HISTORY (INDIA AND THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD - I)

CHAPTER 1: THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

Q. NO QUESTION MARKS
1 Who wrote the pamphlet called ‘What is the Third Estate’? 1
(a) Mirabeau, a nobleman
(b) Abbe Sieyes
(c) Rousseau, a philosopher
(d) Montesquieu

2 What was the name of tax which was directly paid to the state by the Third 1
Estate?
(a) Tithes
(b) Livres
(c) Taille
(d) All of the above
3 Which of the following was a factor in the rise of Napoleon ? 1
(a) Fall of the Jacobin government
(b) Robespierre’s Reign of Terror
(c) Political instability of the Directory
(d) Nationalist forces
4 The most important of the privileges enjoyed by the clergy and nobility: 1
(a) Right to collect dues
(b) Ownership of land
(c) Participate in wars
(d) Exemption from taxes to the state
5 A triangular slave trade took place between Europe, the Americas and…..? 1
(a)Asia
(b)Australia
(c)Africa
(d)None
6 What was ‘Estates General’? 1
(a) Head of the Army
(b) A political body
(c) Persons of high rank in state administration
(d) Head of Church
7 The word livres stands for: 1
(a) unit of currency in France
(b) tax levied by the Church
(c) tax to be paid directly to the state
(d) None of these
8 Which of these books was written by John Locke? 1
(a) The Spirit of the Laws
(b) Two Treatises on Government
(c) The Social Contract
(d) All the above
9 The new Constitution made France a 1
(a) Constitutional Monarchy
(b) Communist state
 (c) Fully democratic state
(d) None of the above
10 Who among the following proposed the Social Contract theory? 1
(a) Locke
(b) Thomas Paine
(c) Montesquieu
(d) Rousseau
11 In this book, Montesquieu proposed a division of power within the 1
Government between the Legislative, the Executive and the Judiciary.
Identify the book.
(A) The Social Contract
(B) The Spirit of the Laws
(C) Two Treatises of Government.
(D) None
12 Match the following and choose the correct option: - 1
Column I Column II
a. Livre i. Unit of currency in
France
b. Tithe ii. Tax to be paid
directly to the state
c. Clergy iii. A tax levied by the
Church
d. Taille iv. Group of persons
invested with special
functions in the
Church
(A) a-i, b-ii, c-iii, d-iv
(B) a-ii, b-i, c-iv, d-iii
(C) a-i, b-iii, c-iv, d-ii
(D) a-iv, b-i, c-iii, iv-ii

13 Assertion (A): Tithe was a tax levied by the Church. Reason (R): It 1
comprised one-tenth of the agricultural produce.
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(c) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(d) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
14 1

Identify the picture and give a suitable title to it.

15 Assertion (A): In 1774, Louis XVI of the Bourbon family of kings ascended 1
the throne of France.
Reason (R): Under Louis XVI, France helped fifteen German colonies to
gain their independence from Britain.
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(c) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(d) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
16 Which among the following depicts the personification of the law? 1
(A) The Law Tablet
(B) The Red Phrygian caps
(C) Blue-White-Red
(D) The Winged Woman

17 2. Assertion (A): A broken chain stands for the act of becoming free. 1
Reason (R): Chains were used to fetter slaves.
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(c) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(d) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
18 Which of the following port city/cities owed it/ their economic prosperity to 1
the flourishing slave trade?
(A) Bordeaux (B) Paris
(C) Nantes (D) Both (A) and (C)
19 1

Which of the following options best signifies this figure?

