Class: 9

Subject: History
Chapter: 1
French Revolution

Question 1. Describe the circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest

in France?
Answer:
Social circumstances: French society in the eighteenth century was divided into three estates
namely Clergy, Nobility and third estates. Third estates which comprise peasants, officials and
small businessman. It was the only third estate that pay taxes. Clergy and nobility were exempt
from taxes.

Economic circumstances: Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France.
France had a debt of more than 2 billion livres. To meet its regular expenses, such as the cost of
maintaining an army, the court, running government offices or universities, the state was forced
to increase taxes.

Circumstances of Subsistence Crisis: The population of France increased from 23 million in

1715 to 28 million in 1789. Food grains were now in great demand. Price of bread increased.
Wages did not keep pace with rising prices. This led to a subsistence crisis.

Strong Middle Class: The educated and wealthy middle class of the third estate believed that
no group in society should be given privileges by birth. Ideas of equality and freedom were put
forward by philosophers.

All the above circumstances were leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in France.

Question 2. Which groups of French society benefited from the revolution?

Which groups were forced to relinquish power?
Which sections of society would have been disappointed with the outcome of the
revolution?
Answer:
1. The middle class or the richer members of the Third Estate consisting of merchants, traders,
lawyers and rich peasants benefited the most from the French Revolution.

2. The clergy and nobility were the groups which were forced to relinquish power. Now they
could not collect taxes and their lands were confiscated.

3. The poorer sections of the third estate and women were disappointed with the outcome of the
French revolution because their aspirations were not properly fulfilled, for example, women were
not given voting rights. Poor men who did not have fulfilled property or who did not pay taxes
were not allowed to vote.
Question 3. Describe the legacy of the French Revolution for the peoples of the world
during the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries.
Answer:
The ideas of liberty and democratic rights were the most important legacy of the French
Revolution. These spread from France to the rest of Europe during the nineteenth century,
where feudal systems were abolished. It inspired the Germans, Italians, and Austrians to
overthrow their oppressive regimes. The French Revolution inspired the struggling nations of
Asia and Africa who were groaning under the oppression of European colonialism. Tipu Sultan
and Rajaram Mohan Roy are two examples of individuals who responded to ideas coming from
the French revolution.

Question 4. Draw up a list of democratic rights we enjoy today whose origins could be
traced to the French Revolution.
Answer:
We can trace the origin of the following democratic rights we enjoy today to the french
revolution:

Right to Equality
Right to Freedom
Freedom of Speech and expression
Right against exploitations
Right to justice

Question 5. Would you agree with the view that the message of universal rights was
beset with contradictions? Explain.
Answer:
Yes, the message of universal rights was beset with contradictions:

Many ideas in the "Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen" were replete with dubious
meanings.
The declaration stated that law is the expression of the general will. All citizens have the right to
participate in its formation. All citizens are equal before it, but when France became a
constitutional monarchy, almost 3 million citizens including men who did not pay sufficient taxes,
women and men under the age of 25 were not allowed to vote at all.
Hence, by these universal rights the poor were suppressed. The Constitution was only available
for the rich. Women were totally neglected in decision making.

Question 6. How would you explain the rise of Napoleon?

Answer:
After the failure of Robespierre's rule, a directory was formed to avoid concentration of power in
one individual. Members of the directory often fought among themselves leading to total chaos
and political instability. This created a political vacuum in France. This was a conducive situation
and Napoleon Bonaparte took the reign of power as a military dictator.
 Intext Questions

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1. On ………………. the city of Paris was in a state of alarm. The king had
commanded troops to move into the city.
A. 15 July 1779
B. 14 July 1779
C. 15 July 1789
D. 14 July 1789

Answer: D. 14 July 1789

Question 2. Some 7,000 men and women gathered in front of the town hall and decided to form
a …………?
A. Peoples party
B. Peoples’ militia
C. Peoples democracy
D. Peoples presence
Answer; B. Peoples’ militia

Question 3. Finally, a group of several hundred people marched towards the …………….. part of
the city and stormed the fortress-prison, the Bastille, where they hoped to find hoarded
ammunition?
A. Eastern
B. Northern
C. Western
D. Southern
Answer: A. Eastern

Question 4. Why was the fortress-prison, the Bastille, hated by all?

A. It stood for the despotic power of the king.
B. Because of dictatorship
C. Aristocracy
D. None of these
Answer: A. It stood for the despotic power of the king.

Question 5. What was the main protest by the people?

A. High Price of bread
B. Behavior of the king
C. Poverty of the people
D. High taxes
Answer: A High Price of bread
Question 6. Who said “ the task of representing the people has to be given to the rich”?
A. Mirabeau
B. Jean Paul Marat
C. Rousseau
D. Georges Denton
Answer: B Jean Paul Marat

Question 7. The National Assembly formed a constitution in 1791, to limit the power of the
…….?
A. Wealthy men
B. Businessmen
C. Monarch
D. Press
Answer: C. Monarch

Question 8. Who wrote the influential pamphlet- "What is the Third Estate"?
A. Mirabeau
B. Jean Paul Marat
C. Abbé Sieyès
D. Georges Denton
Answer: C. Abbé Sieyès

Question 9. Which group of people did not join the Jacobin Club?
A. Artisans
B. Shopkeepers
C. Daily wage workers
D. Aristocrat
Answer: D. Aristocrat

Question 10. French women demanded the right to…..?

