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NCERT Class 9 Social Science Chapter 1 The French Revolution
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The French Revolution
Chapter: 1
INDIA AND THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD – I (HISTORY)
NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS
Q. 1. Describe the circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in France.
Ans. (a) In 1789, Louis XVI’s need for money forced him to agree to a meeting of the Estates’ General-the old feudal assembly. He wanted to obtain its consent for new loans and taxes. All three estates (for classes of the French society) were represented in it but each one hold a separate meeting.
(b) On the morning of 14 July 1789, the city of Paris was in a state of alarm. The King Louis XVI had commanded troops to move in the city.
(c) Rumors spread that the king of France would soon order the army to open fire upon the people.
(d) Soon 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 and ammunition.
(e) Finally, a group of several hundred people marched towards the eastern part of the city and stormed the fortress-prison, the Bastille. The commander of the Bastille was killed and the prisoners were released. The all of the fortress was taken as an important symbolic fall of the despotic power of the king France.
Q. 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?
Ans. The people of the Third Estate of the French society were benefited from the Revolution of 1789. This group consists of the common people, who were numbered about 95 per cent of the total population.
(a) The peasants were the largest section of the Third Estate. A major result of the Revolution was the destruction of feudalism in France. All the laws of the old feudal regime were annulled.
(b) The people of the lower middle classes of French society were also benefited from the revolution. There were the artisans, workers and poor people living in towns and cities. Then writers, doctors, judges, lawyers, teachers, civil servants-and the richer people who were the merchants, bankers and manufacturers.
(c) The position of the artisans and city workers also improved later on. In 1792, for the first time in history, workers, peasants and other non-propertied classes were given equal political rights.
(d) The group of nobles was adversely affected by the French Revolution. The lands of nobles were confiscated. Their all privileges were finished.
(e) A new group of capitalists emerged in France, in place of the feudal lords. The capitalists became very powerful because the Revolution in France built up a new economic system in place of the feudal system which had been overthrown.
(f) Clergy or group of persons invested with special functions in the church was also forced to relinquish power. Even the common man was not satisfied because the right to vote did not solve their problems.
Q. 3. Describe the legacy of the French Revolution for the peoples of the world during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Ans. The Legacy of the French Revolution for the people of the world: Consequences of the French Revolution (1789) did not bring several vital results for France but for other parts of the world as well.
(a) The French Revolution gave the term ‘nation’ its modern meaning. A nation is not the territory that the people belonging to it inhabit but the people themselves.
(b) From this followed the idea of sovereignty, that a nation recognizes no law or authority above its own. And if a nation is sovereign that means the people constituting the nation are the source of all power and authority.
(c) French Revolution inspired revolutionary movements in almost every country of Europe and in South and Central America For a long time it became the classic examples of a revolution which people of several nations tried to emulate.
(d) After the downfall of Napoleon and the autocratic governments of Europe found themselves safe for the time being, the rulers of several countries found it increasingly difficult to rule the people of their respective country.
(e) Some of the changes that took place in several parts of Europe and the America in the early 19th century were the immediate, direct consequences of the Revolution and the Napoleonic wars. The wars in which France was engaged with other French occupation of van areas of Europe for some time.
Q. 4. Draw up a list of democratic rights we enjoy today whose origins could be traced to the French Revolution.
Ans. List of Democratic Rights we enjoy today:
(a ) Right to Freedom.
(b) Right to Equality
(c ) Right against Exploitation.
(d) Right to Freedom of Religion.
(e) Cultural and Educational Right.
(f) Right to Constitutional Remedies, Right to freedom and right to equality could be traced to the French Revolution.
Q. 5. Would you agree with the view that the message of universal rights was beset with contradictions? Explain.
Ans. Yes, I agree with the view that the message of universal rights was beset with several contradictions. We can explain our decision giving the following points:
(a) Women were not given equal rights as the men were given.
(b) The notions of equality and freedom emerged as the central ideas of a new age, but in different countries they were reinterpreted and rethought in many different ways. Moat of the imperialist powers did not grant full freedom to the peoples of their colonies.
(c) Not all citizens had the right to vote. Only men above 25 years of the 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.
