused by economic
problems. The learners should understand that generally the
causes of the French revolution fall under social, political and
economic. Now on the side of the question that is on economic
problems, the learners should be able to pick the causes that are
economic from the plethora of the causes to support the
argument for example financial crisis, unfair land distribution,
unfair taxation among others. On the other side of the question,
one should understand the political and social causes of the
French revolution. Last but not least, the last question is in
general terms about the long term and the short term causes of
the French revolution.

Some important information before diving into the

explaining

You should also know how groups and individuals

contributed to the outbreak of the French revolution of
which this academic paper will explain very well.

For example, the question number one from November 2017

was “To what extent was Marie Antoinette responsible for
the unpopularity of the Monarch in 1789?”.
So individuals like Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were
responsible for the outbreak of the French
revolution.Groups like the peasants, the bourgeoisie, the
clergy and the nobilities were also to some extent responsible
for the outbreak of the 1789 revolution.

CAUSES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

This write up is going to explain in detail how some of the few

selected causes led to the outbreak of the French revolution in
1789

The American War of Independence

The American War of Independence led to the outbreak of the

French Revolution in the sense that it worsened the financial
crisis in France and this also made the government fail to meet
the financial demands of the peasants, thereby causing
frustration amongst the peasants. On entrance into the American
War of Independence, France borrowed a lot from the church,
the bourgeoisie and other countries. However, as D. Richards
asserts, this was a non-beneficial war for France. It resulted in
the overspending of money leading to the worsening of
Financial crisis. This war was actually an excess of expenditure
over income. Callone, one of the competent financial ministers
is on record of having warned Louis XVI not to join the
American War of Independence since it was of a grave
disadvantage to France, in the context of financial crisis.
Therefore, this worsened financial crisis in France and the
government failed to meet the economic demands of the
peasants due to bankruptcy leading to anger/discontentment/
frustration amongst the peasants and the French revolution was
inevitable.

The American War of Independence brought the ideas of

Enlightenment that provided perfect conditions for a revolution.
The French soldiers who participated in the American War of
Independence, for example, Lafayette were exposed to the
revolutionary ideas such as equality, freedom and fraternity.
These were the very ideas that were suppressed in France. For
instance, equality was suppressed through unfair land
distribution and unfair taxation, fraternity was suppressed
through stratification that resulted in social groups with the third
estate being the last and the underprivileged and freedom was
suppressed through the lettre decatchet system. The French
soldiers came back with a motto at hand, “If America did it, why
cannot we do it too” They came back home and mobilized the
people for the revolution. Therefore, this led to the outbreak of
the French revolution because it acted as an eye opener to the
French soldiers and the people of France leading to the 1789
revolution.

The American War of Independence left many disadvantaged

groups in France such as widows, disabled and the orphans and
the cause part of this point is that these people are economic
dependents who depend on the government to make a living.
Paradoxically, the French government was swimming in the
pool of bankruptcy, making it difficult to support this group.
More to that, the government was autocratic and insensitive to
the needs of the people. For example, Marie Antoinette is on
record of having said, “If you cannot buy bread, why can you
not buy bread “….. This shows the highest level of insensitivity
to the needs of the people. Therefore, this frustrates the
disadvantaged people in France leading to the outbreak of the
French revolution.

NB. The American War of Independence can be used on

various questions for example

1. ​To what extent was the American war of independence

responsible for the outbreak of the French revolution?
In general terms, this means that the information postulated
above on how the American war of Independence contributed to
the outbreak of the French revolution forms side A of the
question whilst the other plethora of causes forms side B of the
question

2. ​To what extent were the ideas of enlightenment

responsible for the outbreak of the French revolution?

Many students find it difficult to fully address such a question.

To many, the problem comes on thinking that this is a question
enshrined on the influence of philosophers. However, a question
on enlightenment is broader to the extent that it has to depict
other sources of enlightenment for example: the educated 10%
of the bourgeoisie who were responsible for reading the written
documents from then philosophers and then interpret them to the
then illiterate majority of France, the philosophers like
Rousseau, Montesquieu and Voltaire. Also, the soldiers from the
American War of Independence find it suitable to be part of the
quest of the question since it is a historical reality that they were
exposed to the ideas of the revolution and they came back
enlightening the people of France for a revolution under their
motto, “ If America did it, why can’t we do it too” . They
enlightened the people of France on equality, freedom and
fraternity.
3.To what extent was the foreign policy of France
responsible for the outbreak of the French revolution?

This question was asked in June 2019 as the first question in

section B.The American war of independence will automatically
join other foreign policies like, the marriage alliance with
Austria, the Eden Commercial treaty with Britain, the
seven-year war because it happened outside France in America
making it part of the foreign causes of the French revolution

The American war of independence can also be explained in

relation to the political causes of the revolution as it shows
an inglorious foreign policy of the French government
making it a political problem.

@DUCE OF AFRICA. MR. CHARLINE PRAZEN CHIKOMO

+263774035666(APP ONLY)

2.THE DISMISSAL OF THE CAPABLE FINANCIAL

MINISTERS
Louis Xvi appointed capable financial ministers such as
Necker, Turgot, Callone and Brine. These ministers were
supposed to deal with the problem of financial crisis. These
ministers came up with measures such as universal taxation,
fair land distribution, an end to extravagance and fair feudal
rights among others in order to deal with the problem of
 financial crisis. However, as postulated by the measures, they
were truly the expectations of the peasants and were a threat
to the privileges that the clergy and the nobilities had. As the
two privileged classes, they were exempted from paying tax,
feudal rights accorded to them and also larger pieces of land.
They were also a threat to “Madame deficit” Marie Antoinette
who was so extravagant that D Richards is of the view that,
“Her alone was accounted for 1/12 of the national budget, 4
pairs of shoes a week and 500 servants. Therefore, the reform
of an end to extravagance was going on.

When you understand these categories, questions will be easier

for you to answer, for example

1.J2019.To what extent was the foreign policy of France

responsible for the outbreak of the French revolution? (25)

2​ .To what extent was the economic problems of France

responsible for the outbreak of the French revolution? (25)

3. Why did the long standing problems of the ancient regime

become more acute in 1789?
From these questions, it clearly shows that these causes fall in
different categories, for instance, the number 1 question is on the
foreign policy of France and therefore, it means that the causes
have been divided into domestic causes and those that are
foreign. Therefore it is of great importance that the learner know
the meaning of the word Foreign policy. In short, it means what
was taking place outside of the geographical space of France
and. These are the likes of the American War of Independence,
the Seven-Year War, the Eden Commercial Treaty, the marriage
alliance etc. The word domestic, however, simply refers to what
was taking place inside France such as unfair taxation , unfair
land distribution and many other causes that shall be discussed
below as this write up unfolds.

Question 2 and 3 are also branching the causes of the revolution

into certain categories. Starting with question 2, which is on the
extent of which the French revolution was caused by economic
problems. The learners should understand that generally the
causes of the French revolution fall under social, political and
economic. Now on the side of the question that is on economic
problems, the learners should be able to pick the causes that are
economic from the plethora of the causes to support the
argument for example financial crisis, unfair land distribution,
unfair taxation among others. On the other side of the question,
one should understand the political and social causes of the
French revolution. Last but not least, the last question is in
general terms about the long term and the short term causes of
the French revolution.

Some important information before diving into the

explaining

You should also know how groups and individuals

contributed to the outbreak of the French revolution of
which this academic paper will explain very well.