A. Vote
B. To be elected in the assembly
C. To hold political office
D. All of the above
Answer: D. All of the above

Question 11. A triangular slave trade took place between Europe, the Americas and………..?
A. Asia
B. Australia
C. Africa
D. None
Answer: C. Africa

Question 12. What did the slaves wear after becoming free?
A. Blue cap
B. Red cap
C. White cap
D. Green cap
Answer: B. Red cap

Question 13. Who were not considered passive citizens?

A. Women
B. Children
C. Non property men
D. Wealthy people
Answer: D. Wealthy people

Question 14. The third estate comprised……?

A. Poor and small peasants
B. Land less labour
C. Peasants and artisans
D. All of the above
Answer: D. All of the above

Question 15. Which of the following decisions was taken by the Convention?
A. It declared France a constitutional Monarchy
B. Abolished the Monarchy
C. All men and women above 21 got the right to vote
D. Declared France a Republic
Answer: D. Declared France a Republic

Question 16. How does a subsistence crisis happen?

A. Bad harvest leads of scarcity of grains
B. Food prices rise and the poor cannot buy bread
C. Leads to disease and death
D. All of the above
Answer: D. All of the above

Question 17. Which of the following statements is false about the Third Estate?
A. It comprised of poor only
B. Some were rich some were poor
C. Rich members owned land
D. Peasant were obliged to serve in the army
Answer: A. It comprised of poor only

Question 18. What was a guillotine?

A. A device consisted of two poles and a blade to behead people
B. A fine sword to behead people
C. A special noose to hang people
D. None 0f these
Answer: A. A device consisted of two poles and a blade to behead people

Question 19. What does the word "livres" stand for?

A. Tax levied by the state
B. Unit of currency in France
C. Tax levied by the Church
D. Tax to the Landlord
Answer: B. Unit of currency in France

Question 20. What was Estates General?

A. Post of army general
B. A political body
C. Head of all landed property
D. Advisor of the king
Answer: B. A political body

Question 21. The term old regime is used to describe……?

A. France before 1000 BC
B. Society of France after 1789
C. Society of France before 1789
D. None of the above
Answer: C. Society of France before 1789

Question 22. Which of these books was written by John Locke?

A. The spirit of the laws
B. Two treatises of Government
C. The social contract
D. All
Answer: B. Two treatises of Government

Question 23. In the meeting of the Estates General, the members of the Third Estate demanded
that………
A. All the estates have one vote together
B. Each estate should have one vote
C. Each member of all three estates should have one vote each
D. None of the above
Answer: C. Each member of all three estates should have one vote each

Question 24. Who led the representatives of the Third Estate in Versailles on 20th June?
A. Mirabeau
B. Abbe Sieyes
C. Louis XVI
D. A & B
Answer: D. A & B

Question 25. Which of these provisions were passed by the Assembly on night of 4th August
1789?
A. Abolition of feudal system
B. Clergy had to give up its privileges
C. Tithes was abolished
D. All of the above
Answer: D. All of the above

Question 26. According to the new constitution 1791 in France, the National Assembly was to
be …… ?
A. Elected directly
B. Appointed by the king
C. Elected indirectly
D. A hereditary body
Answer: C. Elected indirectly

Question 27. Which of the following is true is about Bastille Storming?

A. It was a fortress prison in France
B. It represented despotic powers
C. French common man hated Bastille
D. All of the above
Answer: D. All of the above

Question 28. When did the fall of Bastille take place?

A. 14 July 1789
B. 20 June 1789
C. 4 August 1789
D. 5 May 1789
Answer: A. 14 July 1789

Question 29. Which estates in France were exempted from paying taxes?
A. The first Estate
B. The second Estate
C. Both first and second estates
D. The Third estate
Answer: C. Both first and second estates

Question 30. What was Tithes?

A. A tax levied by the Church
B. Tax by the state
C. Tax by the Monarch
D. None
Answer: A. A tax levied by the Church

Question 31. When did Louis XVI called an assembly of the Estate General to pass the
proposals of new taxes?
A. 4 August 1789
B. 5 May 1789
C. 17 July 1779
D. 17 July 1789
Answer: B. 5 May 1789

Question 32. Which of the following constituted the privileged class?

A) Clergy and peasants
B) Peasants and nobility
C) First and Third Estate
D) Clergy and nobility
Answer: D) Clergy and nobility

Question 33. "The Spirit of the Laws" is written by ________.

A) John Locke
B) Jean Jacques Rousseau
C) Montesquieu
D) Louis XVI
Answer: C) Montesquieu

Question 34. Which of the following refuted the doctrine of divine and absolute right?
A) John Locke
B) Rousseau
C) Montesquieu
D) Voltaire
Answer: A) John Locke

Question 35. Napoleon crowned himself as emperor of France In _______.

A) 1748
B) 1799
C) 1804
D) 1815
Answer: C) 1804

Question 36. The book that proposed a division of power within the government -
(a) Two Treaties of Government
(b) The Spirit of the Laws
(c) 'Le Moniteur Universal
(d) The Social Contract
Answer: (b) The Spirit of the Laws

Very Short Type Questions

Question 1. Which incident sparked the French Revolution?