(A) The women demand their rights.
(B) The women marched to Versailles and brought the king back with them
to Paris.
 (C) People participation in Government.
(D) None of the above.
20 Which among the following measure was not taken by Robespierre? 1
(A) Maximum ceilings on wages and prices.
(B) Peasants were forced to transport grains to the cities and sell at a fixed
price.
(C) Concept of Monsieur and Madame were introduced
(D) Churches were shut down and their buildings converted into barracks or
offices.
21 What was feudal system? 2

22 Give the titles of the books written by : 2

(a) Rousseau
(b) Charles Montesquieu
23 Name any four French philosophers who inspired the French people to revolt. 2

.
24 Give reasons as to why was the National Assembly formed by the people of 2
the Third Estate?
25 Who was Olympe de Gouges? 2

26 Name any two important legacies of the French Revolution. 2

27 How did philosophers influence the thinking of the people of France? 3
28 How did the laws introduced by the Revolutionary Government helped to 3
improve the lives of women in France? Explain.
29 Describe the social conditions that led to the outbreak of the French 3
Revolution.

30 “Ideas of liberty and democratic rights were the most important legacy of the 3
French Revolution”. Explain the statement in the light of French Revolution.
31 Explain the impact of the French Revolution on the life of people of French. 3

32 What was the Convention? Describe its role in France 3

33 The society of estates was part of the feudal system that dated back to the 4
Middle Ages. The term Old Regime is usually used to describe the society and
institutions of France before 1789.
French society was organised in system of estates. Peasants made up about 90
per cent of the population. However, only a small number of them owned the
land they cultivated. About 60 per cent of the land was owned by nobles, the
Church and other richer members of the third estate. The members of the first
two estates, that is, the clergy and the nobility, enjoyed certain privileges by
birth. The most important of these was exemption from paying taxes to the
state. The nobles further enjoyed feudal privileges. These included feudal dues,
which they extracted from the peasants. Peasants were obliged to render
services to the lord – to work in his house and fields – to serve in the army or
to participate in building roads.
 (i) The term Old Regime describes the Society and Institutions of France
before _______
(A) 1879
(B) 1789
(C) 1987
(D) 1798
(ii) About ________percent of the land was owned by nobles, the church
and other richer members of the third estate.
(A) 50
(B) 80
(C) 60
(D) 70

(iv) Write a few lines about the Feudal system in France.

34 In his Two Treatises of Government, Locke sought to refute the doctrine of 4

the divine and absolute right of the monarch. Rousseau carried the idea
forward, proposing a form of government based on a social contract between
people and their representatives. In The Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu
proposed a division of power within the government between the legislative,
the executive and the judiciary. The ideas of these philosophers were
discussed intensively in salons and coffee-houses and spread among people
through books and newspapers. These were frequently read aloud in groups
for the benefit of those who could not read and write. France was a monarchy
before the French revolution in 1789. Monarchy means France was ruled by
a hereditary king. Louis XVI was the king of France. The first estate was
clergy (priestly class). The second estate was nobles (rich people). The third
estate was the commoners (poor and middle class people). The first and
second estates lived the luxurious life. These two estates were getting all the
high- ranking jobs. People in third estate were less developed and poor. The
third estate revolted against the king, clergy and nobles. This marked the
beginning of French revolution.

1. Write down Rousseau’s ideas regarding government. 2. During 1789

France was ruled by which monarchy? 3. Write down the financial status of
the third estate.

35 On the morning of 14 July 1789, the city of Paris was in a state of alarm. The 4
king had commanded troops to move into the city. Rumours spread that he
would soon order the army to open fire upon the citizens. Some 7,000 men and
women gathered in front of the town hall and decided to form a peoples’
militia. They broke into a number of government buildings in search of arms.
Finally, a group of several hundred people marched towards the eastern part
of the city and stormed the fortress-prison, the Bastille, where they hoped to
find hoarded ammunition. In the armed fight that followed, the commander of
the Bastille was killed and the prisoners released – though there were only
seven of them. Yet the Bastille was hated by all because it stood for the
despotic power of the king. The fortress was demolished and its stone
 fragments were sold in the markets to all those who wished to keep a souvenir
of its destruction. The days that followed saw more rioting both in Paris and
the countryside. Most people were protesting against the high price of bread.
Much later, when historians looked back upon this time, they saw it as the
beginning of a chain of events that ultimately led to the execution of the king
in France, though most people at the time did not anticipate this outcome.