(d) The task of representing the people has been given to rich, the lot of the poor and oppressed will never be improved by peaceful means, alone. Here we have absolute proof of how wealth influence the law. Yet laws will last only as long as the people agree to obey them. And when they have managed to cast off the yoke of the aristocrats, they will do the same to the other owners of wealth.
Q. 6. How would you explain the rise denied the vote to non-propertied sections of Napoleon?
Ans. The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte:
(a) The fall of the Jacobin government permitted the wealthier middle classes to seize power.
(b) A new constitution was introduced which denied the vote to non-propertied sections of society. It provided for two elected legislative councils.
(c) Both legislative councils 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.
4. 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.
5. In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of France. He set out to conquer neighboring European countries, dispossessing dynasties and creating kingdoms when he placed members of his family.
SOME OTHER IMPORTANT QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
Q. 1. What was the ‘Subsistence Crisis’ which occurred frequently in France?
(a) An extreme situation endangering the basic means of livelihood.
(b) Subsidy in food grains.
(c) Large-scale production of food grains.
(d) None of the above.
Ans. (a) An extreme situation endangering basic means of livelihood.
Q. 2. Which of the following decisions was taken by the convention?
(a) Declared France a constitutional monarchy.
(b) Abolished the monarchy.
(c) All men and women above 21 years got the right to vote.
(d) Declared France a Republic.
Ans. (d) Declared France a Republic.
Q. 3. In the meeting of the Estates General, the members of the Third Estate demanded at:
(a) all the three estates should have one vote altogether.
(b) each estate should have one vote.
(c ) each member of the three estates should have one vote.
(d) none of the above.
Ans. (a) all the three estates should have one vote altogether.
Q. 4. Which of these provisions were passed by the Assembly on the night of 4 August, 1789?
(a) Abolition of feudal system of obligations.
(b) Clergy had to give up its privileges.
(c) Tithes were abolished.
(d) All of the above.
Ans. (d) All the above.
Q. 5. A guillotine was _________ .
(a) a device consisting of two poles and a blade with which a person was beheaded.
(b) a fine sword with which heads were cut off.
(c) a special noose to hang people.
(d) none of the above.
Ans. (a) a device consisting of two poles and a blade with which a person was beheaded.
Q. 6. In the question given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and chose the correct option.
Assertion (A): 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.
Reason (R): Rumours spread that he would soon order the army to open fire upon the citizens.
Options:
(a) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(b) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
(c) Both (A) and (R) are wrong.
(d) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Ans. (d) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Q. 7. In the question given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and chose the correct option.
Assertion (A): Upon her accession the new queen, Marie Antoinette found an empty treasury.
Reason (R): Long years of war and cost of maintaining an extravagant court had drained the financial resources of France.
Options:
(a) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(b) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
(c) Both (A) and (R) are wrong.
(d) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Ans. (b) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
Q. 8. In the question given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and chose the correct option.
Assertion (A): During 1789, production of grains in France could not keep pace with the demand.
Reason (R): Most workers were employed as laborers in workshops whose owner fixed their wages.
Options:
(a) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(b) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
(c) Both (A) and (R) are wrong.
(d) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
Ans. (d) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
Q. 9. In the question given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and choose the correct option.
Assertion (A): The eighteenth century in France witnessed the emergence of social groups, termed the capitalist class.
Reason (R): These groups earned their wealth through an expanding overseas trade and from the manufacture of goods such as woollen and silk textiles that were either exported or bought by the richer members of society.
Options:
(a) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(b) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
(c) Both (A) and (R) are wrong.
(d) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
Ans. (b) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
Q. 10. In the question given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and chose the correct option.
Assertion (A): In France of the Old Regime the clergy did not have the power to impose taxes according to their will alone.
Reason (R): A meeting of the nobles was supposed to be called which would then pass proposals for new taxes.
Options:
(a) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(b) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
(c) Both (A) and (R) are wrong.
(d) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
Ans. (c) Both (A) and (R) are wrong.
Q. 11. In the question given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and chose the correct option.
Assertion (A): While the National Assembly was busy at Versailles drafting a constitution, the rest of France seethed with turmoil.
Reason (R): A severe winter had meant a bad harvest; the price of bread rose, often bakers exploited the situation and hoarded supplies.