Answer:
The attack by the third estate on the Bastille prison (14th July 1789) and setting free the
prisoners was the incident which sparked the French Revolution.

Question 2. Why was Bastille prison attacked?

Answer:
The revolutionaries attacked the Bastille prison with a hope to find hoarded ammunition for the
revolution.

Question 3. Why was the Bastille hated by all?

Answer:
Bastille was hated by all because it was seen as a symbol of the despotic power of the king.

Question 4. What did the French Revolution of 1789 stand for?

Answer:
The French Revolution of 1789 stood for the ideas of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

Question 5. What was the immediate cause of rioting in Paris?

Answer:
The high price of bread was the immediate cause of rioting in Paris.

Question 6. Which ruler came to power in France in 1774?

Answer:
Louis XVI of the Bourbon family ascended the throne of France in 1774.

Question 7. What activity of the French monarchy hastened the revolution?

Answer:
The extravagant lifestyle of the monarch brought France on the verge of bankruptcy and
hastened the revolution.

Question 8. How did the American War of Independence add more debt to France?
Answer:
The French armies supported thirteen colonies of America in the war of independence
against Great Britain.
The war added more than a billion livres to a debt that had already risen to more than two billion
livres.

Question 9. Why did the French government increase the taxes?

Answer:
To meet the regular expenses such as
the cost of maintaining an army,
the court and running the government offices or universities, the state was forced to increase
taxes.

Question 10. What was the Old Regime?

Answer:
The term Old Regime is usually used to describe the society and institutions of France
before 1789.

Question 11. Which estate paid taxes out of all?

Answer:
The third estate paid taxes out of all.

Question 12. How was society divided before the French Revolution?
Answer:
Before the French Revolution, the society was divided into three estates.
(a) The 1st estate consist of the clergy.
(b) The 2nd estate consist of the nobles.
(c) The 3rd estate included big businessmen, merchants, court officials, lawyers, peasants,
landless labourers, servants and artisans.

Question 13. Who owned the majority of land in 18th century France?
Answer:
The nobels, the Church and the richer members of the third estate owned about 60% of
land in France.

Question 14. What was the most important privilege enjoyed by the first two estates?
Answer:
The most important privilege enjoyed by the first two estates was the exemption from
payment of taxes to the states.

Question 15. Which estate enjoyed the feudal privileges? What were the feudal privileges?
Answer:
The feudal privileges were enjoyed by the second estate i.e., nobels. Nobels collected the
feudal dues from the peasants under the feudal privileges.

Question 16. What were the conditions of eighteenth century french peasants?
Answer:
Peasants were obliged to render services to the lord to work in his fields or house, to serve in
the army or to participate in building roads.

Question 17. What was Tithe?

Answer:
Tithe was a tax levied by the Church, comprising one-tenth of the agricultural produce.

Question 18. Which types of taxes were levied by the states?

Answer:
The taxes levied by the state included a direct tax called taille and number of other indirect
taxes levied on everyday consumption articles like salt or tobacco.

Question 19. Why had the peasants and workers had participated in revolts?
Answer:
To protest against increasing taxes and food scarcity, peasants and workers had started
participating in revolts.

Question 20. Which social group emerged in France in the 18th century?
Answer:
The middle class emerged in France in the 18th century.

Question 21. Name the Philosophers who put forward the ideas of freedom, equal laws and
opportunities for all in French society.
Answer:
The philosophers were John Locke, Montesquieu and Jean Jacques Rousseau.

Question 22. What did John Locke write in his book "Two Treatises of Government"?
Answer:
John Locke sought to refute the doctrine of the divine and absolute right of the monarch in his
book.

Question 23. Which form of government was proposed by Rousseau?

Answer:
Rousseau proposed the form of government which was based on a social contract between
people and their representatives.

Question 24. Who wrote The Spirit of the Laws?

Answer:
The Spirit of the Laws was written by Montesquieu.

Question 25. Mention the ideas proposed by Montesquieu in the book The Spirit of the Laws.
Answer:
Montesquieu proposed a division of power within government between the executive, the
legislative and the judiciary.

Question 26. Where and when did the ideas of division of power within government came into
effect?
Answer:
The ideas firstly came into effect in the USA, after the thirteen American colonies declared their
independence from America.

Question 27. Which event set an example for political thinkers in France?
Answer:
The American Constitution and its guarantee of individual rights became an example for political
thinkers in France.

Question 28. Where were the ideas of the philosophers discussed intensively in France?
Answer:
The ideas of the philosophers were discussed intensively in salons and coffee-houses and
spread among people through books and newspapers.

Question 29. Which news enraged the system of privileges in eighteenth century France?
Answer:
The news of imposing more taxes by the French monarchy enraged the system of privileges in
eighteenth century France

Question 30. What was the Estates General?

Answer:
The Estates General was a political body to which the three estates sent their representatives.

Question 31. For what purpose did Louis XVI call an assembly of the Estates General during
the old regime of France?
Answer:
Louis XVI call an assembly of the Estates General to pass proposals for new taxes during the
old regime of France.

