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French Revolution Notes

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12 views

French Revolution Notes

Uploaded by

marak58871
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter - 1

The French Revolution


1. Describe the events that took place on 14th July 1789 in France.
The following events took place on 14th July 1789.
 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.
 Around 7000 men and women formed a militia and broke into a number of
government buildings in search of arms.
 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 hall.

2. Describe the tennis court oath


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.
 They swore not to disperse until they had drafted a constitution which would limit
the powers of the monarch.
 The prominent leaders of the National Assembly were Mirabeau and Abbe Sieyes.
Thus, they helped in the awakening of the French people to revolt against the
oppression by the privileged classes and this ultimately led to the French Revolution.

Question 3. Describe the circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in


France.
Answer. Circumstances Leading to the Outbreak of Revolutionary Protest in France were as
follows:
1. Social Inequality: French society was divided into three estates, with the clergy and
nobility enjoying privileges and exemptions, while the common people faced heavy taxation
and poverty.
2. Economic Hardship: High taxes, crop failures, and rising bread prices exacerbated the
suffering of the peasantry and urban poor, leading to widespread discontent.
3. Enlightenment Ideas: Enlightenment philosophers like Rousseau and Voltaire advocated
for liberty, equality, and fraternity, inspiring people to question the legitimacy of the
monarchy and demand political change.
4. Financial Crisis: France faced a severe financial crisis due to extravagant spending, costly
wars, and inefficient taxation, leading to calls for fiscal reform and accountability.

4. Describe the legacy of the French Revolution for the peoples of the world during the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Answer:
The ideas of liberty and democratic rights are the most important legacies of the French
Revolution. These spread from France to the rest of Europe during the nineteenth century,

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where feudal systems were abolished. Colonized people reworked the idea of freedom from
bondage into their movements to create a sovereign nation-state.

Tipu Sultan and Ram Mohan Roy are two examples of individuals who responded to the
ideas originating from Revolutionary France.

5. Draw up a list of democratic rights we enjoy today whose origins could be traced to the
French Revolution.
The list of democratic rights is
 Freedom of speech
 Freedom of expression
 Freedom of press
 Abolition of censorship
 Right to vote
 Abolition of slavery
 Right to liberty
 Right to education

6. Would you agree with the view that the message of universal rights was beset with
contradictions? Explain.
Answer:
Though it says ‘Universal Rights’, women were unfortunately left out of the basic rights that
were promised. They did not have equal rights that men enjoyed.

They did not have the right to liberty, property, security, and above all, resistance to
oppression. In the formulation of laws, women did not have any representation. Women
were not entitled to all the honour and public employment, according to their abilities.

7. How would you explain the rise of Napoleon?

Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of France. He started conquering


neighbouring countries by waging wars against them. He saw himself as a modernizer of
Europe. He introduced many laws, such as the protection of private property and a uniform
system of weights and measures provided by the decimal system.

Many of his measures carried the revolutionary ideas of liberty and modern laws to the
other parts of Europe. This had a positive impact on people long after he was dethroned as
an emperor when he was finally defeated in the Battle of Waterloo.

8. What was the role of the philosopher in the French Revolution?


Ideas of having a society based on freedom and equal laws and opportunities for all were
put forward by the French philosophers.
I) John Locke: Locke wrote, ' Two Treatises of Government'. In this book, he criticised the
divine and the absolute rights of the rulers.
II) John Jacques Rousseau: Rousseau had written his viewpoint in his book, 'The Social
Contract -between people and their representatives.

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III) Montesquieu: His ideas were proposed in his book, 'The spirit of law'.
According to him there should be a division of power between the three organs - the
legislature, the executive and the judiciary. The ideas of these philosophers were discussed
by common people in salons and coffee houses and inspired them to fight for their rights.

9.write short note on Jacobins?

They got their name from the former convent of St. Jacob in Paris.

 They belonged to the less prosperous sections of the society.


 They included small shopkeepers, artisans such as shoemakers, pastry cooks, watch-
makers, printers, as well as servants and daily wage earners.
 Their leader was Maximilian Robespierre.
 A large group among the Jacobin decided to wear long striped trousers similar to
those worn by dock workers.
 This was to set themselves apart from the fashionable sections of society especially
the nobles who wore knee breeches.

10. Describe the Reign of Terror and role played by Robespierre in it.

 The period from 1793 to 1794 is referred to as the Reign of Terror.


 Maximilian Robespierre, leader of the Jacobins, followed the policy of severe control
and punishment.
 All those he saw as enemies of the Republic — ex-nobles, clergy, political opponents
— were arrested, tried and guillotined if found guilty.
 He issued laws placing a maximum ceiling on wages and prices.
 Meat and bread were rationed.
 Use of expensive white flour was forbidden. Robespierre followed his policies so
relentlessly that even his supporters began to demand moderation.
 Finally, Maximilian Robespierre was convicted, arrested and guillotined in July 1794.

11. What role did women play during the revolutionary years?
Ans.
From the very beginning women were active participant in the events which brought about
so many important changes in French society. In order to discuss and voice their interests
women started their own political clubs and newspapers. About sixty women’s club came up
in different French Cities. The Society of revolutionary and Republican women was the most
famous clubs.

12. What laws did the revolutionary government introduce to improve the lives of
women?
Ans.
In the early years, the revolutionary government introduced laws that helped to improve
the lives of women in the following ways
 Together with the creation of state schools, schooling was made compulsory for all
girls.
 Their fathers could no longer force them into marriage against their will.

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 Marriage was made into a contract entered into freely and registered under civil law.
 Divorce was made legal, and could be applied for by both women and men.

Q. 13. What was Guillotine? How was it used?


Ans.
 I) Robespierre introduced Reign of Terror when he followed a policy of severe
control and punishment in France.
 II) Guillotine was a device consisting of two poles and a blade with which a person is
beheaded. It was named after Dr. Guillotine, who invented it.
 III) Robespierre was convicted by a Court in July 1794, arrested and on the next day
sent to the guillotine and killed in the same manner he punished guilty people.

Q. 14. What was a ' Directory'? Why was it removed from France?
Ans.
I) after the fall of Jacobin, a new Constitution was formed which denied the right to
vote to non-propertied men.
II) The Constitution provided two elected legislative councils,
who appointed a Directory, an executive made up of five members
III) However, the directors often clashed with legislative Councils and were finally
dismissed.
And with this political instability emerged in France which gave rise to a military
dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte.

Very Short answer questions.

Q. 1. Which ruler came to power in France in 1774?


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

Q. 2. How did American war of Independence add more debt to France?


Ans. The French army supported thirteen colonies of America in their war
of independence against Great Britain. It added more than one billion livres
(unit of currency in France) that had risen to more than two billion livres with interest.
Q. 3. What was tithe?
Ans. It was a tax levied by the church, comprising at least one tenth
of the agricultural produce by the farmers.
Q. 4. What was taille?
Ans. It was also a kind of tax which was paid by the people of third estate directly to the
state.
Q. 5. Who was the leader of Jacobin club?
Ans. Maximilian Robespierre was the leader of Jacobin club.

Q. 6. When did Napoleon Bonaparte become Emperor of France?


Ans. In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself the Emperor of France.

Q. 7. What was the most important legacy of the French Revolution?


Ans. The idea of liberty and democratic rights were the most important legacy
of the French Revolution.

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