Options:
(a) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(b) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
(c) Both (A) and (R) are wrong.
(d) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Ans. (d) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Q. 12. In the question given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and chose the correct option.
Assertion (A): Caught in a frenzy of fear, peasants in several districts seized hoes and pitchforks and attacked chateaux. They looted hoarded grain and burnt down documents containing records of manorial dues.
Reason (R): In the countryside rumours spread from village to village that the price of the foodgrains are going to increase.
Options:
(a) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(b) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
(c) Both (A) and (R) are wrong.
(d) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Ans. (a) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
Q. 13. In the question given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and chose the correct option.
Assertion (A): France became a constitutional monarchy in 1791.
Reason (R): The National Assembly completed the draft of the constitution in 1791 that limited the powers of the monarch.
Options:
(a) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(b) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
(c) Both (A) and (R) are wrong.
(d) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Ans. (d) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Fill in the Blanks:
(i) Louis XVI belonged to the _______ family.
Ans. Bourbon.
(ii) The ________ are remembered for their greatest social reform.
Ans. Jacobins.
(iii) A feeling of intense loyalty and devotion to one’s country is known as _________.
Ans. nationalism.
(iv) The French Revolution left the message of Liberty, Equality and _________ to the world.
Ans. Fraternity.
(v) ________was a kind of direct tax levied by the French estate.
Ans. Taille.
True and False:
(i) The French society was divided into four Estates.
Ans. False.
(ii) The French believed that taxes should be imposed only with the consent of those on whom they are levied.
Ans. True.
(iii) The peasants were the largest section of the Third Estate.
Ans. True.
(iv) Jean Jacques Rousseau wrote the book “Two Treatises of Government”.
Ans. False.
(v) Livre, unit of currency in France, was abolished in 1794.
Ans. True.
VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q. 1. Which incident sparked the French Revolution?
Ans. The attack by the third estate on the Bastille State prison (14th July 1789) and setting free the prisoners was the incident which sparked the French Revolution.
Q. 2. What activity of the French monarchy hastened the revolution?
Ans. The extravagant lifestyle of the monarch brought France on the verge of bankruptcy and hastened the revolution.
Q. 3. How did the American War of dependence add more debt to France?
Ans. The French army supported thirteen colonies of America in the war of independence against Great Britain. It added one billion livres (currency unit in France) that had risen to more than two billion livres with interest.
4. Why did the French government increase the taxes?
Ans. To meet the regular expenses such as cost of maintaining an army, the court and running the government offices or universities, the state was forced to increase taxes.
Q. 5. What were the conditions of eighteenth century French peasants?
Ans. 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.
Q. 6. Mention the ideas proposed by Montesquieu in the book The Spirit of the Laws.
Ans. He proposed a division of power within government between the executive, the legislative and the judiciary.
Q. 7. Where and when did the ideas of division of power within government come into effect?
Ans. This idea firstly came into effect in USA, after the thirteen American colonies declared their independence from America.
Q. 8. Why was the meeting of Estate General called in France during Old Regime?
Ans. During Old Regime of France, the King lacked the power to impose taxes. For this purpose, he had to call a meeting of Estate General which further on passed the proposal for new taxes.
Q.9. Which proposal of the third estate was refused by King Louis XVI?
Ans. 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.
Q. 10. What was the decree of the National Assembly of 1789?
Ans. The decree of the National Assembly of 1789 was to abolish the feudal system of obligations and taxes.
Q. 11. What made France a constitutional monarchy?
Ans. 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 monarchy.
Q. 12. What was Marseillaise? Who composed it?
Ans. Marseillaise was one of the patriotic songs sung by volunteers from Marseilles as they marched into Paris and got its name. It was composed by Roget de L’ Isle. It is now the national anthem of France.
Q. 13. Why were the political clubs formed in France?
Ans. 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.
Q. 14. What was ‘the Directory’?
Ans. Directory was an executive body of five members. Directory was appointed by two elected legislative councils.
Q. 15. What was the status of education among women during French revolution?
Ans. Most of the women did not education access or job-training. Only daughters of nobles or wealthier members of the third estate could study at a convent.
Q. 16. Why did the National Assembly not pass any law regarding exploitation of slave labour?
Ans. They feared from the opposition of businessmen whose income depended on the slave trade.