Question 32. What was the status of representation of the three estates at the Estate General
Assembly of 1789?
Answer:
The first and the second estates sent 300 representatives each, who were seated facing each
other on two sides. The third estate sent 600 members who had to stand.

Question 33. When and where did Louis XVI called the assembly of the General Estate?
Answer:
On 5 May 1789, Louis XVI called the assembly of General Estate in a resplendent hall in
Versailles.

Question 34. Which principle was followed by the Estate General for taking vote?
Answer:
According to the principle, each estate has one vote.

Question 35. Which proposal of the third estate was refused by King Louis XVI?
Answer:
The third estate demanded that voting should be conducted by the assembly as a whole in
which each member had one vote. But the king refused this proposal.

Question 36. In which book did Rousseau mention the idea of one person, one vote?
Answer:
In The Social Contract, Rousseau wrote about one person, one vote.

Question 37. What steps were taken by the third estate when their demands were refused?
Answer:
The third estate assembled in the indoor tennis court hall in Versailles. They sworn to draft a
constitution to limit the power of monarchs for France and also declared themselves a National
Assembly.

Question 38. Who was Mirabeau?

Answer:
Mirabeau belonged to a nobel family. He was convinced with the need to do away with the
society of feudal privileges and led the representatives of the third estate.

Question 39. What do you know about Abbe Sieyes?

Answer:
Abbe Sieyes was originally a priest. He wrote an influential pamphlet named ‘What is the Third
Estate’?

Question 40. Define Chateaux.

Answer:
A Chateaux is a castle or stately residence belonging to a king or a nobleman.

Question 41. What was the decree of the National Assembly of 1789?
Answer:
The decree of the National Assembly of 1789 was to abolish the feudal system of obligations
and taxes.

Question 42. When did the National Assembly completed the draft of the constitution?
Answer:
In 1791, the National Assembly completed the draft of the constitution.

Question 43. What was the objective of the National Assembly’s draft completed in 1791?
Answer:
The National Assembly’s draft of 1791 aimed at limiting the powers of the monarch

Question 44. What made France a constitutional monarch?

Answer:
Limiting the powers of the monarch and separating the power of administration among different
institutions i.e., the legislature, the executive and the judiciary made France a constitutional
monarch.

Question 45. Which section of the French society got political right by the constitution of 1791?
Answer:
Only men above 25 years of age who paid taxes equal to at least 3 days of labourer’s wage got
the status of active citizens and also right to vote.

Question 46. Which document was considered the beginning of the French constitution?
Answer:
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was considered the beginning of the French
revolution.

Question 47. Which rights were the natural and inalienable rights according to the French
Constitution?
Answer:
The natural and inalienable rights were the right to life, freedom of speech, freedom of opinion
and equality before law.

Question 48. What was the significance of natural and unalienable rights?
Answer:
These rights belonged to each human being by birth and could not be taken away.

Question 49. What was the decision taken by the National Assembly in April 1792?
Answer:
National Assembly declared war against Prussia and Austria in April 1792.

Question 50. What was Marseillaise? Who composed it?

Answer:
Marseillaise was one of the patriotic songs sung by volunteers. It was composed by Roget de
L'Isle.

Question 51. What were the roles played by French people when the fight took place with
Prussia and Austria?
Answer:
The French men were fighting at the front and women were left with the tasks of households
and also earning livelihoods for the family.

Question 52. Why were the political clubs formed in France?

Answer:
Political clubs were formed by the people in France to discuss the policies of the government
which gave the political rights only to the richer sections of the society and to plan their action.
Both men and women formed various clubs.
Question 53. Which was the most successful of the political clubs formed in France? How did it
get its name?
Answer:
The most successful of the clubs was that of the Jacobins. It got its name from the former
convent of St. Jacob in Paris.

Question 54. Who were the members of the Jacobin Club? Name the prominent leader.
Answer:
The members of the Jacobin club were from the less prosperous sections of the French society,
for example small shopkeepers, artisans such as shoemakers, pastry cooks, etc. Maximilian
Robespierre was its prominent leader.

Question 55. Who were Sans-culottes?

Answer:
The Jacobins came to be known as Sans-culottes, which literally means those without knee
breeches.

Question 56. What was the name give to the newly-elected assembly of the Jacobins?
Answer:
The newly elected assembly of the Jacobins was called the Convention. It abolished the
monarchy and declared France a republic.

Question 57. Explain the term ‘republic’.

Answer:
Republic is a form of government where the people elect the government including the head of
the government. There is no hereditary monarchy.

Question 58. Define Treason.

Answer:
Treason means betrayal of one’s country or government.

Question 59.
Why was Louis XVI sentenced to death?
Answer:
Louis XVI was sentenced to death on the charges of treason in 21 January 1793.

Question 60.
Which period in France was known as Reign of Terror? Why?
Answer:
The period of 1793 to 1794 was known as the Reign of Terror because Robespierre followed the
policy of severe control and punishment.
Question 61. Against whom the Robespierre followed the policy of severe control and
punishment?
Answer:
Against all those persons whom he considered the enemies of the republic. These included
ex-nobels, clergy, other political parties members and also some members from his political
party who did not agree within his policies.

Question 62. What was guillotine?