For example, the question number one from November 2017

was “To what extent was Marie Antoinette responsible for
the unpopularity of the Monarch in 1789?”.

So individuals like Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were

responsible for the outbreak of the French revolution

·​Groups like the peasants, the bourgeoisie, the clergy and the
nobilities were also to some extent responsible for the
outbreak of the 1789 revolution.

CAUSES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

· This write up is going to explain in detail how some of the few
selected causes led to the outbreak of the French revolution in
1789

1. ​The American War of Independence

· The American War of Independence led to the outbreak of

the French Revolution in the sense that it worsened the financial
crisis in France and this also made the government fail to meet
the financial demands of the peasants, thereby causing
frustration amongst the peasants. On entrance into the American
War of Independence, France borrowed a lot from the church,
the bourgeoisie and other countries. However, as D. Richards
asserts, this was a non-beneficial war for France. It resulted in
the overspending of money leading to the worsening of
Financial crisis. This war was actually an excess of expenditure
over income. Callone, one of the competent financial ministers
is on record of having warned Louis XVI not to join the
American War of Independence since it was of a grave
disadvantage to France, in the context of financial crisis.
Therefore, this worsened financial crisis in France and the
government failed to meet the economic demands of the
peasants due to bankruptcy leading to anger/discontentment/
frustration amongst the peasants and the French revolution was
inevitable.
The American War of Independence brought the ideas of
Enlightenment that provided perfect conditions for a revolution.
The French soldiers who participated in the American War of
Independence, for example, Lafayette were exposed to the
revolutionary ideas such as equality, freedom and fraternity.
These were the very ideas that were suppressed in France. For
instance, equality was suppressed through unfair land
distribution and unfair taxation, fraternity was suppressed
through stratification that resulted in social groups with the third
estate being the last and the underprivileged and freedom was
suppressed through the lettre decatchet system. The French
soldiers came back with a motto at hand, “If America did it, why
cannot we do it too” They came back home and mobilized the
people for the revolution. Therefore, this led to the outbreak of
the French revolution because it acted as an eye opener to the
French soldiers and the people of France leading to the 1789
revolution.

The American War of Independence left many disadvantaged

groups in France such as widows, disabled and the orphans and
the cause part of this point is that these people are economic
dependents who depend on the government to make a living.
Paradoxically, the French government was swimming in the
pool of bankruptcy, making it difficult to support this group.
More to that, the government was autocratic and insensitive to
the needs of the people. For example, Marie Antoinette is on
record of having said, “If you cannot buy bread, why can you
not buy bread “….. This shows the highest level of insensitivity
to the needs of the people. Therefore, this frustrates the
disadvantaged people in France leading to the outbreak of the
French revolution.

NB. The American War of Independence can be used on

various questions for example

1. ​To what extent was the American War of Independence

responsible for the outbreak of the French revolution?

· In general terms, this means that the information postulated

above on how the American war of Independence contributed to
the outbreak of the French revolution forms side A of the
question whilst the other plethora of causes forms side B of the
question

2. ​To what extent were the ideas of enlightenment

responsible for the outbreak of the French revolution?

· Many students find it difficult to fully address such a question.

To many, the problem comes on thinking that this is a question
enshrined on the influence of philosophers. However, a question
on enlightenment is broader to the extent that it has to depict
other sources of enlightenment for example: the educated 10%
of the bourgeoisie who were responsible for reading the written
documents from then philosophers and then interpret them to the
then illiterate majority of France, the philosophers like
Rousseau, Montesquieu and Voltaire. Also, the soldiers from the
American War of Independence find it suitable to be part of the
quest of the question since it is a historical reality that they were
exposed to the ideas of the revolution and they came back
enlightening the people of France for a revolution under their
motto, “ If America did it, why can’t we do it too” . They
enlightened the people of France on equality, freedom and
fraternity.

3.To what extent was the foreign policy of France

responsible for the outbreak of the French revolution?

· This question was asked in June 2019 as the first question

in section B

· The American war of independence will automatically join

other foreign policies like, the marriage alliance with Austria,
the Eden Commercial treaty with Britain, the seven-year war
because it happened outside France in America making it part of
the foreign causes of the French revolution

· ​The American War of Independence can also be

explained in relation to the political causes of the revolution
as it shows an inglorious foreign policy of the French
government making it a political problem.

@DUCE OF AFRICA. MR. CHARLINE PRAZEN CHIKOMO

+263774035666(APP ONLY)

2.THE DISMISSAL OF THE CAPABLE FINANCIAL

MINISTERS
Louis Xvi appointed capable financial ministers such
as Necker, Turgot, Callone and Brine. These ministers
were supposed to deal with the problem of financial
crisis. These ministers came up with measures such as
universal taxation, fair land distribution, an end to
extravagance and fair feudal rights among others in
order to deal with the problem of financial crisis.
However, as postulated by the measures, they were
truly the expectations of the peasants and were a threat
to the privileges that the clergy and the nobilities had.
As the two privileged classes, they were exempted
from paying tax, feudal rights accorded to them and
also larger pieces of land. They were also of a threat to
“Madam deficit” Marie Antoinette who was so
extravagant that D Richards is of the view that, “Her
alone was accounted for 1/12 of the national budget, 4
 pairs of shoes a week and 500 servants. Therefore, the
reform of an end to extravagance was going on.

How then did it lead to the revolution of 1789

This led to the outbreak of the French revolution in the sense
that these ministers like Necker, Turgot, Callone and Brine were
capable of dealing with the financial position of France. Dennis
Richards has the view of that. “Necker was the first minister in
France to deal with the problem of financial crisis in France.
Therefore, by dismissing people of such caliber, it resulted in the
worsening of the financial crisis. instead of Louis Xvi defending
the good ministers he had appointed, he ended up dismissing
the,. In other words, Louis XVI was good at appointing but bad
at defending his ministers at derogatory moments (Boyce).
Therefore, financial crisis worsened leading to some serious
financial problems such as inflation levels increasing, prices
skyrocketing. This frustrated the third estate leading to the
outbreak of the French revolution.
ü More to that, it is also of paramount importance to
put it on a historical and factual record that the
dismissal of the ministers was a threat to the peasants.
The reasons for the dismissal of the ministers were
that the core needs of the peasants included, universal
 taxation, fair feudal rights, an end to extravagance and
the fair distribution of land. Therefore, dismissing the
ministers on such unfair grounds made the peasants
very angry because it becomes clear to them that the
government was not concerned about their plights. D
Richards also tackles on the protests that actually
happened after the dismissal of Necker, leading to the
outbreak of the French revolution.
ü Last but not least, this also speaks more to the
incompetence of the King who failed to defend his
ministers from the pressure of the nobilities, clergy
and Marie Antoinette and also the absolute powers of
the king that allows him to hire and fire the ministers
at any time. This brought discontentment amongst the
peasants, leading to the outbreak of the French
revolution.

