THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

1. Describe the storming of the prison Bastille in France.

i. On the morning of 14 July 1789, the city of Paris was in a state of alarm.
The king
had commanded troops to move into the city. Rumors spread that he would
soon
order the army to open fire upon the citizens who rose in protest due to
shortage of
bread.
ii. Some 7,000 men and women gathered in front of the town hall and
decided to form
a people. militia. They broke into several 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.
iii. 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.
2. Describe the political and economic condition of France during
the 18th century.
i. In 1774, Louis XVI of the Bourbon family of kings ascended the throne of
France.
He was 20 years old and married to the Austrian princess Marie Antoinette.
ii. Upon his accession the new king found an empty treasury. Long years of
war had
drained the financial resources of France. The cost of maintaining an
extravagant
court at Versailles was very high.
iii. Under Louis XVI, France helped the thirteen American colonies to gain
their
independence from the common enemy, Britain. The war added more than a
billion livres (currency) to a debt that had already risen to more than 2
billion
livres.
iv. Lenders who gave the state credit, now began to charge 10 per cent
interest on
loans. So the French government was obliged to spend an increasing
percentage of
its budget on interest payments alone. 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.
( Under what circumstances did the King of France decide to
increase the tax?
(point 3 & 4 above)
3. Describe the social condition of France during the 18th century.
OR How was the
French society organized?
v. French society in the eighteenth century was divided into three estates,
viz. The
First Estate, Second Estate and the Third Estate. The First Estate consisted of
the
Clergy and the Second Estate consisted of Nobility.
vi. 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.
vii. The Third Estate consisted of three categories of people. Big
businessmen,
merchants, court officials, lawyers etc come in the top layer. Peasants and
artisans come in the middle and small peasants, landless labourers and
servants
come under the lowest category of people.

viii. Peasants made up of 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.
ix. 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. The burden of
financing
activities of the state through taxes was borne by the third estate alone.
4. What was the ‘subsistence crisis’ in France? How did it arise?
i. The population of France rose from about 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in
1789.
This led to a rapid increase in the demand for food grains. Production of
grains could
not keep pace with the demand. So the price of bread which was the staple
diet of the
majority rose rapidly.
ii. Most workers were employed as labourers in workshops whose owner
fixed their
wages. But wages did not keep pace with the rise in prices. So the gap
between the
poor and the rich widened.
iii. Things became worse whenever drought or hail reduced the harvest.
Shortage of food
grains led to price rise, riots and death. It is called subsistence crisis,
something that
occurred frequently in France during the Old Regime.
5. Who were the groups of people who protested rising taxes and
food scarcity in
France? What was the result? How did the emergence of the middle
class help
French society?
i. In the past, peasants and workers had participated in revolts against
increasing taxes
and food scarcity. But they lacked the means and programmes to carry out
full-scale
measures that would bring about a change in the social and economic order.
This
was left to the middle class.
ii. The middle class became prosperous and had access to education and
new ideas. The
merchants earned their wealth through an expanding overseas trade and
from the
manufacture of goods.
iii. In addition to merchants and manufacturers, the third estate included
professionals
such as lawyers or administrative officials. All of these were educated and
believed
that no group in society should be privileged by birth. Rather, a person’s
social
position must depend on his merit.
iv. These were the groups of people who protested rising taxes and food
scarcity in
France. These ideas of a society based on freedom and equal laws and
opportunities
for all, were put forward by philosophers too.
How did the middle class become important in French society?
Points 2, 3 and 4 above
6. What role did philosophers play in bringing about the French
Revolution?
i. These ideas of a society based on freedom and equal laws and
opportunities for all,
were put forward by philosophers such as John Locke and Jean Jacques
Rousseau. In
his Two Treatises of Government, Locke sought to disprove the doctrine of
the
divine and absolute right of the monarch.
ii. Rousseau carried the idea forward, proposing a form of government based
on a social
contract between people and their representatives.
iii. In The Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu proposed a division of power within
the
government between the legislative, the executive and the judiciary. This
model of
government was put into force in the USA, after the thirteen colonies
declared their
independence from Britain.
iv. The American constitution and its guarantee of individual rights
influenced political
thinkers in France. The ideas of these philosophers were discussed
intensively in
salons and coffee-houses and spread among people through books and
newspapers.
v. These were frequently read aloud in groups for the benefit of those who
could not
read and write. The news that Louis XVI planned to impose further taxes to
be able
to meet the expenses of the state generated anger and protest against the
system of
privileges.
7. Examine the factors that led to the French Revolution.
i. The war with Britain : France supported American colonies in their war with
the
Great Britain for their independence. This war led to an increasing debt on
the
French monarchy. This necessitated imposition of new taxes on the public.
ii. Privilege based on birth: French society in the eighteenth century was
divided into
three estates, viz. The First Estate, Second Estate and the Third Estate. The
First
Estate consisted of the Clergy and the Second Estate consisted of Nobility.
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.
iii. Subsistence Crisis: The high population led to a rapid increase in the
demand for food
grains. Production of grains could not keep pace with the demand. So the
price of
bread which was the staple diet of the majority rose rapidly. Wages did not
keep
pace with rising prices. It led to the subsistence crisis.
iv. Growing Middle Class: A new class emerged in France because of
increased overseas
trade. This class was wealthy not because of birth but because of its ability
to utilize
opportunities. People of the middle class started raising their voice for an
end to
privileges based on birth.
v. Role of philosophers: The ideas of a society based on freedom and equal
laws and
opportunities for all, were put forward by philosophers such as John Locke
and Jean
Jacques Rousseau. They spread awareness through various media. Some
from the
privileged classes also advocated a switch to democracy. So, finally there
was
revolution in France.
8. Examine the incidents preceding the outbreak of the French
Revolution.
i. Louis XVI, the King of France had to increase taxes for many reasons. He
called a
meeting of the Estates General which would pass his proposals for new
taxes.
ii. Voting in the Estates General in the past had been conducted according to
the
principle that each estate had one vote. 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.