Answer:
Guillotine was a device consisting of two poles and a blade using which a person was
beheaded.

Question 63. Which class came into power after the fall of Jacobin government?
Answer:
The wealthier middle class came into power after the fall of Jacobin government.

Question 64. To whom the new constitution denied the vote?

Answer:
The new constitution of wealthier middle class government denied vote to non-propertied
sections of society.

Question 65. What was Directory?

Answer:
Directory was an executive body of five members. Directory was appointed by two elected
legislative councils.

Question 66. Why was the executive body like Directory introduced?
Answer:
It was introduced to safeguard against the concentration of power in one-man executive as
under the Jacobins.

Question 67. How did Napoleon Bonaparte come to power?

Answer:
Napoleon, a military dictator, came to power due to the political instability of the Directory.

Question 68. What was the status of education among women during French revolution?
Answer:
Most of the women did not have access to education or job-training. Only daughters of nobels or
wealthier members of the third estate could study at a convent.

Question 69. What did the women in France do to discuss and voice their interests?
Answer:
In order to discuss and voice their interests, the women started their political clubs and
newspapers.
Question 70. Name an important political club formed by women in France.
Answer:
"The Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women" was the famous club formed by women
in France.

Question 71. According to French women, how were their interests presented in the new
government?
Answer:
French Women started their own political clubs and newspapers.
They demanded the right to vote.
They demanded to be elected to the Assembly and to hold political office.
with the above steps, French women presented their interests in the new government.

Question 72. When did the new government issued laws to close down the women’s club?
Answer:
The new government issued laws during the Reign of Terror in 1793-94.

Question 73. When did French women got the political rights?
Answer:
In 1946, women in France got the political rights.

Question 74. Who wrote the Declaration of the Rights of woman and citizen?
Answer:
Olympe de Gouges wrote a Declaration of the Rights of woman.

Question 75. What was the most revolutionary reform of the Jacobin regime?
Answer:
The most revolutionary reform of the Jacobin regime was the abolition of slavery in the French
colonies.

Question 76. List four commodities supplied by the French colonies in the Caribbean.
Answer:
The French colonies in the Caribbean were important suppliers of tobacco, indigo, sugar and
coffee.

Question 77. Between which three continents was the slave trade carried out?
Answer:
A triangular slave trade was carried out between Europe, Africa and the Americas.

Question 78. Name the ports of France from where the slave trade was carried out.
Answer:
The slave trade was carried out from the ports of Bordeaux or Nantes.
Question 79. Why had the exploitation of slave labour done?
Answer:
The exploitation of slave labour had done to meet the growing demand in European markets for
sugar, coffee and indigo.

Question 80. Why did the National Assembly not pass any law regarding exploitation of slave
labour?
Answer:
They were fearing from the opposition of businessmen whose income was depend on the slave
trade.

Question 81. What did freedom mean to the planters?

Answer:
In view of plantation owner, freedom included the right to enslave African Negroes in pursuit of
their economic interest.

Question 82. When did the slavery finally abolished in French colonies?
Answer:
In 1848, slavery was finally abolished from French colonies.

Question 83. Which law came into effect soon after the incident of Bastille 1789?
Answer:
Abolition of censorship came into effect after the incident of Bastille 1789.

Question 84. Which document proclaimed the freedom of speech as a natural right?
Answer:
The freedom of speech as a natural right was proclaimed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man
and Citizen.

Question 85. Who crowned himself as Emperor of France in 1804?

Answer:
Napolean Bonaparte crowned himself as Emperor of France in 1804.

Question 86. What actions proved Napoleon as a moderniser of Europe?

Answer:
He introduced many laws like a uniform system of weights and measures provided by the
decimal system and protection of private property.

Question 87. How were Napoleon's image taken up by the people? What image came later?
Answer:
Napoleon was seen as a liberator who might have bought freedom for the people but the
Napoleon armies were seen later as invading forces.

Question 88. Where was Napoleon defeated?

Answer:
Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo in 1815.

Question 89. How did the colonised people created the sovereign nation state?
Answer:
They created the sovereign nation state by redefining the idea of freedom from bondage into a
movement.

Question 90. Name the two Indian individuals who responded to the ideas coming from
revolutionary France.
Answer:
The two Indian individuals who responded to the ideas coming from revolutionary France, were
Raja Rammohan Roy and Tipu Sultan.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. What was the French Revolution?

Answer:
The French Revolution was a period of time in France when the people overthrew the monarchy
and took control of the government.

Question 2. On ascending the throne of France, Louis XVI found the treasury empty. Why was
the treasury empty?
Answer:
The causes for empty treasury at the time of his accession were as follows.
(a) The financial resources of France had drained due to the long years of war.
(b) The high cost of maintaining an extravagant court at the immense palace of Versailles also
added to the financial drain.
(c) France had helped the thirteen American colonies to gain their independence from Britain.
This increased the debt to more than 2 billion livres.