NB… N2017: To what extent was Marie Antoinette

responsible for the unpopularity of the Monarchy in
1789?​This questions seems like it has nothing to do with the
ministers. However, there is a connection to the cause above and
the role of Marie Antoinette. For instance, the fact that Marie
Antoinette presided over seducing Louis Xvi into dismissing. He
had nothing but a full capacity of handling the financial position
of France. However, this point as said above should be
integrated particularly with another undisputed fact that the
nobilities and the clergy also influenced the King to dismiss
these capable financial ministers hence the blame rests on them
too. More to that, a deeper microscopic and epistemological
analysis on this can pinpoint that Louis Xvi should be blamed
for this dismissal since he is on record having said, “The thing is
legal because I wish it” meaning to say he had all the power. to
defend his ministers but because he was weak he could not do
anything resulting in the monarchy becoming unpopular.This
information can also act as an evidence to the incompetent king
who could not apply his absolute powers to defend his ministers
from the pressure of Marie Antoinette and the two privileged
classes (“​A revolt against an incompetent King” How far do
you agree with this assertion in relation to the outbreak of
the French revolution?) Again this data can work on the
nobility, the clergy, Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI being
responsible for the failure of the reforms.

You can also be asked a question like this one

Examine the measures implemented by Louis Xvi to deal

with the problems of France before 1789?

We are being told above that the dismissal of the capable

financial ministers happened. Therefore, an epistemological
assessment of this point can depict a factual point that fits under
this question to argue that Louis Xvi appointed capable financial
ministers such as Turgot, Necker, Callone and Brine in order to
deal with the problem of financial crisis. Dennis Richards
actually made it clear that Necker was the first minister to deal
with the problem of financial crisis. Boyce also pinpoints
Callone advising Louis Xvi not to join the American War of
Independence in a bid to deal with financial losses. Therefore,
one can actually credit Louis Xvi without fear of anything that it
was one of his measures of appointing these financial solution
making it a pre-1789 solution. However, it is a miscarriage of
justice and only those who are impeded from reality can applaud
Louis xvi on appointing these ministers as a solution to deal
with the financial problems in France. He was so quick to
dismiss them, following the pressure exerted on them by the
nobilities, clergy’s and the Queen, Marie Antoinette with all the
absolute powers he had. Boyce has the view that, “Louis the
sixth was good at appointing but bad at defending his ministers
at derogatory moments” Therefore, it can only be a sign of data
deficiency syndrome to applaud Louis Xvi on appointing
ministers yet dismissing them without implementing their
measures.

NB. The same information on the dismissal of the capable

financial ministers by Louis Xvi, following the pressure
exerted from the nobilities, the clergy and Marie Antoinette
can also answer this question “Why did the long standing
problems of the ancient regime become more acute in
1789?”

This question requires a link to the long standing problems

of the ancient regime and the short term causes. Therefore,
using the information above is a critical point that is worth
noting and can be pinpointed in the sense that France was
already under financial crisis. Many historical scholars like
Boyce, Peacock, Mathews and Rees agree on the fact that the
dismissal of the capable financial ministers actually
worsened/ made the financial crisis more acute.

@Duce of Africa. Mr. Charline Prazen Chikomo

You can app him on +263774035666

The failure of the Estates General Meeting in 1789

This event is just as important as as the outbreak of the French

revolution. It brought the fire that made it possible to cook the
meal that was already being prepared and was an immediate
cause of the French Revolution. It is a historical mistake to
proceed into writing about the meeting without fully annotating
the conditions around this meeting. One of the most striking
parts of this meeting is the timing. In France, there was no
constitution that represented the will of the people. They were
the divine right of kingship and the King's words were taken to
be the final say. However, there was the use of the estates
general meeting which was for dealing with the cahiers of the
people and the people that were voting by estates. That is to say
that a vote from the third estate, despite their number, was
counted as one which was very disadvantaging to the third estate
since the two privileged classes usually voted for the same thing
considering the privileges that they had. The last estates were
held in 1614 and Louis Xvi called this one in 1789 in order to
address the cahiers of the people.

How did it led to the outbreak of the French Revolution?

ü It is actually of great importance to make a strong argument on

the timing of the estates general meeting. It is on record that the
last estates general meeting was held in 1614 and was now being
held in 1789. A mathematical calculation can point out that from
1614 to 1789, there are 175 years without listening to the cahiers
of the people but they were piling up which resulted in creating
a proper mood for a revolution. The spacing of these meetings
speaks more to the fact that the government of France was too
autocratic and insensitive to the plights of the people, such as
those who centered on fair taxation, the end of feudal rights, and
fair land distribution as enshrined in the cahiers submitted at the
estates general meeting of 1789. Therefore, this autocratic
spacing of such important meeting made people impatient and
ready for a revolution leading to the French revolution of 1789

More to that, the failure of the King to make an effective and

binding decision on the voting system as required at this
juncture mad etchings even more tense. The King was supposed
to make a decision on the voting system that would be adopted
between the voting by head and that of by estate. He failed to do
so which speaks more to his incompetence and indecisive
character which frustrated the third estate. This then led to the
outbreak of the French revolution as a matter of urgency.

Extravagance at the Court of Versailles

Louis Xvi and Marie Antoinette were living a lavish lifestyle

whilst the peasants were languishing in poverty. Dennis
Richards is on record of having said, “Marie was owning 500
servants, 1/12 of the national budget, 4 pairs of
shoes……….”This was overspending whilst the peasants had
nothing on the table and France was swimming in the pool of
bankruptcy and instead of the government sharing the little
funds available with the starving peasants, they were engaged
into extravagance. This frustrated the peasants since they wanted
an equal distribution of wealth, hence the outbreak of the French
revolution was inevitable.

More to that speaks to an insensitive government that does not

care about its citizens as they were starving while they were
living a lavish lifestyle.

It also depicts the incompetence of Louis Xvi who could not

share the extravagance of his wife and this made the French
revolution inevitable as the people wanted a change.

It is also correct to note that the extravagance worsened the

financial crisis in France and the government was now
swimming in the pool of bankruptcy thereby failing to meet the
financial demands of the peasants

NB – ​This information works on a lot of questions

For example, … To what extent was Marie Antoinette

responsible for the Outbreak of the French revolution?

​ rom the above you can actually see that her extravagance
F
is one of the reasons why the Monarchy became very
unpopular among the people of France.
This also shows that Louis Xvi was an incompetent king who
could not check the extravagance of his wife. etc.

Failure of the Government to provide food after the poor

harvests

Following the poor harvests that happened in France, there was

a plethora of problems that followed. Among them include food
shortages resulting in hunger and starvation, prices of bread
skyrocketing and reduced standards of living. The people of
France were expecting a food relief from the government.
Paradoxically, the government did nothing to assist the people
due to its insensitivity, incompetence and most notably the state
of bankruptcy that was in France. This brought anger amongst
the people of France as noted by William in saying, “A hungry
man is an angry man, one cannot agitate a man with a full
stomach but with an empty stomach and that man is likely to
prove fatal for the revolution.”. More to that, it was during this
critical moment when Marie Antoinette released one of the most
insensitive statements that angered the people the most, “If you
cannot buy bread, why can’t you buy cakes”. A hungry man is
an angry man and this brought anger to the people of France
leading to the outbreak of the French revolution in 1789.
Unfair taxation, Unfair land distribution and the issue of
unfair privilege system.

These three are also some of the problems that led to the
outbreak of the French revolution
Unfair taxation

This resulted in the outbreak of the French revolution in the

sense that the peasants were subjected to harsh forms of taxes
such as the gabelle, poll tax etc. whilst the two privileged
classes, the nobilities and the clergy, were exempted from
paying the taxes. This created a state of inequality in the
country. Dylan Rees views that the peasants used 80% of their
salaries on taxes and were left with 20 % for their own use. This
resulted in reduced standards of living, poverty and the suffering
of the peasants which lead to the outbreak of the French
revolution. This was also due to the discontent over the
unfairness being at its peak.