(i)On 14th July, 1789 the people of which estate attacked the Bastille prison
and freed all the prisoners signalling the start of the _________.
(a)first, civil war
(b)fourth, Russian war
(c)second, movement
(d)third, revolution
(ii) Why Bastille was hated by all?

(iii)What was the immediate cause of rioting in Paris?

36 On the morning of 14 July 1789, the city of Paris was in a state of alarm. The 4
king had commanded troops to move into the city. Rumours spread that he
would soon order the army to open fire upon the citizens. Some 7,000 men
and women gathered in front of the town hall and decided to form a people’s
militia. They broke into a number of government buildings in search of arms.
Finally, a group of several hundred people marched towards the eastern part
of the city and stormed the fortress-prison, the Bastille, where they hoped to
find hoarded ammunition. In the armed fight that followed, the commander
of the Bastille was killed and the prisoners released – though there were only
seven of them. Yet the Bastille was hated by all, because it stood for the
despotic power of the king. The fortress was demolished, and its stone
fragments were sold in the markets to all those who wished to keep a
souvenir of its destruction.
17.1 Why the city of Paris was in a state of alarm on 17th July 1789? (1)
17.2 What do you mean by the term despotic power? (1)
17.3 Who was the king of France? Why people revolted against him? (2)

37 The revolutionary wars brought losses and economic difficulties to the 4

people. While the men were away fighting at the front, women were left to
cope with the tasks of earning a living and looking after their families. Large
sections of the population were convinced that the revolution had to be
carried further, as the Constitution of 1791 gave political rights only to the
richer sections of society. Political clubs became an important rallying point
for people who wished to discuss government policies and plan their own
forms of action. The most successful of these clubs was that of the Jacobins,
which got its name from the former convent of St Jacob in Paris. Women too,
who had been active throughout this period, formed their own clubs. Section
4 of this chapter will tell you more about their activities and demands. The
members of the Jacobin club belonged mainly to the less prosperous sections
of society. They included small shopkeepers,
artisans such as shoemakers, pastry cooks, watch-makers, printers, as well as
servants and daily-wage workers. Their leader was
Maximilian Robespierre. A large group among the Jacobins decided to start
wearing long striped trousers similar to those worn by
 dock workers. This was to set themselves apart from the fashionable sections
of society, especially nobles, who wore knee breeches.
18.1. When the men were away fighting at the front, who became the bread
earner?
18.2. Which constitution gave political right only to the richer section of the
society?
18.3. Why did the Jacobins decide to start wearing long striped trousers and
knee breeches?
38 On 5 May 1789, Louis XVI called together an assembly of the Estates 4
General to pass proposals for new taxes. A resplendent hall in Versailles was
prepared to host the delegates. The first and second
estates sent 300 representatives each, who were seated in rows facing each
other on two sides, while the 600 members of the third estate
had to stand at the back. The third estate was represented by its more
prosperous and educated members. Peasants, artisans and women were
denied entry to the assembly. However, their grievances and demands were
listed in some 40,000 letters which the representatives
had brought with them.
Voting in the Estates General in the past had been conducted according to the
principle that each estate had one vote. This time too Louis XVI was
determined to continue the same practice. But members of the third estate
demanded that voting now be conducted by the assembly as a whole, where
each member would have one vote. This
was one of the democratic principles put forward by philosophers like
Rousseau in his book The Social Contract. When the king rejected this
proposal, members of the third estate walked out of the assembly in protest.
19.1Why was an assembly of the Estates General called by Louis XVI?
19.2What was the proportion of the representatives of First, Second and
Third Estates in the resplendent hall in Versailles?
On what principle was the voting in the estates done in the past?
39 What was Jacobin club? Who were its members? How did Jacobins 5
contribute to carrying the French Revolution further?
40 Explain any five main features of the Constitution drafted in 1791. 5
41 Who was Robespierre? Why we call his rule as reign of terror? Explain. 5
42 Describe the conditions of women during the period of French Revolution. 5