iii. When the king rejected this proposal, members of the third estate walked
out of the
assembly in protest. On 20 June they assembled in the hall of an indoor
tennis court
in the grounds of Versailles. They declared themselves a National Assembly
and
swore not to disperse till they had drafted a constitution for France that
would limit
the powers of the monarch.
iv. While the National Assembly was busy at Versailles drafting a
constitution, riot
spread across the country. A severe winter had meant a bad harvest; the
price of
bread rose, often bakers exploited the situation and hoarded supplies.
v. After spending hours in long queues at the bakery, crowds of angry
women stormed
into the shops. At the same time, the king ordered troops to move into Paris.
On 14
July, the agitated crowd stormed and destroyed the Bastille.
vi. In the countryside rumours spread from village to village that the lords of
the manor
had hired bands of brigands who were on their way to destroy the ripe crops.
Angry
peasants in several districts seized hoes and pitchforks and attacked
chateaux
(residence of lords)
vii. They looted hoarded grain and burnt down documents containing records
of manorial
dues. (Continue the next answer)
9. What were the immediate results of the outbreak of the French
Revolution?
i. A large number of nobles fled from their homes, many of them migrating to
neighbouring countries.
ii. Faced with the power of his revolting subjects, Louis XVI finally accorded
recognition to the National Assembly and accepted the principle that his
powers
would from now on be checked by a constitution.
iii. On the night of 4 August 1789, the Assembly passed a decree abolishing
the feudal
system of obligations and taxes. Members of the clergy too were forced to
give up
their privileges. Tithes (tax imposed by the Church) were abolished and lands
owned
by the Church were confiscated. As a result, the government acquired assets
worth at
least 2 billion livres.
10. Why did the Third Estate walk out from the Estate General called
by the King Louis
XVI in France?
i. 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.)
ii. When the king rejected this proposal, members of the third estate walked
out of the
assembly in protest. The representatives of the third estate viewed
themselves as
spokesmen for the whole French nation. ( Which demand of the third
estate was
rejected by the King? )
11. How did France Become a Constitutional Monarchy?
i. Faced with the power of his revolting subjects, Louis XVI finally accorded
recognition to the National Assembly and accepted the principle that his
powers
would from now on be checked by a constitution.