Unfair land distribution.

The peasants were given smaller and infertile pieces of land

whilst the clergies were owning larger and fertile pieces of land.
The peasants depended on Agriculture for them to make a living
but they were not accorded the land for their production. This
caused anger amongst them and it resulted in the outbreak of the
French
Unfair Privilege system

In France, there was a very unfair privilege system. For instance,

the second and the first estate were regarded as the most
privileged people in France and were exempted from paying
taxes whilst the starving peasants were paying higher taxes the
first and second estates were owning larger pieces of land at the
expense of the peasants and were tried in their special courts.
This brought hatred amongst the social classes leading to the
revolution of 1789. More to that the two privileged classes had
their own special courts whilst the peasants were subjected
under the letter decatchet system where they were sent to jail
without a trial. Therefore, it is plausible to argue that due to this
unfair privilege system, the outbreak of the French revolution
was inevitable as the people wanted an equal treatment of all
people despite the class.

The Eden commercial treaty.

As part of the French foreign policy, France signed a treaty with

Britain that allowed the British goods to enter France at cheaper
prices. This resulted in the reduction of the customs duty and
allowed the goods to be found not only in abundance but also
allowed them to be affordable to the people of France. However,
it cannot go without a blame for the French revolution. This
resulted in the French revolution in two broad ways. To begin
with, this led to the outbreak of the French revolution in the
sense that there was stiff competition between these foreign
goods and locally produced goods, which the French industries
could not withstand. Therefore, it resulted in the closure of
industries leading to high rates of unemployment, high rates of
poverty and reduced standards of living. This lead to frustration
amongst the third estate and eventually the outbreak of the
French revolution.

More to that, it is of crucial importance to annotate that there

was a group of people called the Bourgeoisie and they were
traders who usually bought these goods from Britain at lower
prices and sold them at higher prices in France so as to be able
to pay tax. Therefore, this disadvantaged the monopoly of the
Bourgeoisie reducing their profits and their standards of living
and making them unable to pay tax. However, the Bourgeoisie,
being educated and a bit enlightened, were in the third estate as
said by D Richards that,” In France privilege without status was
nothing”. Tax was still expected from them and with this treaty
their source of money was thwarted and they were frustrated
leading to the outbreak of the French revolution

NB. This information can answer so many questions for

example the J2019 which was on how did the foreign policy
of France contribute to the outbreak of the French
revolution. This on its own is part of the foreign policy since
France signed it with England. However, as shown above,
students should be able to go beyond that to look at how it
then lead to the outbreak of the French revolution.

​ his information can also be used to answer the question on

T
the solutions that were implemented by Louis xvi before
1789 since this allows the goods to enter France at cheaper
prices and also affordable to the peasants. However, you
should also critically examine this solution and tell the
negative effect that it resulted in as demonstrated above

​ ll other causes should be explained well following the

A
examples given above.

How to Answer A question and Some Examples of an

Advanced level essay?

All essays should follow this procedure

Introduction

Body
Conclusion

Introduction

A good introduction should act as a sign post that gives the

examiner a clear direction of what will be included in the body
as the essay unfolds

It is also of crucial importance to make sure that your

introduction has got all sides of the question to make it a
balanced essay

It should be short and precise

Your introduction should not have quotations, examples or

statistics. Reserve those for the bod
NB​- Some put the judgement in the introduction whilst
others in the conclusion.
Example of an Introduction
Question: To what extent was the American war of
Independence responsible for the outbreak of the French
revolution
Introduction
The American War of Independence was responsible for the
outbreak of the French revolution as evidenced by the fact
that it worsened financial crisis in France, making the
 government unable to support people financially. It brought
enlightenment ideas that cultivated a conducive atmosphere
for a revolution and it also left out disadvantaged groups in
France that depend on the government to make a living. The
government was insensitive to the needs of the people.
However, it is a miscarriage of Justice/ historical imbalance/
misinterpretation of facts and reality/ to make a full
arguement that the American war of independence was
responsible for the outbreak of the French revolution. There
are a plethora of other factors such as unfair taxation,
financial crisis, the absolutism of the monarch, failure of the
estates general meeting, and the character of Louis xvi and
Marie Antoinette among others. Therefore, this essay seeks to
explore the extent to which the American war of
independence contributed to the outbreak of the French
revolution

Body Paragraph
Your body paragraph should follow the PEEL approach
which stands for

● Point
● Explanation
● Evaluation

You should always start each and every paragraph with a

topic sentence
The topic sentence & other important parts of a body
paragraph

-This refers to your first sentence on each and every paragraph

that is from the capital letter to the full stop

- As said above, “topic sentence” not “topic sentences”. It

should be one sentence.

- It should answer the question and leave the examiner with no

doubt and the best way to do this is to connect it to the question

-It should have a simple and clear vocabulary.

From the topic sentence, comes the explanation and supportive

evidence

-It is on this part where one can put scholars, statistics and all
the evidence as a way to support the point

-After that an evaluation should be done that is evaluating the

point and pinpointing how the information provided relates to
the question.

Examples of a good topic sentence

 1. ​The American war of independence led to the outbreak
of the French revolution due to the fact that it worsened
financial crisis, making the government unable to cater
for the needs of the people.
2. The American War of Independence contributed to the
outbreak of the French revolution in the sense that it
brought enlightenment ideas, providing the favorable
ingredients for a revolution.

An example of a Body paragraph

1.The American War of Independence contributed to the

outbreak of the French revolution in the sense that it brought
enlightenment ideas, providing the favorable ingredients for a
revolution. The French soldiers who participated in the
American War of Independence, for example, Lafayette ,were
exposed to the revolutionary ideas such as equality, freedom and
fraternity. These were the very ideas that were suppressed in
France. For instance equality was suppressed through unfair
land distribution and unfair taxation, fraternity was suppressed
through stratification that resulted in social groups with the third
estate being the last and the underprivileged and freedom was
suppressed through the letterer decatchet system. The French
soldiers came back with a motto at hand, “If America did it, why
can't we do it too” They came back home and mobilized the
people for the revolution. Therefore, this led to the outbreak of
the French revolution because it acted as an eye opener to the
French soldiers and the people of France leading to the 1789
revolution.

3. The American War of Independence led to the outbreak of

the French revolution in the sense that it worsened financial
crisis in France. This made the government failed to meet the
financial demands of the peasants, thereby causing frustration
amongst them. On entrance into the American War of
Independence, France borrowed a lot from the church, the
bourgeoisie and other countries. However, as, D. Richards
asserts, this was a non-beneficial war for France. It resulted in
the overspending of money, leading to the worsening of the
financial crisis. This war was actually an excess of
expenditure over income. Callone, one of the competent
financial ministers is on record to have warned Louis XVI not
to join the American War of Independence since it was of a
grave disadvantage to France in the context of The financial
crisis. Therefore, this worsened financial crisis in France and
the government failed to meet the economic demands of the
peasants due to bankruptcy leading to anger/discontentment/
frustration amongst the peasants and the French revolution
was inevitable…
Conclusion

It should be a short final part of your essay that just depicts your
stance on the question

Example

In conclusion, the American War of Independence was

responsible for the outbreak of the French revolution to a lesser
extent.

