French Revolution Past Paper PDF

Class :IX HISTORY 1. THE FRENCH REVOLUTION 1. Describe the circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in France? The following circumstances led to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in France: Political Ca...

Class :IX HISTORY 1. THE FRENCH REVOLUTION 1. Describe the circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in France? The following circumstances led to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in France: Political Cause: Louis XVI was an autocratic ruler who could not compromise with his luxurious life. He also lacked farsightedness. Economic Cause: When Louis XVI ascended the throne, the royal treasury was empty. Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France. Added to this was the cost of maintaining an extravagant court at the immense palace of Versailles. Under Louis XVI France helped the thirteen American colonies to gain their independence from Britain the war added more than a billion livres to a dept credit, now began to charge 10% interest on loans. So, the French government was obliged to spend an increasing percentage of its budget on interest payments alone. The state finally increased taxes to meet its regular expenses such as the cost of maintaining an army, running government offices and universities. Social Causes The French society was divided into three estates but only members of the first two estates i.e, the clergy and the nobles were exempted to pay taxes. They belonged to privileged class. Thus, the burden of financing activities of the state through taxes was borne by the third estate only. Influence of the Philosophers and Writers: The middle class that emerged in the 18th century France was educated and enlightened. They refuted the theory of divine rights of the kings and absolute monarchy. They believed that a person’s social position must depend on his merit. They had access to the various ideas of equality and freedom proposed by philosophers like John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Montesquieu etc. Their ideas got popularised among the common mass as a result of intensive discussions and debates in saloons and coffee houses and through books and newspapers. Immediate Cause: Forced by financial bankruptcy, Louis XVI was compelled to call an assembly of the Eastate General to pass proposals for new taxes in 1789. This time, voting method was accepted by the third estate. They demanded that each member should have one vote. This controversy led to agitation among the people which became the immediate cause of the French Revolution. 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? -The wealthy class of the third estate which came to be known as the new middle class of France benefited the most from the revolution. This group comprised of big businessmen, petty officers, lawyers, teachers, doctors and traders. Previously, these people had to pay state taxes and they did not enjoy equal status. But after the revolution they began to be treated equally with the upper sections of the society. -With the abolition of feudal system of obligation and taxes, the clergy and the nobility came on the same level with the middle class. They were forced to give up their privileges. Their executive powers were also taken away from them. -The poorer sections of the society, i.e. small peasants, landless labourers, servants, daily wage earners would have been disappointed with the outcome of the revolution. Women also would have been highly discontented. 3. Describe the legacy of the French Revolution for the peoples of the world during the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries. The French Revolution proved to be the most important event in the history of the world. The ideas of liberty and democratic rights were the most important legacy of the French Revolution. These ideas became an umpiring force for the political movements in the world in the 19th and 20th centuries. The ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity spread from France to the rest of Europe, where feudal system was finally abolished. Colonised people reworked on the idea of freedom from bondage into their movements to Create a sovereign nation-state. The idea of Nationalism that emerged after the French Revolution started becoming mass movements all over the world. Now people began to question the absolute power. The impact of the French Revolution would be seen in India too. Tipu Sultan and Raja Rammohan Roy got deeply influenced by the ideas of the revolution. In the end, we can say that after the French Revolution people all over the world became aware of their rights. 4. Draw up a list of democratic rights we enjoy today whose origins could be traced to the French Revolution. Some of the democratic rights which we enjoy today can be traced to the French Revolution are as follows: 1.Right to equality including equality before the law, the prohibition of discrimination, and equality of opportunity in matters of employment. 2. Right to freedom of speech and expression including the right to practice any profession or occupation. 3. Right against exploitation. 4. Right to life. 5. Right to vote. 5. Would you agree with the view that the message of universal rights was beset with contradictions? Explain. The message of universal rights was definitely beset with contradictions. Many ideals of the “Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen” were not at all clear. They had unreliable meanings.  The French Revolution could not bring economic equality and it is the fact that unless there is economic equality, real equality cannot be received at any sphere. The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen laid stress on equality but large section of the society was denied to it. The right to vote and elect their representatives did not solve the poor man’s problem. Women were still regarded as passive citizens. They did not have any political rights such as right to vote and hold political offices like men. Hence, their struggle for equal political rights continued. France continued to hold and expand colonies. Thus, its image as a liberator could not last for a long time. Slavery existed in France until the first half of the 19th century. 6. How would you explain the rise of Napoleon? The political instability of the Directory paved the way for the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon had achieved glorious victories in wars. This made France realize that only a military dictator like Napoleon would restore a stable government. In 1804, he crowned himself the emperor of France. He set out to conquer neighboring European countries, dispossessing dynasties and creating kingdoms where he placed members of his family. Napoleon viewed himself as a moderniser of Europe. He introduced many laws such as the protection of private property and a uniform system of weight and measures provided by the decimal system. But his rise to power did not last for a long time. He was finally defeated at Waterloo in 1815. 