Q. 17. What message did the French Revolution spread to the world?
Ans. The French Revolution left the message of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity to the world.
Q. 18. Why did the people of France dislike the Bastille?
Ans. The Bastille symbolized the despotic power of the king. It was the warehouse of arms and ammunition, which made the people of France dislike it.
Q. 19. What was the Third Estate composed of?
Ans. The Third Estate was composed of various strata of the people of France. Everybody except clergy and nobility, who paid taxes was member of the Third Estate.
Q. 20. How was the French society divide into?
Ans. The French society was divided into-
(i) the clergy.
(ii) the nobility or aristocracy. and
(iii) the Third Estate.
Q. 21. What was the Tithes?
Ans. The Tithes was a special tax. The church used to recover this tax from peasants.
Q. 22. What was Taile?
Ans. Taile was a kind of direct tax levied by the French estate.
Q. 23. What did the Estates-Generals consisted of?
Ans. The Estates-General consisted of the representatives of the three estates. For example, the clergy, the nobility and the Commoners; of course, it was a political body.
Q. 24. Which law was introduced by revolutionary government in France to improve the lives of women?
Ans. (i) Schooling was made compulsory for all girls.
(ii) Divorce was made legal, and could be applied for by both women and man.
Q. 25. Who was Maximilian Robespierre?
Ans. Maximillian Robespierre was the leader of the Jacobin club.
Q. 26. Who introduced the ‘Reign of Terror?’
Ans. Maximillian Robespierre introduced the Reign of Terror. Besides, period 1793-94 is collectively known as the ‘Reign of Terror’.
Q. 27. What was the greatest achievement of National Assembly?
Ans. The National Assembly was convened in 1789. It has issued the Declaration of Rights.
Q. 28. Who were known as the ‘Sans-culottes?
Ans. The Jacobins were known as the Sans-Culottes. They usually wore long striped trousers similar to those worn by dock workers. Actually, they desired to keep away from the fashionable sections of society. The Jacobins literally mean ‘those without three breeches”.
Q. 29. Who replaced the Jacobin government?
Ans. The wealthier middle classes were the most powerful class. The fall of Jacobin government, ushered them an opportunity to replace.
Q. 30. Who represented the Third Estate in Versailles?
Ans. Mirabeau and Abbe Sieyes were the intellectuals of France. They desired certain changes in the French society. They had represented the Third Estate in Versailles on June, 1789.
Q. 31. Who among the Indians was greatly influenced by the French Revolution?
Ans. Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Indian social reformer, desired to change the Indian society. He was greatly influenced by the French Revolution. Earlier, Tipu Sultan in Madras province of undivided India was influenced by such ideas.
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q. 1. Explain how did the freedom of speech and expression under the revolutionary government in France promote the ideals of Liberty and Equality into everyday practice.
Ans. (a) The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen proclaimed freedom of speech and expression to be a natural right.
(b) Censorship was abolished. Newspapers, books and pamphlets flooded French towns and reached the countryside as well.
(c) Events and changes taking place in France were frankly discussed.
(d) Plays, songs and festive processions attracted large numbers of people. Thus people identify with ideas of liberty and equality easily.
Q. 2. Why were the representatives of the Third Estate disappointed with the pattern of voting in the Estates General’?
Ans. (a) The Estates General was a political body much like today’s legislature. The three estates used this body had to approve all proposals for imposition of new taxes to send their representatives to the Estates General.
(b) In the past voting was done on the basis of the principle that each estate had one vote.
(c) But now the Third Estate wanted voting to be done by the assembly as a whole whereby each member would have one vote. This demand was rejected by Louis XVI.
Q. 3. What were the causes for the empty treasure of France under Louis XVI? Assess any three causes.
Ans. (a) Louis XVI, the ruler of France, was a pleasure loving, extravagant ruler who believed in the Divine Rights of King.
(b) He was ignorant and indifferent to the conditions of the poor.
(c) He was obsessed with his wife Marie Antoinette who constantly interfered in the administration.
(d) Both squandered money on festivities gradually emptying the royal treasury. The king drove France into useless wars bringing the country to the verge of bankruptcy.