Thank you very much @Duce of Africa. Mr. Charline Prazen

Chikomo.

NAPOLEON BONAPARTE
THE RISE & THE DOMESTIC POLICY OF NAPOLEON
BONAPARTE

Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte

The rise of Napoleon can be attributed to two broad factors

1) The Character and ability of Napoleon Bonaparte

2) The weaknesses of the Directory

NB. The learners should try by all means to explain how the
character and ability of Napoleon Bonaparte together with
the Weaknesses of the Directory led to the rise of Napoleon

● The following question can also be used as an insight for

students to understand this topic well

Question: “It was more of the weakness the directory than

his character and ability that led to his rise to power “How
accurate is this statement in relation to the rise of Napoleon
Bonaparte

Ø At the end of this topic, the learners should be able to answer

this question.
Ø They also need to explore the character and ability of
Napoleon Bonaparte as well as the weakness of the directory but
most importantly explain how the two connect to the rise of
Napoleon and his rise to power.
The Character and Ability of Napoleon Bonaparte

1)​ ​Military genius

Ø Napoleon was a military genius as evidenced during the
Italian campaign. The Italian campaign was one of the strongest
battles that Napoleon was involved in but most importantly he
also won the campaign. Napoleon, in the words of Peacock
when he was addressing the soldiers, made it clear that, “You
are poorly equipped, poorly clothed and poorly fed but I will
take you to the finest lands”. This shows the status of the army
that Napoleon was about to use in the Italian Campaign. Despite
the fact that it was a weaker army, he managed to strategically
mount this army into a stronger army, thereby winning the
Italian campaign. Therefore, this shows that Napoleon was a
military genius because he managed to capitalize such a
demoralized, starving and without proper resources army and
won the Italian campaign
How did this then lead to his rise to power?

Ø By winning the Italian campaign, Napoleon restored the

prestige/glory of France that has been lost for a long time due to
humiliating defeats and her inglorious foreign policy that
swallowed all her legacy abroad. Losses included the defeat in
the Seven-Year War, a heavy loss in the American War of
Independence and a humiliating defeat by Austria during the
Franco- Austrian war of 1792. In this regard Napoleon got
popularity from the people of France as he restored the glory of
France through winning this prestigious and very beneficial
campaign leading to his rise to power since legacy, prestige and
honor was very important to the people of France
Ø It is also true that, by winning this campaign, Napoleon
boosted the morale of the soldiers who have been demoralized
for such a long time by their consistent defeats as depicted in the
Seven-Year War and the Austrian War of 1792 during the time
of the legislative assembly. He then got support from the
military team leading to his rise to power.
Ø It is on a historical record that during the Italian Campaign,
Napoleon and his team stole the papal artefacts and sent them to
boost French Tourism. This increased the national income for
France, created employment and recreational activities for the
people of France, and improved the living standards of France.
Napoleon then got support from the people as he had improved
the economic status of the country and all enshrined in his
military genius ability that he exhibited in this campaign
2.Diplomatic Master

Napoleon was also a master of diplomacy and this is also a part

of his character and ability that led to his rise to power.
Following the Italian Campaign, Napoleon was involved in the
signing of the Treaty of Campo-Formio of which he put on the
negotiation table without even consulting the directory.
However, he managed to come up with benefits out of that that
were also of benefit to his people. It was during this treaty that
Napoleon managed to win territories and these territories
allowed him to gain popularity among the people of France for
the people of France got access to more breathing space,
employment creation, natural resources, creation of new
business opportunities for the people of France as well as
national prestige within the international community. In this
regard Napoleon became very popular among the people of
France as he proved that he has the best to offer for the people of
France.

Boyce has it that, “During the Italian Campaign not only did
Napoleon prove that he was a military genius but also a master
of diplomacy through the way he handled the treaty of
Campo-Formio”

This shows that Napoleon's ability to be a diplomatic genius was

also very important stepping stone to his rise to power.

Military Genius

Again, the military genius of Napoleon Bonaparte can also be

explained using the ​Vendemiaire Uprising – when the
Royalists (The Bourbon Monarchists) wanted to seize power
from the republican government (The revolutionary
government). Boyce, Peacock and Dennis Richards are in
agreement that Napoleon defended the republican government
using his weapon called the “Whip of Grapeshot” and he also
defeated the royalists. Now the fact that militarily Napoleon
defeated the royalists speaks volumes of him being a military
genius but also speaks to the fact that he defended the
revolutionary government against the royalists who represent the
pre1789 era of the system of the ancient regime which
suppressed the people to the extent that they revolted during the
revolution of 1789. This made him very popular amongst the
revolutionaries for it was a good way of securing the fruits of the
revolution and safeguarding the revolution in France. ​The
recapture of Toulon is also of great importance to the military
genius of Napoleon for it was a French territory that he
recaptured through military means which adds more to his
military expertise. Also, he managed to restore the legacy of
France and also increased job opportunities for natural resources
and also breathing space, for the people of France. In this regard,
Napoleon became very popular amongst the people of France
leading to his rise to power.

3. Propagandistic Character.

This also led to the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte as demonstrated

in the ​Egyptian Campaign​. Napoleon participated in two main
battles during this campaign that is the Battle of the Pyramids
and the Battle of Aboukir. He won the battle of Pyramids which
adds more to his military genius and also allowed him to gain
popularity amongst the soldiers as well the French as it was a
good way towards the restoration of the long standing dream of
their glory. However, Napoleon's victory at the battle of the
Pyramids was immediately calmed down by a defeat by Nelson
of Britain at the battle of Aboukir. Many would think that it was
the end of the following Napoleonic popularity. Paradoxically,
Napoleon lied to the people of France that he had won the battle
of Aboukir and the people of France were shocked as it was
such a typical surprise to hear that Napoleon had defeated the
Great Britain “The Queen of the sea.”. In this regard, Napoleon
got support from the people but through propaganda. However,
later on the deal leaked that Napoleon was defeated but the
blame was put on the directory rather than on Napoleon himself
since it was the government and he was an army general. Boyce
has it clear that, “The directory was now submerging under a
wave of unpopularity”

4. Gift of Oratory

Napoleon was a gifted orator and he was able to convince and

win the hearts of the people. Great speakers usually win more
followers. This is clearly depicted in his speech that he delivered
to the soldiers before the Italian campaign, for example, when he
said, “You are poorly equipped, poorly clothed and poorly fed
but I will take you to the finest lands”. He made a good use of
words and phrases and he managed to clearly show the current
poor status of the French soldiers as poorly fed, poorly equipped
and poorly clothed but in their victory lies their better life. This
motivated the soldiers and they actually won the campaign. In
this regard it led to his rise to power because he boosted the
morale of the soldiers who then form the bases of his supporters.

To prove the military genius of Napoleon, one should also

remember the words of Abbe Sieyes, “Gentlemen, we have a
master who knows everything, who can do anything and has
military booths “

NB. IN WRITING an ESSAY ON THE QUESTION

ABOVE PARTICULARLY ON THE CHARACTER AND
ABILITY OF NAPOLEON AS THE SIDE A OF THE
QUESTION, THE LEARNERS SHOULD MAKE SURE
THAT THE FOLLOWING ARE WELL CAPTURED

a)​ ​ The character and the ability

b)​ ​The events that support the character and the ability
c) ​One should then write as the most important part and
explain so convincingly how it then led to his rise to power.