7. What was the contribution of Mirabeau and Abbe Sieyes to the formation of the National Assembly? Mirabeau and Abbe Sieyes led the movement of representatives of the Third Estate who declared themselves a National Assembly. They demanded that voting in the Estate General to be conducted by the assembly as a whole in which each member would have one vote. However, the demand was rejected by the King. During the formation of the National Assembly, Mirabeau brought out a journal and delivered powerful speeches to the crowds assembled at Versailles. Abbe Sieyes wrote an important pamphlet ‘What is the Third Estate’ to inspire the representatives of the National Assembly. 8. State the features of the French Constitution of 1791. The main features of the French constitution of 1791 are: The feudal system was abolished and limited the powers of the king. The king came under the supervision of the government, and France became a constitutional monarchy. The nobles and the clergy were stripped – off of their privileges. Taxes collected by the church were abolished, and the lands owned by the church were confiscated. Power to make laws was vested in the hands of the national assembly. Powers were distributed among – the judiciary, the executive, and the legislature. 9. What role did the French philosophers play in the French revolution? Role of Philosophers in the French revolution: (i) John Locke wrote ‘Two Treatises of Government’ and criticized the divine and absolute rights of the ruler. (ii) John Jacques Rousseau wrote ‘The Social Contract’. He gave the idea of formation of a government based on a social contract between people and their representatives. (iii) Montesquieu wrote ‘The Spirit of the Laws‘. He believed in the division of power between three organs. Philosophers wanted a society based on freedom and equal Laws and opportunities for all. Ideas of philosophers were discussed in salons and coffeehouses and inspired them to fight for their rights. 10. Describe the incident which took place in the morning of 14th July, 1789 in France. In the morning of 14th July 1789, the city of Paris was in a state of alarm because the King had commanded troops to move into the city. Rumours spread that he would soon order the army to open fire upon the citizens. 7000 men and women gathered in front of the town hall and decided to form a people’s militia. Agitated crowd broke into a number of government building in search of arms. A group of several hundred people stormed the fortress prison, the Bastille, where they hoped to find hoarded ammunition. The crowd destroyed the Bastille, the commander of the Bastille was killed and the seven prisoners were released. 11. Why was the National Assembly formed by the people of the Third Estate? Explain. On 5 May 1789, Louis XVI called together an assembly of the Estates General to pass proposals for new taxes. The first and second estates sent 300 representatives each to the assembly, while the 600 members of the third estate were present. 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. When the king rejected this proposal, members of the third estate walked out of the assembly in protest. On 20 June, in the tennis court of Versailles they declared themselves a National Assembly and swore to draft a constitution and limit the powers of the monarch. 12. Describe the triangular slave trade between Europe, Africa and America. An acute shortage of labour in the French Caribbean colonies – Martinique, Guadeloupe and San Domingo led to the triangular slave trade between Europe, Africa and America in the 17th century. 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. The exploitation of slave labour made it possible to meet the growing demand in European markets for sugar, coffee, and indigo. 13. Describe the main features of the Jacobin club in France during French Revolution. Jacobin club was a political club formed to discuss government policies and plan their own forms of action. 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. Members of the Jacobin club wore long striped trousers similar to those worn by dock workers and known as ‘Sans-culottes’ which meant those without knee breeches and red cap that symbolised liberty. This was to set themselves apart from the fashionable sections of society, especially nobles, who wore knee breeches. 14. What was the 'Reign of Terror'? The period from 1793 to 1794 in France is referred to as the Reign of Terror. Robespierre followed a policy of severe control and punishment. All those whom he saw as being enemies of the republic, ex-nobles and clergy, members of his own party who did not agree with his methods were arrested, imprisoned and then tried by a revolutionary tribunal. If the court found them guilty, they were guillotined. 15. What measures were taken by Robespierre to bring equality in the French society? Measures taken by Robespierre’s government were; A maximum ceiling 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. The use of more expensive white flour was forbidden. Equality was sought to be practised through forms of speech and address. Churches were shut down and their buildings converted into barracks or offices. 16. Analyze the changes brought by the Revolutionary government to improve the status of the French women? The society of Revolutionary and Republican Women demanded for political rights/right to vote. The revolutionary government introduced the following laws: (i) Schooling was made compulsory (ii) The girl's father could no longer force them into marriage against their will. (iii) Marriage was made into a contract entered into freely and registered under civil law. Divorce was made legal. (iv) Women could be trained for jobs & business. 17. Describe the importance of Declaration of the Right of Man in France. The Declaration of the Right of Man in France was a landmark decision in the history of France. 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. The declaration of the Right of Man and Citizens influenced revolutionary movements elsewhere too. 18. What is ‘Subsistence Crisis’? Explain the factors responsible for the same. Subsistence crisis can be defined as an extreme situation where the basic means of livelihood are endangered. 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 foodgrains. Production of grains could not keep pace with the demand. 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. Things became worse whenever drought or hail reduced the harvest. This led to a subsistence crisis, something that occurred frequently in France during the Old Regime. 19. Describe the consequences of the French Revolution on France. Democratic system was established & end of Monarchy End of social, economic & political discrimination. Rights of the clergy reduced & authority confined to the church. Society based on liberty; fraternity & equality came up. End of Feudalism. 20. Assess the role of women in the French revolution. Role of women in the French revolution: They were active participants in the events. Wanted the government to introduce measures to improve their lives. Formed political clubs and started newspapers. About sixty women’s clubs came up in different cities. They demanded equal political rights to men. Demanded the right to vote, to be elected to the Assembly and hold political office. 21. Locate and label the place based on the information given below Two important port cities in France which became prosperous due to slave trade. Answer: A) Bordeaux B) Nantes ( Refer the map attached) 22. Locate and label the following places on the outline map of France. A) Bordeaux B) Nantes ( Refer the map attached) C) Paris D) Marseilles POLITICAL MAP OF FRANCE