Q. 4. Explain the contributions of the French Revolution to the world history.
Ans. (a) The French Revolution provided new laws granting liberty and equality to the people.
(b) The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen provided from 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.
(c) Burden of taxes was to be borne by all and the people were guaranteed religious freedom.
(d) The right to vote and right to revolt were given to the people.
(e) Censorship was abolished and mass media openly discussed the events and changes taking place in France. Freedom of press meant that opposing views of events could be expressed.
Q. 5. How was the church responsible for the French Revolution? Mention three points.
Ans. (i) The church extracted its share of taxes called Tithes from the peasants and finally, all members of the third estate had to pay taxes to the state.
(ii) These included a direct tax, called Taille, and a number of indirect taxes which were levied on articles of everyday use such as salt or tobacco.
(iii) The maximum burden of financing activities of the state through taxes was borne by the third estate alone.
Q. 6. How was the system of estates in France society organized?
Ans. French society was organized into three estates:
(i) The first estate consisted of the clergy. The second estate consisted of the nobility. The third estate consisted of merchants, court officials, lawyers and big businessmen. It also consisted of the peasants, artisans, landless labourers and servants.
(ii) The members of the first two estates enjoyed certain privileges by birth-these being exemption from paying taxes.
(iii) The members of third estate were obliged to work for lord-in his house and fields, to serve the army or to construct roads.
Q. 7. Why is the period from 1793 to 1794 referred to as the ‘Region of Terror’ in France?
Ans. The period from 1973 to 1974 referred to as the ‘Reign of Terror’ in France for the following reasons:
(a) The period from 1793 to 1794 is referred to as the Reign of Terror because during this time Robespierre followed a policy of severe control and punishment.
(b) All those whom he regarded as being ‘enemies’ of the republic-nobles, clergy, members of his or other political parties were arrested and tried by a revolutionary tribunal.
(c) If found guilty, they were guillotined. Eventually more than 15,000 persons including Marie Antoinette were guillotined.
Q.8. How did the political system work in France under the Constitution of 1791?
Ans. Under the constitution of 1791 the political system worked in france in the following way:
(a ) The Constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in the National Assembly, which was indirectly elected.
(b ) Citizens of France voted for a group of electors, who in turn chose the Assembly. Not all citizens, however, had the right to vote. Only men above 25 years of age who paid taxes were given the status of active citizens. The remaining people were classed as passive citizens.
(c ) To qualify as an elector and then as a member of the Assembly, a man had to belong to the highest bracket of tax payers.
Q. 9. Discuss the role of women in the French Revolution.
Ans. (i) Most women of the Third Estate had to work for a living. They worked as domestic helpers in the houses of rich people or they worked as laundresses, sold flowers, vegetables and fruits at the market.
(ii) Before and during the days of revolution, most of the women of France did not have access to good job training or to educational institutions.
(iii) Working women had to lead a very hard life. Because had to work outside of the houses as well as they had also to care for their families.
(iv) The women were paid lower wages than their male counterparts.
(v) In order to discuss and voice their Interests women began their own newspapers and political clubs. Nearly sixty women’s clubs came up in various French towns and cities.
(vi) The women put their several political and economic demands. For example their one demand was the same political rights must be granted to them.
Q. 10. What were the causes of French Revolution? Which estate was responsible for it?
Ans. (a) Louis XVI’s luxurious lifestyle and long years of war drained the financial resources of France.
(b) To meet its regular expenses such as the cost of maintaining army and running the administration the state was forced to increase taxes. But this did not solve the problem as members of the third estate only paid taxes.
(c) The French population rapidly increased and this led to a shortage of food grains. The price of bread which was the staple diet of the people rose rapidly.
(d) The wages did not rise as rapidly and the gap between the rich and the poor widened. Droughts or hail destroyed the crops which led to a subsistence crisis.
The third estate was responsible for it.
Q. 11. Describe the legacy of French Revolution for the people of the world.
Ans. (i) The French Revolution is a milestone in the history or mankind.
(ii) It inspired revolutionary movements in almost every country or Europe and South America.
(iii) The social and political changes that took place in different parts of Europe can be traced to the French Revolution.
Q. 12. Describe the condition of women in France before the revolution.
Ans. Women were disappointed because they were not given the same political rights as men i.e. right to vote, to be elected to the assembly and to hold political office.