​THE WEAKNESSES OF THE DIRECTORY

Ø The learners should be able to explain in detail the

weaknesses of the directory but most importantly connect
them to unpopularity and then the rise of Napoleon
Bonaparte
Ø As the directory is becoming unpopular, Napoleon is
becoming popular. It is now supposed to be the task of the
learners to be able to fully explain how the weaknesses of the
directory led to the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.
The Weaknesses of the Directory Includes

1.Corruption among the directors, for example, Barra is on

record having sustained his position for 5 years through bribes

2.The Babeuf plot which involved the murdering of a

revolutionary Babeuf who was speaking volumes to the ideas of
the revolution such as equality, freedom and fraternity. His
killing portrays the Directory as an anti-revolutionary
government as opposed to it being a revolutionary government

3. Inflation ​– The newly introduced money of the directory

called the Mandate Yerritoriux quickly lost its value leading to
monetary problems of having more money and chasing few
goods and also the hiking of prices

4. The Jordan law ​which was forced conscription and the fact
that it was forced suppressed the idea of the revolution,
particularly freedom of choice

5. The over-reliance with the army. The directory had too

much reliance with the army that caused some army generals to
display their qualities to the people of France. Napoleon was
sent to the Italian campaign, the Egyptian campaign, the
Vendemiaire Uprising, the recapture of Toulon and on power
struggles amongst the directors, it was always a Napoleonic
task. This ​over reliance with the army created room for
ambitious army generals like Napoleon to claim the first
position as a consulate

6. ​Division amongst the directors

7. Failure of the directory to defend the territories that were

gained by Napoleon during the Italian Campaign from the
Second Coalition when Napoleon was in the Egyptian
Campaign. The list is endless

NB. Learners should then be able to explain these causes in

detail leading to unpopularity of the Directory and then the
rise of Napoleon

​ HE DOMESTIC
T POLICY OF NAPOLEON
BONAPARTE

The domestic policy of Napoleon refers to what Napoleon did

inside France

1. The learners should be able to explore the domestic

policy of Napoleon
2. One should also be able to explore the success and
the failures of the domestic policy of Napoleon Domestic
The Legion of Honor
Under the Legion of honor, there was ​career open to talent​.
Unlike in the ancient regime where people were employed based
on their class, in the government of Napoleon people were now
employed based on their skills and ability. Dennis Richards, D
Thompson, Dylan Rees and Peacock are in agreement that
Marat, the son of an inner keeper was promoted to be one of
Napoleon's generals. This shows that Napoleon was a child of
the revolution in the sense that he was subscribing to one of the
most important principles of the revolution that is equality.
Unlike in the ancient regime where the posts of being an army
general were reserved for the nobility, Napoleon opted for son
of an inner keeper, who was from the third estate. This was a
good way to portray an element of equality in his domestic
policy. However, it is also noted that there was creation of
merit of aristocracy where by Napoleon promoted his brothers,
sisters and other relatives on top posts. In this regard, this is
favoritism at its peak as well as unequal treatment of all citizens
as the relatives of Napoleon were given opportunities based on
the grounds that they were from, which was aristocracy, instead
of career being open to talent. Peacock further explains that
there were about 20000 nobles at Napoleons court, just to grace
it. The question will then be why were they nobilities only and
no other people from other unprivileged classes such as the
Bourgeoisie, the peasants or any other. Now that they were
nobility one can be tempted to argue that this was more of the
rewinding of the clock back to the system of the ancient regime
where there was state stratification and the nobilities had more
privileges than those in the third states. Is Napoleon a child of
the revolution following this? It becomes a debatable question
than that of Yes/NO
NB…the information provided above on the legion of honor
can be used to answer so many questions on Napoleon’s
Domestic policy.
Examples.
To what extent was Napoleon a child of the Revolution
Ø ​A child of the revolution is someone who considers the
ideas of the revolution, these are, equality, freedom and
fraternity. Therefore, Napoleon on the Legion of Honor had
introduced the career open to talent that allowed people to
be employed based on their ability and skills rather than
their class. This shows that he was a child of the revolution
since this speaks more to a principle of the revolution.
However, on that same point one can argue that Napoleon
was an enemy of the revolution too since he introduced the
merit of aristocracy whereby he was promoting his brothers
and sisters to top posts which speaks more to favoritism and
unequal treatment of people.
Ø ​This also pinpoints a success on the career open to talent
and a failure on the merit of aristocracy
Ø ​It also shows a blend of ideas of the revolution and that of
the ancient regime.
The Concordat
There was an unstable atmosphere between the church and the
state. Napoleon signed the Concordat with the Roman Catholic
Church. This resulted in unity between the church and the state,
that’s fraternity as a principle of the revolution thereby showing
that Napoleon was a child of the revolution since he maintained
some important principles of the revolution. Also on the
Concordat, Napoleon made it clear that land that was taken from
the church during the revolution, for instance, during the Civil
Constitution of the Clergy when land was taken from the church
was not supposed to be returned. In this regard, Napoleon
maintained equality which is, again, the principle of the
revolution thereby proving that he was a child of the revolution
since it was during the revolution when the issue of the land was
dealt with. Napoleon also reduced the number of priests and
made them civil servants and this was a good move in the sense
that, it reduced the extravagance of the church and also gave the
state control over the church, unlike in the ancient regime where
the church had control over the state. In other words, this
reduced the unlimited powers of the church. However,
Napoleon’s control over the church is also a typical example of
dictatorship as noted by Boyce that, “Napoleon used the church
to cement his grip on power”. More to that it is also historically
correct to note that, Napoleon declared his birthday saint
Napoleons day and had it celebrated. This shows that Napoleon
was a dictator in the sense that he wanted to have total control
and he had no qualities according to the Roman Catholic
principles to become a saint but he did that to get respect since
many people were Catholics. Therefore, Napoleon portrayed his
revolutionary child identity on the fraternity aspect between the
church and the state. The land issue that he settled left the
peasants with the land that they got during the revolutionary era
particularly on the civil constitution of the clergy. However, a
microscopic epistemological assessment can point out that this
was enlightened despotism since his main aim was to have total
control as he later established himself as a Catholic saint yet he
had no qualities of a Catholic saint and he developed a structure
that supports total control over the church.

Education

In the government of Napoleon Bonaparte, all boys were

permitted to go to school despite their background. This shows
that Napoleon was a child of the revolution in the sense that,
unlike in the system of the ancient regime were education was
for the rich only, Napoleon awarded an opportunity for all the
boys to acquire education. This speaks more to equality. More to
that, there was a high rate of illiteracy in the ancient regime so
by permitting all boys to go to school, it was a good way of
improving the literacy levels in France which is a good move in
the government of Napoleon Bonaparte. However, there is a
miscarriage of justice to fully credit Napoleon Bonaparte on
inclusivity in education mainly because Napoleon forbidded
girls to go to school and in the words of Rees he said, “Marriage
is their destination” This shows that Napoleon was a child of the
revolution since according to the Declaration of the rights of
Man and Citizenship it was clearly stated that, ‘’All men are
equal” Which shows that the revolution speaks more to the equal
treatment of all despite gender. More to that the women too
participated in the revolution, for instance the March of women
in the National Assembly so they too were supported to enjoy
the fruits of the revolution through getting access to education
but Napoleon set them aside which shows an element of
dictatorship. It is of paramount to register that Napoleon
forbidded the learning of history and French literature since they
create critical thinkers whom he was afraid of becoming his
opposition. This shows the dictatorial part of the government of
Napoleon in the sense that he did not want opposition but a
one-part state which is a typical example of absolutism and
autocracy. More to that ,this was a suppression of the freedom of
choice since some students that were talented in those subjects
were disadvantaged. More to that, Napoleon also introduced
school which was a good way of strengthening the defense
forces of France not only physically but also academically. Last
but not least, Napoleon at tertiary level was the one appointing
the grandmaster of the university which shows his desire to
control all the institutions therefore a sign of despotism.