ii. On the night of 4 August 1789, the Assembly passed a decree abolishing
the feudal
system of obligations and taxes. Members of the clergy too were forced to
give up
their privileges. Tithes (tax imposed by the Church) were abolished and lands
owned
by the Church were confiscated.
iii. The National Assembly completed the draft of the Constitution in 1791. Its
main
object was to limit the powers of the monarch. These powers instead of
being
concentrated in the hands of one person, were now separated and assigned
to
different institutions, the legislature, executive and judiciary. This made
France a
constitutional monarchy.
12. Write a short note on the Constitution of 1791 in France.
i. The Constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in the National
Assembly,
which was indirectly elected. That is, citizens voted for a group of electors,
who in
turn chose the Assembly.
ii. Not all citizens, however, had the right to vote. Only 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, that is, they were entitled to vote.
iii. The remaining men and all women were classed as passive citizens. To
qualify as an
elector and then as a member of the Assembly a man had to belong to the
highest
bracket of taxpayers.
iv. The Constitution began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and
Citizen. Rights
such as the right to life, freedom of speech, freedom of opinion, equality
before law,
were established as natural and inalienable rights, that is, they belonged to
each
human being by birth and could not be taken away. It was the duty of the
state to
protect each citizen’s natural rights.
Q. What were the important democratic rights guaranteed in the
French Constitution?
(Write the last point of the previous answer)
13. Why were the women disappointed by the Constitution of 1791
in France? What laws
did the revolutionary government introduce to improve the lives of
women?
i. The Constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in the National
Assembly,
which was indirectly elected. That is, citizens voted for a group of electors,
who in
turn chose the Assembly.
ii. Not all citizens, however, had the right to vote. Only 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, that is, they were entitled to vote. The remaining men and all
women
were classed as passive citizens. Therefore women were disappointed by
Constitution of 1791 in France.
iii. In the early years, the revolutionary government introduced laws that
helped improve
the lives of women. 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. Marriage was made into a contract entered into freely and
registered under civil law.
iv. Divorce was made legal, and could be applied for by both women and
men. Women
could now train for jobs, could become artists or run small businesses.
Women’s
struggle for equal political rights, however, continued.

14. Why is Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen regarded as

a revolutionary
document?
i. Rights such as the right to life, freedom of speech, freedom of opinion,
equality
before law, were established as natural and inalienable rights, that is, they
belonged
to each human being by birth and could not be taken away. It was the duty
of the
state to protect each citizen’s natural rights.
ii. Now the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen proclaimed freedom
of speech
and expression to be a natural right. Newspapers, pamphlets, books and
printed
pictures flooded the towns of France from where they travelled rapidly into
the
countryside. They all described and discussed the events and changes taking
place in
France.
iii. Freedom of the press also meant that opposing views of events could be
expressed.
Each side sought to convince the others of its position through the medium
of print.
Plays, songs and festive processions attracted large numbers of people. This
was one
way they could grasp and identify with ideas such as liberty or justice that
political
philosophers wrote about at length in texts which only a handful of educated
people
could read.
15. How did France become a Republic?
i. Although Louis XVI had signed the Constitution, he entered into secret
negotiations
with the King of Prussia. Rulers of other neighbouring countries too were
worried by
the developments in France and made plans to send troops to put down the
events
that had been taking place there since the summer of 1789.
ii. Before this could happen, the National Assembly voted in April 1792 to
declare war
against Prussia and Austria. Thousands of volunteers joined the army. They
saw this
as a war of the people against kings and aristocracies all over Europe.
iii. Political clubs like the Jacobins became an important rallying point for
people who
wished to discuss government policies and plan their own forms of action.
Their
leader was Maximilian Robespierre.
AND ( OR for Short answer )
iv. In the summer of 1792 the Jacobins planned an uprising of a
large number of
Parisians who were angered by the short supplies and high prices of
food.
v. On the morning of August 10 they stormed the Palace of the
Tuileries,
massacred the king’s guards and held the king himself as hostage
for several
hours. Later the Assembly voted to imprison the royal family.
Elections were
held.
vi. From now on all men of 21 years and above, regardless of
wealth, got the right to
vote. The newly elected assembly was called the Convention. On 21
September
1792 it abolished the monarchy and declared France a republic.

