CHAPTER: THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

QUESTION - ANSWERS

Q1. Describe the circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in France.

Ans. The French Revolution broke out in 1789. The following circumstances led to the out break of
this revolutionary protest in France.

1. Social Condition – The French society was a feudal society. It was divided into three
estates:

First Estate – clergy Second

Estate – Nobles

Third Estate – Businessmen, Officers, Lawyers, Peasants, Artisans, etc

The members of the first and second estates enjoyed some privileges and were exempted from
paying taxes. All the members of the third estates had to pay taxes. Peasants rendered services to
the lord. There was social inequality.

2. Economic Conditions – Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France. It
was under heavy debt. Common man had to bear the burden of taxes. There was
subsistence crisis.

3. Role of Middle Class – The emergence of middle class proposed the idea of having a
society based on freedom, equal laws and opportunities for all. The philosophers like
Rousseau and others carried the idea forward.

4. Immediate Cause – The king had to increase taxes to meet various expenses. He called
together an assembly of the Estates General to pass the proposals for new taxes. But the
third estate walked out of the assembly when the king rejected their demand of one member
one vote.

Q2. Which groups of French society benefited from the revolution? List the groups which
were forced to relinquish power? Which sections of society would have been
disappointed with the outcome of the revolution?
Ans. 1. The members of the third estate i.e., merchants, court officials, lawyers, peasant, artisans etc.
benefited from the revolution. Peasants no longer had to render services to the clergy and
nobles. They began to be treated equally after the revolution.
2. The clergy of the first estate and nobles of the second estate, who enjoyed all the privileges and
were exempted from paying taxes, had to relinquish power.

7 RDPS (Student’s Handbook) for Class - IX

 3. The clergy and nobles would have been disappointed as their privileges were taken away and
there was social equality.

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

Ans. 1. The French Revolution broke out in 1789 with the slogan of „Liberty‟, „Equality‟ and „Fraternity‟.
It led to the end of monarchy in France.
2. The ideas of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity and Democratic Rights were the most important legacy
th th
of the French Revolution for the people of the world during 19 and 20 centuries.

Q4. Draw up list of democratic rights we enjoy today whose origin could be traced to the
French Revolution.
Ans. India being a democratic country allows its citizens to enjoy equal rights. The constitution
guarantees the following six fundamental rights:

1. Right to Equality

2. Right to Freedom

3. Cultural and Educational Rights

4. Right against Exploitation

5. Right to Constitutional Remedies

The above mentioned democratic rights have their origin in the French Revolution.

Q5. How would you explain the rise of Napoleon?

Ans. 1. Napoleon Bonaparte was a great conqueror and an able administrator in France.

2. In 1774 King Louis XVI ascended the throne of France.

3. In 1789, a revolutionary protest broke out in France which resulted in the formation of a
constitutional monarchy in 1791 dividing the powers between judiciary, executive and
legislature. The society was divided between active and passive citizens in which only active
citizens had a right to vote.
4. In 1792, the Jacobins captured the power and newly elected assembly called „Convention‟
was formed.
5. The fall of the Jacobin government allowed the wealthier middle classes to seize power.
6. A new constitution was introduced which denied the vote to non – propertied sections of the
society.

8 RDPS (Student’s Handbook) for Class - IX

 7. A Directory – an executive made up of five members was appointed. The Directors often
clashed with the legislative councils.

8. The political instability of the Directory paved the way for the rise of military power,
Napoleon Bonaparte.

9. In 1804, he crowned himself Emperor of France.

Q6. Describe in brief the Reign of Terror.

OR

Which period in France history is known as Reign of Terror? Give reasons.

Ans. 1. The period from 1793 to 1974 is referred to as the Reign of Terror.

2. Robespierre, the head of Jacobin govt., followed a policy of severe control and punishment.

3. All those whom he saw as being „enemies‟ of the republic were arrested, imprisoned and
then tried by a revolutionary tribunal.

4. If the court found them guilty, they were guillotined.

5. Meat and bread were rationed.

6. Peasants were forced to sell their grains at prices fixed by the Govt.

7. Churches were shut down and their buildings converted into barracks or offices.

8. Finally, Robespierre was convicted by a court in July, 1794, arrested and guillotined.

Q7. What do you know about the storming of Bastille?

Ans. 1. Bastille was the fortress prison in France.