43 Social disparity was one of the major causes of the French Revolution.’ 5
Justify by giving examples.
44 Explain the different causes of French Revolution. 5
 ANSWER

Q. No ANSWER
1 (b) Abbe Sieyes
2 (c) Taille

3 (c) Political instability of the Directory

4 (d) Exemption from taxes to the state

5 (c). Africa
6 (b) A political body
7 (a) unit of currency in France
8 (b) Two Treatises on Government
9 (a) Constitutional Monarchy
10 (d) Rousseau

11 Option B is correct
12 Option C is correct
13 Option B is correct
14 The law tablet / Declaration of the rights of man and of the citizens
15 Option C is correct
16 Option D is correct
17 Option A is correct
18 Option D is correct
19 Option B is correct
20 Option C is correct
21 It was a system under which land was granted to landlords in return for military or labour
services
22 (a) The Social Contract,
(b) The Spirit of the Laws.

23 Jean Jacques Rousseau

Montesquieu
Voltaire
Maximilian Robespierre
24 Reasons: On 5th May 1789, The First and Second Estates sent 300 representatives each to
the assembly while 600 members of the Third Estate were present there. Members of the
Third Estate demanded that voting now be conducted by the assembly, where each member
would have one vote rather than each Estate had one vote. As the king rejected the
proposal, members of the Third Estate walked out and formed the national assembly in the
tennis court.
25 She was a French playwright and political activist and one of the most important women in
France to demand women's rights. She protested the Constitution and the Declaration of the
Rights of Man and Citizens as they excluded women from the basic rights that each human
was entitled to.
26 The ideas of liberty and democratic rights were the two most important legacies of the
French Revolution. These spread from France to the rest of Europe during the nineteenth
century, where feudal systems were in existence.
27 Philosophers believed that: -
(i) Man’s destiny was in his own hands.
(ii) criticised the divine and absolute rights of the rulers.
(iii) Formation of government based on Social Contract between people and their
representatives.
(iv)All the powers should not be concentrated at one level.
28 Laws introduced for women in France were:
(i) Schooling was made compulsory for girls.
(ii) Their parents could no longer force them to marriage against their will.
(iii) Divorce was made legal, and it applied to both.
(iv) Training for jobs and therefore women could become artists or run small businesses.
(v) Marriage was made into a contract entered into and registered freely under civil Law.
(Any three points)
29 Social conditions: -
(i) The French society was divided into three Estates.
(ii) The clergy and nobility enjoyed special privileges such as exemption from paying taxes.
(iii) Too many types of taxes were collected by monarch and church like ‘Tithes – A tax to
church, Taille- A tax to the State’, and a number of indirect taxes.
(iv) The nobility enjoyed feudal privileges like feudal dues and services by peasants.
30 People of Third Estate demanded a society based on freedom and opportunities to all.
The National Assembly was formed in 1791 with an object to limit the powers of the
monarch.
The Constitution framed in 1791 began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and
Citizens.
Censorship was abolished in 1789.
31 Divorce was made legal, and could be applied by both women and men. Women could be
now trained for jobs, could become artists or run small businesses.
Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen..
Newspapers, pamphlets and printed pictures appeared steadily in the towns of French.
32 It abolished the monarchy and declared France a republic.
Hereditary monarch Louis XVI and his wife were sentenced to death Robespierre was
elected President of the National Convention.
He followed the policy of severe control and punishment
33 (i) (B) 1789
(ii) (C) 60
(iii) Clergies and nobles enjoyed feudal privileges.
feudal dues, which t extracted from the peasants.
Peasants were obliged to render services to the lord – to work in his house and fields – to
serve in the army or to participate in building roads.

34 (i) Social contract between people and their representatives.