16. Who were the Jacobins? What role did they play in making
France a republic? OR
Name the popular political club in France. Who was its leader?
i. The Jacobins were the successful Political club that became an important
rallying
point for people in France who wished to discuss government policies and
plan their
own forms of action.
ii. 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. (Continue Previous Answer from
point iv)
17. What was the Reign of Terror in France? Or Why is the period
from 1793 to 1794
referred to as ‘reign of terror’ in France?
i. The period from 1793 to 1794 is referred to as the Reign of Terror because
it was a
period of severe control and punishment by Robespierre.
ii. All those whom he saw as being enemies of the republic, ex-nobles and
clergy,
members of other political parties, even members of his own party who did
not agree
with his methods were arrested, imprisoned and then tried by a
revolutionary
tribunal.
iii. If the court found them guilty they were guillotined.
iv. The guillotine is a device consisting of two poles and a blade with which a
person is
beheaded. It was named after Dr Guillotine who invented it.
Q. What was the guillotine? Who invented it? (See last point above)
18. Name any two prominent persons killed by using guillotine.
The King of France Louis XVI and the queen Marie Antoinette were
guillotined.
19. What were the measures taken by Robespierre’s government in
bringing equality in
French society?
i. Robespierre’s government issued laws for placing a maximum limit on
wages and
prices. Meat and bread were rationed. Peasants were forced to transport
their grain to
the cities and sell it at prices fixed by the government.
ii. The use of more expensive white flour was forbidden; all citizens were
required to eat
the pain dégalité (equality bread), a loaf made of whole wheat.
iii. Equality was also sought to be practised through forms of speech and
address. Instead
of the traditional Monsieur (Sir) and Madame (Madam) all French men and
women
were henceforth Citoyen and Citoyenne (Citizen).
iv. Churches were shut down and their buildings converted into barracks or
offices.
Robespierre pursued his policies so relentlessly that even his supporters
began to
demand moderation. Finally, he was convicted by a court in July 1794,
arrested and
on the next day sent to the guillotine.
v. One of the most revolutionary social reforms of the Jacobin regime was the
abolition
of slavery in the French colonies.
20. Why was a Directory appointed to rule France? What was the
result? Or Under
what circumstances did Napoleon Bonaparte come to power in
France?
i. The fall of the Jacobin government allowed the wealthier middle classes to
seize
power. A new constitution was introduced which denied the vote to non-
propertied
sections of society. It provided for two elected legislative councils.
ii. These councils then appointed a Directory, an executive made up of five
members.
This was meant as a safeguard against the concentration of power in a one-
man
executive as under the Jacobins.
iii. However, the Directors often clashed with the legislative councils, who
then sought to
dismiss them. The political instability of the Directory paved the way for the
rise of
a military dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte.
21. What were the measures taken by the revolutionary government
to improve the
status of women in France?
i. In the early years, the revolutionary government introduced laws that
helped improve
the lives of women. 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. Marriage was made into a contract entered into freely and
registered under civil law.
ii. Divorce was made legal, and could be applied for by both women and
men. Women
could now train for jobs, could become artists or run small businesses.
Women’s
struggle for equal political rights, however, continued.
22. What setback did women’s movement face in France during the
Reign of Terror?
During the Reign of Terror, the new government issued laws ordering closure
of
women’s clubs and banning their political activities. Many prominent women
were
arrested and a number of them executed.
23. How and when did the women in France get right to vote?
i. The Constitution of 1791 reduced the women to passive citizens in France
and the
right to vote is denied. They demanded the right to vote, to be elected to the
Assembly and to hold political office.
ii. In order to discuss and voice their interests women started their own
political clubs
and newspapers. About sixty women’s clubs came up in different French
cities. The
Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women was the most famous of
them.
iii. Women’s movements for voting rights and equal wages continued two
hundred years
in many countries of the world. The fight for the vote was carried out through
an
international suffrage movement during the late nineteenth and early
twentieth
centuries.
iv. The example of the political activities of French women during the
revolutionary
years was kept alive as an inspiring memory. It was finally in 1946 that
women in
France won the right to vote.
24. What role did women play during the revolutionary years in
France?
i. From the very beginning women were active participants in the events
which brought
about so many important changes in French society. They hoped that their
involvement would pressurise the revolutionary government to introduce
measures
to improve their lives.