Question 3. Describe the divisions of the French society before the French Revolution.
Answer:
(a) Before the French Revolution, the French society was divided into three estates. The first
estate comprised the Church and the clergy. They enjoyed certain privileges by birth.
(b) The second estate was comprised of the nobles and other rich people of the society. These
were exempted from paying taxes. They also enjoyed feudal privileges which included collection
of feudal dues by the peasants.
(c) The third estate was comprised of big businessmen, merchants, court officials, lawyers,
peasants, artisans, landless labourers and servants. Within the third estate, some were rich and
others were poor. The peasants obliged the landlords by working on their fields, in their houses,
to serve in the army or to participate in the building of roads. They were paying all direct taxes
like taille and a number of indirect taxes on salt or tobacco, but had no rights.
Question 4. Which three causes led to the ‘subsistence crisis’ in France during the Old Regime?
Answer:
The following points show how the subsistence crisis occurred in France during the Old Regime.
(a) The population of France increased from 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in 1789. This led to
the increase in demand for foodgrains.
(b) When the production of foodgrains could not keep pace with the growing demand, the
price of bread which was the staple food increased rapidly.
(c) On the other hand, the wages could not keep pace with the rise in prices. At the time of
drought or hail, harvest reduced and things got worsed. Thus, the gap between the poor and the
rich widened and this led to the subsistence crisis.

Question 5. Describe the middle class in three points.

Answer:
(a) The middle class was a social group that emerged in France in the 18th century. This class
made money through an expanding overseas trade and by manufacturing goods like woollen
and silk textiles.
(b) The middle class, along with merchants and manufacturers, included professionals like
lawyers and administrative officials.
(c) All these people were educated believed that no group in society should be privileged by
birth and a person’s position in society should be based on his merit.

Question 6. What was the tennis court oath?

Answer:
The third estate representatives viewed themselves as spokesmen for the whole French nation.
They assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court in the grounds of Versailles on 20 June
1789. There they declared themselves as a National Assembly.

Question 7. Explain the turmoil in France while the National Assembly was busy at Versailles.
Answer:
While the National Assembly was busy at Versailles drafting the constitution, the rest of France
seethed with turmoil in the following ways.
(a) A severe winter had meant a bad harvest, resulting in rising price of bread thus, the situation
was exploited by bakers and hoarded supplies. Angry women stormed into the shops after
standing for long hours in bakery queues.
(b) The army was ordered by the king to more into the city. There were rumours that army would
be ordered to open fire upon the citizens. Thousands of agitated people gathered and decided
to form a militia.
(c) They broke into a number of government buildings in search of arms. They distroyed the
prison of Bastille on 14 July 1789.

Question 8. How did peasants protest against the feudal lords or nobles of France?
Answer:
Peasants protested against the feudal lords or nobles in the following ways.
(a) In the countryside there were rumours spread from village to village that the lords of the
manor had hired hands of brigands who were on their way to destroy the ripe crops. Caught in
frenzy of fear, peasants in several districts seized hoes and pitchforks and attacked Chateaux.
(b) They looted hoarded grain and burnt down documents containing records of manorial dues.
(c) A large number of nobles fled from their homes, many of them migrating to the neighouring
countries.

Question 9. How was the National Assembly recognised and how did it start exercising its
powers?
Answer:
Faced with revolting people, Louis XVI recognised the National Assembly and accepted that his
powers would from now on be checked by the constitution.

National Assembly started exercising its power in the following ways.

(a) On the night of 4 August, 1789, the Assembly passed the law for abolishing feudal system of
obligations and taxes, the clergy members were also forced to give up their privileges.
(b) Tithes were abolished and lands owned by the Church were seized and all this resulted in
acquiring assets worth at least 2 billion livres.

Question 10. Describe how the new political system of constitutional monarchy worked practice
in France.
Answer:
1. The constitution of 1791 had given the power to make laws to the National Assembly, that
was indirectly elected by a group of electors voted by the citizens who had chosen the
assembly.
2. The right to vote was given to men above 25 years of age, who paid taxes equal to at least 3
days of a labourer’s wage, were given the status of active citizens, i.e., they were entitled to
vote.
3. The remaining men and all women were classed as passive citizens.
4. To qualify as an elector and as a member of the assembly, a man had to belong to the highest
bracket of taxpayers.

Question 11. Write a short note on national and inalienable rights.

Answer:
The constitution of France began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens. Rights ‘
such as right to life, freedom of speech, freedom of opinion, equality before law were
established as natural and inalienable rights i.e., they belong to each human being by birth and
could not be taken away. It is the duty of the state to protect each citizen’s natural rights.

Question 12. List and explain the successful achievements of the National Assembly from
1789-1791.
Answer:
1. One of the most successful achievements of the National Assembly was the adoption of the
Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen which upheld the equality of all before law,
eligibility of all for public offices, freedom from arrest or punishment without a proven cause and
right to freedom of speech and expression.
2. It also laid emphasis that the burden of taxation must be borne by all without any distinction
and so nobles and clergy were denied special privileges.
3. A new constitution was formed providing a constitutional monarchy where the powers of the
monarch are limited and the legislative powers are given to the National Assembly.

Question 13.Write a short note on Marseillaise.

Answer:
Marseillaise is the national anthem of France. It was written by Roget de L ‘Isle during the
French Revolution. It aroused such enthusiasm that large number of people joined the company.
It was first sung in Paris when the Marseilles battalion sang it as they marched into Paris and
thus it was named so.