2. In July 1789, a severe winter had spoilt the crops.

3. The price of bread rose and bakers hoarded the supplies.

4. Crowds of angry women stormed into the shops.

5. Revolutionary elements were getting strong in the capital, Paris. So, the king ordered troops
to move into Paris.

6. On 14 July, 1789 the agitated crowds stormed and destroyed the Bastille.

Q8. What was Subsistence Crisis? Mention any two factors responsible for this.

9 RDPS (Student’s Handbook) for Class - IX

Ans. An extreme situation where the basic means of livelihood are endangered is known as Subsistence
Crisis.

The factors responsible for subsistence crisis are:

1. With the increase in the population of France, the demand for food grains increased. But the
production of food grains was not able to keep pace with the demand. So the price of bread
rose. Most of the workers were employed as labourers in workshops at fixed wages. The
wages did not keep pace with the rise in prices. So the gap between the poor and the rich
widened.

2. The draught or hail were also responsible for the subsistence crisis.

Q9. Who was Olympe de Gouges? Why did she protest against the constitution?

Ans. 1. Olympe de Gouges was one of the most important politically active women in
revolutionary France.

2. She protested against the Constitution and the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizens as
they excluded women from basic rights.

3. Olympe de Gouges criticized the Jacobin Govt. for forcibly closing down women‟s clubs. She
was tried by National Convention, which charged her with treason.

Q10. Explain the fall of Napoleon.

Ans. 1. Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself as Emperor of France in 1804.

2. He set out to conquer neighbouring European countries, dispossessing dynasties and

creating kingdoms where he placed members of his family. Napoleon saw his role as a
modernizer of Europe.

3. Initially, Napoleon was seen as a liberator by many people who would bring freedom for the
people.

4. But soon Napoleon armies came to be viewed as an invading force. He was finally defeated
at Waterloo in 1815.

Q11. Describe the condition of women in France before the revolution.

Ans. 1. Most women of third estate had to work for a living. They worked as seamstressess, laundresses,
sold flowers, fruits, vegetables etc. at the market, or were employed as domestic servants in
the houses of prosperous people.

10 RDPS (Student’s Handbook) for Class - IX

 2. They did not have access to education or job training.

3. Only daughters of nobles or wealthier members of the third estate could study at a convent
after which their families arranged a marriage for them.

4. Working women also had to take care of their families that is cook food, fetch water, look
after children, queue up for bread etc.

5. Their wages were lower than those of men and they did not have the right to vote.

Q12. Explain the condition of women in France after the revolution.

Ans. The revolutionary government introduced laws which helped to improve the lives of women in
France:

1. State schools were established and schooling was made compulsory for all girls.

2. Father‟s could no longer force their daughter into marriage against their will.

3. Marriage was registered under civil law.

4. Divorce was made legal and could be applied for by both women and men.

5. Women could now be trained for jobs, could become artists or run small business.
6. Women‟s movement for voting rights and equal wages continued.

Q13. What were the consequences of French Revolution?

Ans. The consequences of French Revolution were:

1. Feudal system was abolished. All the laws of regime were annulled.

2. The social, economic and political discrimination came to an end.

3. A new society was organized on the basis of equality.

4. Censorship was abolished. Freedom of speech and expression became the natural rights of
the citizens.

5. Slavery was abolished in French colonies in 1848.

6. In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte, who was a great conqueror and an able administrator
crowned himself as the emperor of France.

11 RDPS (Student’s Handbook) for Class - IX

Q14. Write a note on Slave Trade in France.

th
Ans. 1. Shortage of Labour – The slave trade began in the 17 century. Europeans did not want to go
and work in distant and unfamiliar lands which meant a shortage of labour on the
plantations.

2. Triangular Slave Trade – This shortage of labour was met by triangular slave trade
between Europe, Africa and the Americas.

3. Slave from Local Chieftains – French merchants sailed from the ports of Bordeaux of
Nantes to the African Coast, where they bought slaves from local chieftains.

4. Slave Exploitation – The slaves were packed tightly into ships for the 3 month long voyage
across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. There they were sold to plantation owners and were
exploited.

5. Abolition of Slavery: One of the most revolutionary social reforms of the Jacobin regime
was the abolition of slavery in the French colonies. However, it was reintroduced by
Napoleon ten years later. Slavery was finally abolished in French colonies in 1848.

12 RDPS (Student’s Handbook) for Class - IX