ii. In order to discuss and voice their interests women started their own
political clubs
and newspapers. About sixty women’s clubs came up in different French
cities. The
Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women was the most famous of
them.
iii. One of their main demands was that women enjoy the same political
rights as men.
Women were disappointed that the Constitution of 1791 reduced them to
passive
citizens. They demanded the right to vote, to be elected to the Assembly and
to hold
political office. Only then, they felt, would their interests be represented in
the new
government.
iv. Women’s struggle for equal political rights, however, continued. During
the Reign of
Terror, the new government issued laws ordering closure of women’s clubs
and
banning their political activities. Many prominent women were arrested and
a
number of them executed.
v. The example of the political activities of French women during the
revolutionary
years was kept alive as an inspiring memory. It was finally in 1946 that
women in
France won the right to vote.
25. Write a short note on slavery in France. OR What was the
position of France on
slavery in the 18th and 19th centuries?
i. The colonies in the Caribbean . Martinique, Guadeloupe and San Domingo
were
important suppliers of commodities such as tobacco, indigo, sugar and
coffee. But
the reluctance of Europeans to go and work in distant and unfamiliar lands
meant a
shortage of labour on the plantations. So this was met by a triangular
slave trade
between Europe, Africa and the Americas.
ii. The slave trade began in the seventeenth century in Europe. French
merchants sailed
from the ports of Bordeaux or Nantes to the African coast, where they
bought slaves
from local chieftains. Branded and shackled, the slaves were packed tightly
into
ships for the three-month long voyage across the Atlantic to the Caribbean.
There
they were sold to plantation owners.
iii. Throughout the eighteenth century there was little criticism of slavery in
France. The
National Assembly did not pass any laws, fearing opposition from
businessmen
whose incomes depended on the slave trade.
iv. It was finally the Convention which in 1794 legislated to free all slaves in
the French
overseas possessions. This, however, turned out to be a short-term measure:
ten
years later, Napoleon reintroduced slavery.
v. Plantation owners understood their freedom as including the right to
enslave African
Negroes in pursuit of their economic interests. Slavery was finally abolished
in
French colonies in 1848.
vi. One of the most revolutionary social reforms of the Jacobin regime was
the abolition
of slavery in the French colonies.
26. What changes did the revolution of 1789 bring in the everyday
life of the people in
France?
i. The years following the revolution of 1789 in France saw many changes in
the lives
of men, women and children. The revolutionary governments took it upon
themselves to pass laws that would translate the ideals of liberty and
equality into
everyday practice.

ii. One important law that came into effect soon after the storming of the
Bastille in
the summer of 1789 was the abolition of censorship. In the Old Regime all
written
material and cultural activities, books, newspapers, plays could be published
or
performed only after they had been approved by the censors of the king.
Now the
Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen proclaimed freedom of speech
and
expression to be a natural right.
iii. Newspapers, pamphlets, books and printed pictures flooded the towns of
France
from where they travelled rapidly into the countryside. They all described
and
discussed the events and changes taking place in France.
iv. Freedom of the press also meant that opposing views of events could be
expressed.
Each side sought to convince the others of its position through the medium
of
print. Plays, songs and festive processions attracted large numbers of
people. This
was one way they could grasp and identify with ideas such as liberty or
justice that
political philosophers wrote about at length in texts which only a handful of
educated people could read.
How did the abolition of censorship change lives of people in France
after the French revolution ? Explain. Ans. Same above.
How did the revolutionary government translate the ideals of liberty
and
equality to everyday practice? (Points 3 and 4 above)
27. 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?
Peasants and artisans of French society benefited from the revolution.
Clergy, nobles
and church had to relinquish power. It is obvious that those who had to
forego power
and privileges would have been disappointed. People from the first and the
second
estate must have been a disappointed lot.
28. Describe the legacy of the French Revolution for the peoples of
the world during the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
i. The ideas of liberty and democratic rights were the most important legacy
of the
French Revolution. These ideas spread from France to the rest of Europe
during
the nineteenth century, where feudal systems were abolished.
ii. Further these ideas spread to different colonies of the European nations.
The
people of the colonies interpreted and moulded these ideas according to
their
needs. The principles of equality, liberty and fraternity helped to intensify the
freedom movements in these countries.
iii. By the mid of 20th century a major part of the world adopted democracy
as the
preferred mode of rule and the French Revolution can be termed as the
starting
point for this development.