Question 14. Who were Jacobins? What was their role in emergence of France as a Republic?
Or
Who were the Jacobins? Write about it in four points.
Answer:
Jacobins were the most radical and ruthless of the political groups formed in the wake of the
French Revolution. They were the members of a democratic club established in 1789. Jacobins
were led by Maximilian Robespierre.
1. Angered by the short supplies and high prices of foodgrains Jacobins stormed the Palace of
the Tuileries.
2. The king’s guards were killed and the king was held hostage for several hours. The assembly
later, voted to imprison the royal family.
3. Elections were held in which every man of 21 years and above got the right to vote.
4. The Convention was known as the newly elected assembly, which abolished monarchy and
declared France a republic.

Question 15. What do you mean by Directory in the context of French rule? Why was it removed
from France?
Answer:
1. The Directory was a five-member committee which governed France when the political
power was passed into the hands of the wealthier middle class.
2. It was meant as a safeguard against the
concentration of power in the hands of one-man executives as under the Jacobins.
3. The Directory often clashed with the legislative councils who in turn sought to dismiss them.
4. This led to political instability of the Directory in France.
5. It paved the way for the rise of a military dictator called Napoleon Bonaparte.

Question 16. Evaluate the role of women in France before the revolution.
Answer:
Women played a very significant role in France before the French Revolution. They played an
active role and brought about important changes. They worked for their living like dress makers,
laundry workers, flower vendors, fruit and vegetable vendors. Sometimes they also worked as
maid servants for rich people. They cooked food, fetched water and stood in queues for bread.
In order to discuss – and voice their interests women started their own political clubs and
newspapers. One of the major demand was right to vote. The Society of Revolutionary and
Republican Women was one such club formed by women.

Question 17. How did the women suffer in France during the Old Regime?
Answer:
1. During the Old Regime, most women worked to earn a living. They worked as seamstresses
or laundresses or domestic servants in the houses of rich people. Many sold fruits, flowers and
vegetables at the market to earn money.
2. Most of them were not educated or trained to do any job. Only the daughters of rich people
could study.
3. Working women had to take care of their families too. They had to fetch water, queue up for
bread, cook and look after the children.
4. Therefore, it can be said that women suffered a lot during the Old Regime.

Question 18. What was the condition of slave trade in the seventeenth century?
Answer:
1. As the slave trade began in seventeenth century, the slaves were bought from local
chieftians.
2. After branding and shackling, the slaves were packed tightly into ships for the three-month
long voyage across the Atlantic to the Caribbean.
3. At the African coast, they were sold to plantation owners.

Question 19. How did storming of Bastille became the main cause of the French Revolution?
Answer:
1. While the National Assembly was busy at Versailles drafting a constitution, the rest of France
faced turmoil. Due to bad harvest, price of bread increased.
2. This situation worsened when the bakers started hoarding supplies.
3. Women who stood in queues at the bakery stormed the shops. At the same time the king had
ordered troops to move into Paris.
4. As a result on 14 July the angry crowd stormed and destroyed Bastille. It was hated by all as
it stood for the despotic powers of the king.

Question 20. Describe the events that took place on 14th July 1789 in France.
Answer:
The following events took place on 14th July 1789.
(a) The king had ordered the troops to move into the city. There were rumours that he would
soon order the troops to open fire upon citizens.
(b) Around 7,000 men and women formed a militia and broke into a number of government
buildings in search of arms.
(c) Then the fortress-prison of Bastille was stormed by hundreds of people with the hope to find
hoarded ammunition. Bastille was destroyed completely as it was hated by all.
 Long Type Questions

Question 1. Explain the events/incidents which led to the outbreak of French Revolution.
Answer:
The following events/incidents led to the outbreak of the French Revolution:
1. Meeting of the Estate General. On 5 May 1789, Louis XVI had called a meeting of the Estate
General to increase the taxes. Representatives of all the three estates came. But the members
of the 3rd estate were made to stand while women, peasants, artisans and women were not
allowed entry to the assembly.
2. Demand for one vote one person. The third estate at the meeting of the Estate General
demanded one vote for each member. This demand was rejected by the king and the members
of the third estate walked out in protest.
3. Meeting of the newly-formed National Assembly. Since the members of the third estate were
more, they considered themselves the voice of the people/whole nation. They assembled in the
indoor tennis court of Versailles and declared themselves as the ‘National Assembly’. They
believed in removing the feudal privileges of the nobles and clergy.
4. Winters created worse situation. Harvest declined, prices rose and bakers exploited poor by
hoarding supplies. Angry crowd stormed the shops.
5. Revolt in the countryside by the peasants. There were rumours that their ripe crops would be
destroyed by the lords hired bands. The peasants in several districts seized hoes and pitchforks
and attacked manors of the lords. They looted the hoarded grains and burnt the documents
containing the records of manorial dues.

Question 2. How did philosophers influence the thinking of the people of France?
Answer:
1. Philosophers such as John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau put forward ideas envisaging
a society based on freedom and equal laws and opportunities for all.
2. In Two Treatises of Government, John Locke sought to refute the doctrine of the divine and
absolute rights of the monarch.
3. His ideas were carried forward by Rousseau as he was proposing a form of government
based on social contract between the people and their representatives.
4. In The Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu proposed a division of power within the government
between the legislative, the executive and the judiciary.
5. The ideas of these philosophers were discussed intensively in salons and coffee-houses and
were spread among people through books and newspapers.