(i) State schools were opened and attendance was made compulsory for all girls.
(ii) They could not be married against the will of their parents. Marriage was now a contract which could be registered under civil law.
(iii) Divorce was now legal and both men and women could apply for it.
Q. 13. Who was Robespierre?
Ans. Robespierre:
His complete name was Maximilian Robespierre. He was the leader of the members of the Jacobin club. He followed a policy of severe control and punishment. All those whom he saw as being the enemies of the republic were arrested, imprisoned and then, tried by a revolutionary tribunal. In fact, he pursued his policies so relentlessly that even his supporters began to demand moderation.
His government placed a maximum ceiling on wages and prices. Meat and bread were rationed. Peasants were directed to transport their grain to the cities and sell it all the prices fixed by the government. Besides, the use of expensive white flour was forbidden and the citizens were directed to eat equality bread. Equality was practiced through the forms of speech and address. Moreover, the churches were shut down and their buildings were converted into the offices.
Q. 14. Why did subsistence crisis frequently occur in France during the Old Regime?
Ans. Before beginning of the political revolution of 1789, in France a subsistence crisis arose. The struggle to survive like situation could be seen throughout France. The following factors are considered responsible for it:
(i) The population of France rose from about 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in 1789. This led to a rapid increase in demand for foodgrains.
(ii) Production of grains could not keep pace with the demand. Therefore, the price of bread which, was the staple diet of the majority rose rapidly.
(iii) Most workers were employed as labourers in the workshops whose owners fixed their wages. But wages did not keep pace with the rise in prices.
(iv) The gap between the poor and rich people of the French society widened.
(v) Things became worse whenever drought or hail reduced the harvest.
In short above all mentioned facts led to a ‘subsistence crisis, something that occurred frequently in France during the Old Regime.
Q. 15. Evaluate the functions of National Assembly of France during the period 1789-1791.
Ans. (i) The National Assembly of France swore not to disperse till they had drafted a constitution of France that would limit the powers of the monarch.
(ii) On the night of 4 August 1789, the National Assembly passed a decree abolishing the feudal system of obligations and taxes.
(iii) In 1791, the National Assembly completed the draft of the constitution. Now the powers of the monarch were separated and assigned to different institutions:
1. The Legislature.
2. The Executive.
3. The Judiciary.
LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q. 1. What were the main causes of the French Revolution in 1789? Explain.
Ans. The main causes that led to French Revolution:
(i) The French king drove France into useless wars bringing the country to the verge of bankruptcy.
(ii) French society was divided into three main classes known as ‘estates’. The first estate constituted the clergy, the nobility consisted of the second estate and the rest of the population constituted the third estate. The first two estates were the privileged ones exempt from all taxes while the third estate shouldered the burden of taxation and had few privileges.
(iii) France was a centralised monarchy and the people had no share in decision making. Administration was disorganized, corrupt and inefficient. The defective system of tax collection and oppression created discontentment amongst the people.
Q. 2. What were the results of the French Revolution for France and the world?
Ans. (i) All the groups of the Third Estate were benefited from the revolution. These included peasants, artisans, landless laborers, servants, merchants, court officials, lawyers etc.
(ii) The clergy and the nobility who enjoyed many privileges, were forced to relinquish power.
(iii) Feudal lords, nobles, clergy and women would have been disappointed with the outcome of the revolution.
(iv) It inspired revolutionary movements in almost every country of Europe and in South and Central America.
(v) The French Revolution gave the term ‘nation’ its modern meaning. A nation is not the territory that the people belonging to it inhabit but the people themselves.
(vi) It ended the arbitrary rule and developed the idea of people’s republic.
(vii) This revolution inspired the people with the ideal of freedom which became the basis of sovereignty.
(viii) It gave the concept of social equality i.e., equal rights for all the citizens of the country and it also spread the idea of world fraternity.
Q. 3. What measures were taken by Robespierre’s government to bring equality in society?
Ans. Measures taken to Robespierre government to bring about equality in society are as under:
(a) Robespierre passed laws placing a ceiling on wages and prices.
(b) Meat and bread were rationed. Peasants were forced to transport their grain to the cities and sell it at fixed prices.