29. Draw up a list of democratic rights we enjoy today whose origins

could be traced to
the French Revolution.
The following fundamental rights, given in the Indian constitution can be
traced to
the French Revolution:
_ The right to equality
_ The right to freedom of speech and expression
_ The right to freedom from exploitation
_ The right to constitutional remedies
30. Would you agree with the view that the message of universal
rights was beset with
contradictions? Explain.
The major contradiction in the message of universal rights as per the French
Constitution of 1791 was the total ignorance of women. All rights were given
to
men. Apart from that the presence of huge number of people as passive
citizens,
without voting rights, was like not putting into practice what you preach. In
other
words it can be said that although the declaration of universal rights was a
good
starting point but it took decades to fulfill its real goal.
31. Explain the role of Napoleon as an emperor of France. What are
his contributions?
i. In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of France. He set
out to
conquer neighbouring European countries, dispossessing dynasties and
creating
kingdoms where he placed members of his family.
ii. Napoleon saw his role as a moderniser 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.
iii. Initially, many saw Napoleon as a liberator who would bring freedom for
the
people. But soon the Napoleonic armies came to be viewed everywhere as
an
invading force. He was finally defeated at Waterloo in 1815.
iv. Many of his measures that carried the revolutionary ideas of liberty and
modern
laws
to other parts of Europe had an impact on people long after Napoleon had
left.
Additional questions:
1. Why was the Jacobins of France called sans-culottes? They wore clothes
without knee
breeches
2. When did the French women get the right to vote ? 1946
3. Who was crowned as the French emperor in 1804 ? Napoleon Bonaparte
4. By whom was the Reign of Terror introduced in France between 1793 -
94 ?
Robespierre

5. At which battle was Napoleon finally defeated ? Waterloo

6. On what charge was the Emperor Louis XVI sentenced to death ? Treason
7. Why was the Bastille hated by all in France? It stood for the despotic
power of the King.
8. Which event led to the French Revolution in 1789 ? Protesting against the
high price of
bread.
9. Who was the French ruler who married the Austrian Princess Marie
Antoinette? Louis
XVI
10. What does the term Old Regime refers to in France? Society and
institutions of France
before 1789.
11. Who collected the tax called 'tithe' from the French peasants? The
Church
12. Who proposed the Social Contract Theory ? Rousseau
13. Name the theory proposed by Montesquieu. Division of power within the
government.
14. Name the political body representing the three estates of pre-
revolutionary France.
Estates General
15. What is the significance of the following: Scepter- Symbol of Royal
power--
Broken chain. The act of becoming free Bundle of Rods or fasces. Unity is
strength
16. Name the national anthem of France. Who composed it? How did it get
its name?
Marseillaise- Roget de [Link]. (March of volunteers from Marseilles to Paris)
17. What was the main objective of the Constitution drafted by the National
Assembly in
1791? To limit the powers of the monarch
18. What was the minimum qualification to become an elector and as a
member of the
National Assembly in France? Highest bracket of taxpayers
19. Which were the natural and inalienable rights granted by the Declaration
of Rights in
France? Rights such as the right to life, freedom of speech, freedom of
opinion,
equality before law
20. What does the red cap of Sansculottes symbolize? Liberty
21. What was the main aim of the Society of Revolutionary and Republican
Women’?
enjoy equal rights with that of men.
22. What was the most revolutionary social reform of the Jacobin regime?
The abolition
of slavery in the French colonies.
23. Who wrote ‘What is the Third Estate.?’ Abbé Sieyès, originally a priest.
24. What was the convention in France? Newly elected Assembly (1792)
25. What was the greatest achievement of the National Assembly convened
in France in
1789?
26. Give an estimate of Napoleon as the first Consulate of France.
27. How did the teaching of Rousseau lay the foundation of democracy in
France?
28. While the national assembly was busy………at turmoil’. Justify.
29. What role did Louis play in bringing about the French Revolution?
30. List the accomplishments of the National Assembly of France from 1789
to 1791.
31. Write a short note on the fall of Napoleon.
32. The ideas of liberty and democratic rights were the most important
legacy of the
French Revolution_. Justify the statement by giving its impact on the world.
33. “Social disparity was one of the major causes of French Revolution.”
Justify the
statement by giving any five examples.