Question 3. Explain the features of the constitution of France drafted in 1791.

Answer:
1. The constitution of 1791 was the first written constitution in France, created after the collapse
of the absolute rule.
2. Its main aim was to limit the powers of the monarch.
3. Powers were then divided/separated and assigned to different institutions like legislative,
executive and judiciary.
4. According to this, active citizens of France elected electors who inturn voted to elect the
National Assembly.
5. Not all citizens had the right to vote. Only men of 25 years of age who paid taxes equal to at
least three days of a labourer’s wage. They were called active citizens.
6. The remaining men and all women were called the passive citizens.
7. The National Assembly controlled the king. France became constitutional monarchy. (any five
points)

Question 4. List down the political symbols of France.

Answer:
(a) Broken Chains: Chains were used to restrain the slaves from running away. Broken chains
signify the act of becoming free.
(b) A bundle of rods: It was used to convey the message that strength lies in unity.
(c) The eye within or triangle radiating light: The all-seeing eye stands for knowledge. The
rays of the sun will drive away the dark clouds of ignorance.
(d) Sceptre: It symbolises royal power.
(e) Snake bitting its tail to form a ring: A symbol of eternity. The ring has neither beginning
nor end.
(f) Red phrygian cap: It was worn by slaves when they were freed.
(g) Blue-white-red: These are the national colours of France.
(h) The winged woman: Personification of the law.
(i) The law tablet: The law is same for all and all are equal before it.
(Mention any five points)

Question 5. Explain the “Reign of Terror” in brief.

Answer:
The following points explain the Reign of Terror:
(a) The period from 1793 to 1794 is called the Reign of Terror because Robespierre followed a
policy of severe control and punishment. Ex-nobles, clergy, members of other political parties
and even the members of his own party, who did not agree with his methods, were arrested,
imprisoned and guillotined.
(b) Laws were issued by Robespierre’s government lows were issued by placing a maximum
ceiling of wages and prices. Meat and bread were rationed.
(c) Peasants were forced to transport their grain to the cities and sell it at prices fixed by the
government. The use of more expensive white flour was forbidden; all citizens were required to
eat the equality bread.
(d) Equality was also sought to be practised through forms of speech and address. Instead of
the traditional Sir and Madam, French men and women were addressed as citizen.
(e) Churches were shut down and their buildings converted into barracks or offices. Finally,
Robespierre was convicted by a court in July 1794, arrested and the next day, sent to the
guillotine.

Question 6. How did the Revolution affect the everyday life of the French people? Discuss.
Answer:
(a) Revolutionary ideas of equality and liberty transformed the clothes people wore, the
language they spoke and books they read.
(b) With the abolition of censorship in 1789 and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
in 1791, freedom of speech became a natural right. This led to the growth of newspapers,
books, pamphlets and printed pictures.
(c) Freedom of the press enabled voicing of opinions and counter options.
(d) Art flourished in the form of paintings, plays, songs and festive processions.
(e) Visual and oral art form enabled even the common man who could not read and write to
relate with the ideas of liberty, equality and justice.

Question 7. Write a short note on Napoleon Bonaparte.

Answer:
(a) Napoleon came to power as a result of unstable directory that ruled France. Due to weak
directory Napoleon got on opportunity to rise to political power. In 1804, he crowned himself as
the Emperor of France.
(b) He set out to conquer the neighbouring countries defeating the dynasties and putting his
own relatives/members of his family.
(c) He was seen as a moderniser of Europe. He brought out many laws such as protection of
private property and a uniform system of weights and measures provided by the decimal
system.
(d) He was also seen by many as a liberator who will bring freedom to the people.
(e) Very soon his army came to be viewed everywhere as invading force. He carried out military
campaigns and invasion of Russia and Spain. He soon became a threat for the kings in Europe
who decided to come together and defeat him. Finally, he was defeated at Waterloo in 1815.

Question 8. What was the impact of French Revolution on France?

Answer:
(a) French Revolution marked the end of absolute monarchy and paved the way for the
republican government.
(b) It also helped to uphold the theory of popular sovereignty and laid the foundations of
democratic principles, i.e., to say that the government should be based on the consent of the
governed.
(c) The slogans of equality, liberty and fraternity became the watchwords of freedom loving
people all over the world.
(d) Feudalism and serfdom were abolished and the power of clergy curbed.
(e) People were given the right to vote during the Jacobins.
(f) New reforms were introduced in education of girls during Jacobins time.
(g) Napoleon also reformed legal system by reorganising it and brought a progressive legal
system. He also introduced economic reforms like fair tax system, increased trade and
development of French luxury industries. (any five points)

MAP SKILLS
Question: Three items A, B and C are shown on the outline map of France. Identify these items
with the help of following information and write their correct names on the lines marked on the
map:

A. A place where the fortress-prison was stormed by the people in 1789.

B. A port of France related to slave trade.
C. The National Anthem of France got its name from the name of this place.
D. Center of peasants panic movement.

Answer:
A. Paris
B. Bordeaux
C. Marseilles
D. Nantes