(ii) Louis XVI
(iii) People in third estate were less developed and poor. The third estate revolted against
the king, clergy and nobles. This marked the beginning of French revolution.
35 (i) (d)third, revolution
(ii) it stood for the despotic power of the king.
(iii)High Price of bread and weak administration by the king
36 17.1 Rumours spread that the king would soon order the army to open fire upon the
citizens.
17.2Having unlimited power over other people, and often using it unfairly and cruelly
17.3 Louis XVI. People revolted against him because they were suffering during his rule. (
Any other relevant point)
37 18.1 When the men were away fighting at the front, the women of the family became the
bread earner.
18.2 The Constitution of 1791 gave political rights only to the richer sections of society.
18.3 The Jacobins decided to start wearing long striped trousers and knee breeches as a
symbol of equality.
38 19.1 The political and financial situation in France had grown very weak, forcing Louis
XVI to summon the Estates General to pass proposals for new taxes.
19.2 The first and second estates sent 300 representatives each, who were seated in rows
facing each other on two sides, while the 600 members of the third estate had to stand at the
back.
19.3 The principle on which voting was conducted in the Estates General was based on
each estate having one vote.
39 Jacobin club: It was a political club formed to discuss government policies and plan their
own forms of action. Its members mainly belonged to the less prosperous section of society.
Their contribution:
(i) In 1792, they planned an insurrection of people of Paris. (ii) They stormed the Palace of
the Tuileries, massacred the king’s guards and held the king hostage for several hours. (iii)
Elections were held, men of 21 years or above, regardless of wealth, got the Right to Vote.
(iv) Convention was formed
40 The five main features of the Constitution drafted in 1791 were as follows:
(i) The Constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in the National Assembly,
which was indirectly elected.
(ii)The powers to govern the country were assigned to different institutions, i.e., the
Legislature, Executive and the Judiciary.
(iii) The Judiciary and the Legislature were elected by the people.
(iv) Only men above 25 years of age who paid taxes equal to at least 3 days of a labourer’s
wage were given the right to vote (active citizens)
(v) The powers of the monarch were limited.
(vi) The ministers were also answerable to the legislature. The king enjoyed the veto power
41 Robespierre’ rule in France (1793 to 1794) was known as the ‘Reign of Terror. He followed
a policy of severe control and punishment. All those whom he saw as being enemies of the
Republic were arrested, imprisoned and then tried by a revolutionary tribunal.
(i) His government issued laws placing a maximum ceiling on wages and prices.
(ii) Meat and bread were rationed.
(iii) Peasants were forced to transport their grain to the cities and sell it at prices
fixed by the government.
(iv) The use of more expensive white flour was forbidden; all citizens were required
to eat the pain d'egalite (equality bread) a loaf made of whole wheat.
(v) The Churches were shut down and their buildings were converted into barracks
or offices.

Finally, he was convicted by a court in July 1794, he was arrested, and on the next day, sent
to the guillotine.
42 .From the very beginning women were active participants in the events which brought
about major changes in the French Society.
.Most women of the Third Estate had to work for a living as seamstresses or laundresses.
They even sold flowers, fruits and vegetables at the market.
•They were employed as domestic servants in the house of prosperous people.
•They started their own political clubs and newspapers in order to voice their interests.
•They demanded the right to vote to be elected to the Assembly and hold political office.
•They did not have access to education or job training. Only daughter wealthier members of
the Third Estate could stay at convent.
•Working women had also to take care of their families. Their wages were lower than those
of men
43 Explain the following-
(i) Division of the society into three Estate :
•The First Estate: It consisted of the clergymen and church-fathers.
•The Second Estate: It consisted of landlords, men of noble birth and aristocrats.
•The Third Estate: It consisted of the vast majority of the common masses, the landless
peasants, servants, etc.
(ii) Heavy Burden of Taxes on the Third Estate
(iii) Wide Gap between People of Different Estates:
(iv) No Political Rights:
(v) Unequal Distribution of Wealth
44 *Political causes(Autocratic and weak king,luxury life,war and battle)
*Social causes(3 estates and privileged community)
*Economical causes(Empty treasury by war, more taxation)
*Philosophical/Intellectual causes(Rosseau, voltire,montesque etc)
*Immediate causes(Unemployment, rising of bread price)