(c) Equality was to be practiced through forms of speech and address. French men and women were hitherto known as Citoyen and Citoyenne (Citizen) instead of the traditional Monsieur (Sir) and Madame (Madam).
(d) All citizens had to eat the pain d’egalite (equality bread) which was a loaf made of whole wheat and use of white flour was forbidden.
Q. 4. Describe any five features of the French Constitution of 1791.
Ans. Main Features of the French Constitution of 1791:
1. The Constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in the National Assembly, which was indirectly elected.
2. Citizens of France voted for a group of electors, who in turn chose the Assembly. Not all citizens, however, had the right to vote. Only men above 25 years of age who paid taxes were given the status of active citizens. The remaining people were classed as passive citizens.
3. To qualify as an elector and then as a member of the Assembly, a man had to belong to the highest bracket of tax payers.
4. 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.
5. The Constitution declared that it was the duty of the state to protect each citizen’s natural rights.
Q. 5. Discuss the contribution or role of middle class and philosophers in the French Revolution.
Ans. 1. Role of middle class:
(a) 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 of France.
(b) The eighteenth century witnessed the emergence of social groups, termed the middle class, who earned their wealth through an expanding overseas trade and from the manufacture of goods such as silk and woolen textiles that were either exported or bought by the richer members of society.
2. Role of great philosophers: The new ideas envisaging a society based on freedom and equal laws and opportunities for all, were put forward by philosophers like Locke and Rousseau.
(a) John Locke in his book sought to refute the doctrine of the divine and absolute right of the monarch.
(b) Rousseau carried the ideas (of John Locke) further forward, proposing a form of government based on a social contract between people and their representatives.
HOTS QUESTION
Q. 1. Why the period from 1793 to 1794 in France is referred to as the Reign of Terror?
Ans. The period from 1793 to 1794 is referred to as the Reign of Terror due to some facts:
(i) Robespierre followed a policy of severe control and punishment.
(ii) All those whom he saw being enemies of the Republic such as in nobles and clergy members of all other parties who did not agree with his method were arrested, imprisoned and tried by the court. If they found guilty they were guillotined.
(iii) Robespierre also found guilty and was convicted by a court and sent to guillotine.
Q. 2. How many classes were there in France in 18th century? Write down about them.
Or
In the beginning of the 18th century how was the French Society divided into estate?
Ans. The French society was divided into the following three estates during 18th century:
(a) The Clergy or the First Estate: The clergy in France were quite wealthy and owned big estates or landholdings. They enjoyed several privileges and lived luxuriously.
(b) The Noble or the Second Estate: They were the big aristocrats and landlords who controlled all high ranking administrative posts and owned large landholdings. They had also monopoly over wine shops, flour mills etc. They had many privileges for hunting, shooting and fishing. They are considered above law.
(c) The Commons or the Third Estate: They consisted of the peasants, workers, petty officials, lawyers, teachers, doctors and traders etc. All taxes were paid by the Third Estate who were forced to provide free labour to the privileged classes. The small peasants had very little for their living.
Q. 3. Explain the role played by French women during the revolutionary years in France.
Ans. (a) Most of the historians believe that from the very beginning women were active participants in the event related with the French Revolution of 1789.
(b) The French women hoped that their involvement would pressurize the revolutionary government to introduce measures to improve their lives.
(c) Women’s role in society or family in general: Working women had a very hard life because they had to work outside the houses as well as they had also to care for their families. That is cook, fetch water, queue up for bread and look after the children.
(d) Role of women in media and political parties: In order to discuss and voice their interests women begin their own newspapers and political clubs. The women put their several political and economic demands. For example their one demand was the same political rights must be granted to all women that enjoyed by men.
Q. 4. What landmark decisions were taken by the National Assembly led by the Third Estate on 4th August, 1789?
Ans. 1. On the night of 4 August, 1789, the National Assembly of France passed a decree abolishing the feudal system of obligations.
2. Members of the clergy were forced to give up their privileges.
3. Tithes were abolished and lands owned by the church were confiscated.
4. As a result of the decree, the French government acquired assets worth at least two billion livres (a coin).
Q. 5. How did France became a constitutional monarchy?
Ans. (a) The National Assembly of France completed the draft of the Constitution in 1791. Its main objects was to limit the powers of the monarch.