Napoleonic Codes

Napoleon introduced different laws or codes in order to suppress

anarchy in the country. He actually in his own words uttered, “I
closed the gulf of anarchy and brought order out of chaos”. To
begin with the word “Code” refers to the law without going any
further to critically examine this title of this set of laws. There is
an element of dictatorship in the naming of these laws. The fact
that they were called Napoleonic codes and not code France
shows that Napoleon was the alpha and omega of the law, which
speaks more to dictatorship similar to that of Louis Xvi who is
also on record of having said, “The thing is legal because I wish
it “and Louis Xv who said, “The power of legislation resides in
my person alone”. There is an element of individualism in
Napoleon that is similar to the pre-1789 era and with that being
said, it goes against the fact that Napoleon was a child of the
revolution but rather that of the child of the ancient regime

About the Codes in detail, it is of a good cause to explain in

detail on these set of laws. To begin with, there was the
commercial code. This was very important because it resulted in
strengthening the relationship between the employer and the
employee thereby bringing fraternity between the two groups.
Therefore, this shows that Napoleon was a child of the
revolution. More to that, this code also resulted in an end to sit
ins, lock outs, demonstrations, and strikes thereby increasing
industrial production leading to improved standards of living
among the people of France. There was also the criminal code,
and it is of a great gratitude to the government that there was the
introduction of the trial by jury. Unlike in the system of the
ancient regime where people were sent to jail without a trial
through the lettere decatchet system, there were now court trails
and the use of lawyers which shows that that freedom was
granted to the people. However, Peacock made it clear that in
1810 Napoleon reintroduced the lettere decatchet system which
was a rewinding of the clock back to the system of the ancient
regime. Therefore, this shows that Napoleon was becoming
more of an ancient regime child than that of the revolution since
he was suppressing the freedom that the revolutionaries fought
for in the revolution of 1789. Furthermore , there was also the
civil code where the father was given more power than then
mother of which it shows the suppression of a woman which
automatically goes against the revolutionary agreement on the
Declaration of the Rights of Man and citizenship where there
issue of equal rights were granted to all the people. Therefore,
this was a suppression of equality on the side of a woman. More
to that, a child was also allowed to report for his mother and
father if they are anti-Napoleonic which shows that Napoleon
was a dictator since he was totally against opposition.

The Bank of France

Napoleon constructed the Bank of France. This was very

important because this bank allowed for a better circulation of
money in France and also wiped out inflation, a problem that
haunted almost all governments, Directory and the National
Assembly included. Therefore, this was a good measure towards
the eradication of financial crisis in France. More to that, it is
also of Napoleon’s success and proof that he was a child of the
revolution because everyone was permitted to use this bank
despite status or class. Therefore, there was a promotion of the
principle of the revolution that is equality. However, it is also
crucially important to mention that the bank charges were too
high for the peasants to afford hence the peasants were more
segregated economically thereby portraying an element of
inequality.

Others

-Public works

-Press censorship
- etc.

​THE HISTORY OR TROPICAL AFRICA

SECTION A : HISTORY PAPER 2.

SLAVE TRADE AND LEGITIMATE TRADE

The Trans- Atlantic slave trade & Legitimate in West Africa

Ø Many learners find this topic to be difficult, however, it is one

of the more easy topics and interesting as well.

➔In order to understand this topic, the learners should have

an understanding of the following
➔The meaning of the terms slave trade and legitimate trade
➔The west African States and the countries that were
involved in slave trade
➔The effects of slave trade both positive and negative
➔The Anti- Slavery Act

The problems associated with the transmission from slave trade

to legitimate trade. Etc.
The Trans- Atlantic Slave Trade in West Africa

This refers to the selling of human beings by the West African

states such as Asante and Dahomey to the European and
American countries such as Portugal and Brazil shipping them
through the Atlantic.

The west African that were involved in Slave Trade

Dahomey

Asante

Sokoto Caliphate

Bonny

Calabar

Oyo empire

Opobo

Itsekireland

Igbo

ü Etc.
The European and American Countries that were involved
in Slave trade

Britain

Portugal

Spain

Brazil

South America

France etc.

Effects of Slave Trade in West Africa

The effects of slave trade should be explained in the context of

Eurocentric and the Afrocentric theory. The Eurocentric theory
was written by JD. Fadge and it is the one that pinpoints the
positive effects of slave trade. He actually said, “Slave trade was
a big business and without it Africa could have been more
backward than Europe”. In this regard, this shows the
Eurocentric in trying to pinpoint the slave trade being a business
to Africa and Africa being more backward had it not been for
the slave trade depicts, the beneficial part of slave trade.
However, the Afrocentric penned down by Walter Rodney talks
of the negative effects of slave trade and he actually said, “The
best thing about slave trade is that it ended” meaning to say on
all the effects he could not see anything beneficial except that
finally it was brought to an end. Therefore, this points out that
there are positive and negative effects of slave trade as shall be
demonstrated in this write up.

The Effects of slave trade

v Slave trade resulted in the creation of bigger and strong states

such as Asante and Dahomey. According to Isichei, it is clearly
stated that slave trade was the backbone of and the economy of
Dahomey state which means Dahomey was benefiting from
slave trade leading to its development as a bigger and stronger
West African state. More to that, after the anti- slavery act when
slave trade was banned, there was the introduction of legitimate
trade which involves the growing of crops such as palm oil but
Asante failed dismally on legitimate trade and actually was on
its way to the decline meaning to say slave trade was very
important for the survival and the development of Asante state.
Therefore, it is plausible to argue in line of the Eurocentric
theory that slave trade was a big business since there was not
only the development of states but also the creation of stronger
and bigger states. However, this was survival of the fittest in the
sense that these bigger states raided the weaker and smaller
states for slaves thereby causing the growing of the bigger states
at the expense of the smaller states. The smaller states were
raided for their able bodied man thereby lacking labourforce
leading to the decline of those smaller states. Therefore, it is a
fact to argue that bigger and stronger states were created.
However, it is also true to argue that the smaller and weaker
states were put at a disadvantage, thereby leading to their
collapse.

Slave trade also resulted in the civilization and modernization of

West Africa. It is historically correct to note that during the
slave trade the people were shipped across the Atlantic to
different countries such as Brazil, England, Portugal, and South
America among others. In these countries, they were exposed to
civilization and modernized ways of life. It was after the
Anti-Slavery Act when there was creation of the free town of
Sierra Leone and the ex-slaves in the name of creoles were sent
there. These people become the first doctors, teachers, bishops,
newspaper editors and mayors. They also started to build
colleges and universities. The fact that Sierra Leone lies in the
geographical space of West proves more to the fact that slave
trade was to some extent beneficial to the west African states.
However, Walter Rodney is of the view that, “Were there no
other better means of developing Africa rather than slave trade”.
This shows the way Africa was developed through the slave
trade was really problematic especially with a concern to some
essential humanitarian factors
Slave trade also allowed African states to get access to European
and American goods such as ammunition, beverages, cloth and
refined pottery. This to some extent was helpful in the sense that
ammunition was needed for the self-defense of the African
states and also it was a good way for modernization. However,
Water Rodney of the Afrocentric in his battles with the
Eurocentric theory described the goods that the Africans were
getting as depressants or a heap of rubbish because they were of
lower value compared to what they were supplying to the
European and the American countries that is the able bodied
men who were going to work for free. More to that the
ammunition was very dangerous concerning how African states
hunted for slaves that resulted in wars. Therefore, the
availability of ammunition was very dangerous since this was
going to increase the death rate in the African Continent due to
mass killings.