(b) Political powers instead of being concentrated in the hands of one person, were now separated and assigned to different institutions-the legislature, the executive and the judiciary (i.e., the organs of new government). This made France a constitutional monarchy. Now the king became a nominal head of State like the King or Queen of Britain.
PASSAGE BASED QUESTIONS
1. Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow:
Upon his accession the new king found an empty treasury. 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 the common enemy, Britain. The war added more than a billion livres to a debt that had already risen to more than 2 billion livres.
(i) Who was the new king mentioned in the above passage?
(a) Louis V.
(b) Louis XVI.
(c) Louis XI.
(d) Louis X.
Ans. (b) Louis XVI.
(ii) The new king belonged to the family of the _______ kings.
(a) Austrian.
(b) Spanish.
(c) Bourbon.
(d) British.
Ans. (c) Bourbon.
(iii) Which of the following factors compelled the king to increase the taxes?
(a) Growing demand for the foodgrains in France.
(b) Need for the establishment of industries in France.
(c) To deal with the subsistence crisis.
(d) Long wars and cost of maintaining an extravagant court that drained the royal treasury.
Ans. (d) Long wars and cost of maintaining an extravagant court that drained the royal treasury.
(iv) What do you mean by the term ‘liver’?
(a) It was the unit of currency in France that was discontinued in 1794.
(b) It was a type of tax levied by the church.
(c) It was the staple diet of the French poor.
(d) It was a stately residence.
Ans. (a) It was the unit of currency in France that was discontinued in 1794.
2. Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow:
The members of the first two estates 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.
The Church too extracted its share of taxes called tithes from the peasants, and finally, all members of the third estate had to pay taxes to the state.
(i) Who were the members of the first two estates?
(a) The nobility and the peasants.
(b) The clergy and nobility.
(c) The soldiers and clergy.
(d) The clergy and the businessmen.
Ans. (b) The clergy and nobility.
(ii) Which of the following statement is correct about clergy?
(a) Group of persons invested with special functions to rule.
(b) Group of persons invested with special functions to produce crops.
(c) Group of persons invested with special functions in the church.
(d) Group of persons invested with special functions to defend the kingdom.
Ans. (c) Group of persons invested with special functions in the church.
(iii) What was ‘tithes’?
(a) Tithe was a tax levied by the king, comprising one-tenth of the agricultural produce.
(b) Tithe was a tax levied by the church, comprising one-tenth of the agricultural produce.
(c) Tithe was a tax levied by the church comprising half of the agricultural produce.
(d) Tithe was a tax levied by the church, comprising one-third of the agricultural produce.
Ans. (b) Tithe was a tax levied by the church, comprising one-tenth of the agricultural produce.
(iv) What percent of population in France were peasants?
(a) About 50 percent.
(b) About 10 percent.
(c) About 70 percent.
(d) About 90 percent.
Ans. (d) About 90 percent.
3. Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow:
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. 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.
(i) What was the condition of the third estate on the eve of the French Revolution?
(a) It suffered from subsistence crisis.
(b) The society was based on freedom and equal laws.
(c) It followed the doctrine of divine and absolute right.
(d) The government was based on a social contract.
Ans. (a) It suffered from subsistence crisis.
(ii) What was meant by the ‘subsistence crisis’?
(a) It was a situation when monarchy collapsed.
(b) It was an extreme situation where the basic means of livelihood are endangered.
(c) It was a situation of increased demand for political reforms.
(d) It was a situation when demand for constitutional monarchy was felt byFrench.
Ans. (b) It was an extreme situation where the basic means of livelihood are endangered.
(iii) The term Old Regime is usually used to describe:
(a) the society and institutions of France after 1789.
(b) the society and institutions under the French colonial government.
(c) the society and institutions of France before 1789.
(d) the society and institutions of France during the Jacobins.
Ans. (c) the society and institutions of France before 1789.
(iv) Production of grains could not keep pace with the demand. Why?
(a) The peasants were not growing crops.
(b) The peasants went to work in the factories.
(c) The price of the foodgrains was very high.
(d) There was a huge increase in population in France.
Ans. (d) There was a huge increase in population in France.