Slave trade also strengthened the relationship between the

African states and the Western countries due to the interaction
during the buying and the selling of slaves. However, this
relationship was that of a horse and a rider because the
Europeans were benefitting more than the Africans out of this
relationship

Slave trade resulted in the depopulation of the coastal areas

since many people died during the shipping across the Atlantic.
Wars during the killing of slaves destroyed many and also the
shipping of the people reduced the population in the coastal
areas. However, JD Fadge in his Eurocentric theory said, “If it is
true that slave trade resulted in the depopulation of coastal areas,
why is it that West Africa is one of the most densely populated
areas in Africa”

v Slave trade resulted in the death of so many people since many

people died during the shipping across the Atlantic.

JD Fadge in trying to justify this actually said, “The number of

people who died during the shipping across the Atlantic is equal
to the number of people who could have died due to hunger,
starvation and also human sacrifices at Dahomey.

Legitimate Trade

Britain was the first country to be mechanically industrialized.

Having been mechanically industrialized Britain changed its
interest from that of the demand of the slaves to the demand of
raw materials such as palm oil, rubber, cotton. Slaves were no
longer necessary since she was now at an advanced stage of
industrialization that required the use of machines thereby
reducing the need for human beings. That is why Britain was at
the forefront of barning slave trade and passed the anti-slavery
Act of 1830. However, there was no automatic stop on slave
trade. In other words, so many problems were faced in trying to
abolish slave trade of which some were successfully dealt with

NB​-This is where questions like examine the problems that

were encountered in the transmission from slave trade to
legitimate trade? Come into play (June 2019)

Lack of a substitution was the main obstacle to the abolition

of slave trade. How far do you agree? (Specimen paper)

Why did slave trade continued up to the mid-19​th​ century?

Why did it take so long to ban slave trade?

PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE TRANSMISSION

FROM SLAVE TRADE TO LEGITIMATE TRADE.

Slow rate of mechanic industrialization amongst other

European Countries. Britain was the first country to be
mechanically industrialized and she was the one on the forefront
of banning slave trade because she was no longer interested in
slave trade but raw materials such as rubber, cotton and palm
oil. She was also using machines, so there was no longer a
demand for slave labour force since all of her work was now
mechanized. However, other countries like Portugal, Spain and
Brazil were not yet mechanically industrialized, so they still
needed the slave labourforce to work in their plantations. As
long as demand was still existing, supply was to happen.
Therefore, this became a problem to the abolition of slave trade
or in other words slave trade was bound to continue up to the
mid-19​th​ century

v​NB-The information above answers the question that was

in the new curriculum specimen paper that is, Lack of
substitution was the main obstacle to the abolition of slave
trade. How far do you agree?

As stated in the information provided above other countries had

no replacement for slaves since they were not yet mechanically
industrialized like Britain. Therefore, it was the lack of
substitution that allows slave trade to prolong.

All the questions above on the problems associated with the

transmission from slave trade to legitimate trade can also be
answered by the above information.

Resistance amongst the African Chiefs.

Following the Anti-Slavery Act, some African Chiefs accepted

the ban of slave trade. For example Gezo and Glele, the two
kings of Dahomey managed to accept this and Dahomey was
successfully turned into a legitimate trade state. However, some
African chiefs refused, for example, the Bonny Chief is on
record of having said, “Slaves are easier to catch than elephants”
This shows that the chief was not interested in banning slave
trade. More to that, Efic of Calabar also resited to ban of slave
trade. This was because the slave trade was beneficial to them.
Therefore, this becomes a problem to the abolition of slave trade
because in the African states, the word of the Chief was
regarded as the final say. Since these kings having refused, they
were going to influence their people to continue with slave trade
hence slave trade was bound to continue up to the mid-19​th
century.

Financial crisis on the side of Britain

Britain was on the forefront of banning slave trade and she was
supposed to compensate the slave owners to get them to release
the slaves. Britain was also supposed to buy the anti-slavery
equipment as well as hire the anti-slavery team. This was
financially straining on the side of Britain considering the
number of countries that were involved in slave trade and
Britain was actually under financial crisis. That is why Britain
ended up having a small squadron that had a lesser impact and
this led to the continuation of slave trade up to the mid-19​th
century.

Lack of Proper Agricultural conditions in some West

African States to support legitimate trade.
Unlike slave trade that involves the selling of human beings,
legitimate trade requires the growing of crops such as palm oil,
rubber and cotton which requires proper agricultural conditions
such as temperature, rainfall, and fertile soils among others.
Other states that were enjoying a lot of benefits in slave trade
found it difficult to shift to legitimate trade because of the lack
of requirements. A good example is Asante. Due to poor soils, it
was unable to shift to legitimate trade and in this regard slave
trade was bound to continue up to the mid-19​th century. Such
states were left with no option except to continue with slave
trade as it was the only option available for them to press on.

N​B. The information provided above can also answer the

question on the fact that lack of substitution was the main
obstacle to the abolition of slave trade. This is because due to
lack of agricultural supportive conditions, states like Asante
were left with no option except to continue with slave trade.

Legitimate Crops took long to mature

Legitimate crops such as rubber, cotton, palm oil, and gum trees
are described as perennial crops. They took a long time to
mature. This means that slave trade was bound to continue in the
sense that whilst waiting for the maturity of such crops that took
a long time to mature, people had to continue with slave trade as
their source of living since there was no quick replacement for
slave trade. Therefore, slave trade was bound to continue.
NB. The information provided is good for answering the
very question that reads lack of substitution was the main
obstacle the abolition of slave trade.

MORE PROBLEMS

- Poor soils

- The role of Islam as a religion that supported slave trade

- The geographical location of West Africa

- The fact that West African States regard slave trade as

more beneficial to them

- Lack of education on how to grow and the benefit of

legitimate trade

- Small British squadron

Solutions that were implemented to deal with these problems

- Planned agriculture for example in Dahomey in order to

make sure that the available resources can support agriculture in
a sustainable way

- The introduction of the House system under the likes of

Jaja of Opobo and Nana of Itsekiri to facilitate the success of
legitimate trade.
- Education on the benefits of legitimate trade and how to
go about it

- Legislation for example the anti-slavery act

- The introduction of the pulla boys to carry legitimate

goods to the coast thereby dealing with the problem of lack of
transport to transport the goods

“ Loss of a battle does not signal the end of the war, keep your
guns blazing until you win the war for failure is not final but a
step towards success” @Duce.Mr. Charline Prazen Chikomo

WRITTEN AND COMPILED BY

THE DUCE OF AFRICA

MR CHARLINE PRAZEN CHIKOMO

Edited by: Sara Frances McAlister

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