The French Revolution.............Part I....... Grade IX

SUMMARY OF THE TOPICS ON WHICH QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ARE GIVEN:

French Society During the Late Eighteenth Century
The Outbreak of the Revolution
France Abolishes Monarchy and Becomes a Republic
Did Women have a Revolution?
The Abolition of Slavery
The Revolution and Ever

INTRODUCTION

Today we often take the ideas of liberty, freedom and equality for granted. But it is required remind ourselves that these ideas also have a history. By looking at the French Revolution you will read a small part of that history. The French Revolution led to the end of monarchy in France. A society based on privileges gave way to a new system of governance. The Declarations of the Rights of Man during the revolution, announced the coming of a new time. The idea that all individuals had rights and could claim equality became part of a new language of politics. These 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. The anti-colonial movements in India and China, Africa and

South-America, produced ideas that were innovative and original, but they spoke in a language that gained currency only from the late eighteenth century.

I.Answer the following questions:

Q 1. How was the system of estates organised in the French society during the old regime?
The system of estates organised in the french society during the old regime was:

1st estate was known as Clergy
2nd estate was known as Nobility
3rd estate included Big businessmen, merchants, court officials, lawyers, peasants and artisans, small peasants, landless labourers and servants etc.

1. The members of the first two estates, that is, the clergy and the nobility, enjoyed certain privileges by birth. 
2. They were exempted from paying taxes to the state. 
3. The nobles enjoyed feudal privileges which  included feudal dues, which they extracted from the peasants.
4. Peasants made up about 90 per cent of the population.
5. 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.

Q 2. Name the two taxes paid by the people of third estate in France.

1. Tithes:- The Church extracted its share of taxes called tithes from the peasants and all members of the third estate had to pay taxes to the state.
2. Taille:- These included a direct tax and a number of indirect taxes which were levied on articles of everyday consumption like salt or tobacco.The burden of financing activities of the state through taxes was borne by the third estate alone.

Q 3. What do you understand by subsistence crisis?

1. The population of France rose from about 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in 1789 which led to a rapid increase in the demand for food grains. 
2. Production of grains could not keep pace with the demand and the price of bread which was the staple diet of the majority rose rapidly. 
3. Most workers were employed as labourers in workshops whose owner fixed their wages. 
4. But wages did not keep pace with the rise in prices as a result the gap between the poor and the rich widened.
5. Things became worse whenever drought or hail reduced the harvest.
6. This led to a subsistence crisis that occurred frequently in France during the Old Regime.

Q 4. Explain the emergence of middle classes during the 18th century in France.

1. The eighteenth century witnessed the emergence of social groups, termed the middle class.
2. They 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. 
3. In addition to merchants and manufacturers, the third estate included professions such as lawyers or administrative officials. 
4. 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.
5. These ideas envisaged a society based on freedom and equal laws and opportunities for all and thus paved way for the emergence of middle class in France.

Q5. Name the philosophers who inspired the French Revolution.

a. Give the titles of books written by John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau and Montesquieu

b. What type of a society did the philosophers envisage?

c. What were the ideas of John Locke?

d. What was the philosophy of Montesquieu?

e. What inspired the philosophers? 

1. John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau and Montesquieu, were philosophers who inspired the Revolution.
2. John Locke wrote the book 'Two Treatises of Government', Jean Jacques Rousseau, 'The Social Contract and Montesquieu', 'The Spirit of Laws'.
3. The philosophers envisaged a society based on freedom, equal laws and opportunities for all.
4. John Locke propounded the ideas refuting the doctrine of divine and absolute rights of the monarch.
5. Montesquieu philosophy was based on the division of powers between the legislature, executive and the judiciary.
6. The American constitution and its guarantee of individual rights inspired the philosophers.

Q6. Why In 1774, Louis XVI of the Bourbon family was forced to increase taxes? 

1. In 1774, Louis XVI of the Bourbon family of kings ascended the throne of France and was 20 years old.Upon his accession the new king found an empty treasury as long years of war had drained the financial resources of France.
2. Added to this was the cost of maintaining an extravagant court at the immense palace of Versailles.
3. Under Louis XVI, France helped the thirteen American colonies to gain their independence from the common enemy, Britain as a result the war added more than a billion livres to a debt that had already risen to more than 2 billion livres.
4. Lenders who gave the state credit, now began to charge 10 per cent interest on loans. 
5. Therefore the French government was obliged to spend an increasing percentage of its budget on interest payments alone. 
6. 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.

Q7.What was the Estate General?

Who constituted the Estates General? 

When were the Estates General last convened?  

When and where did Louis XVI convene the assembly of the Estates General? 

Which assembly in France alone had the authority to vote on new taxes? 

1. The Estates General was a political body to which the three estates sent their representatives. 
2. The representatives of the 3 Estates 'constituted the Estates General. 
3. The Estates General was last convened in 1614. 
4. In Versailles, on May 5, 1789, Louis XVI convened the assembly of the Estates General.The first and second estates sent 300 representatives each, who were seated in rows facing each other on two sides, while the 600 members of the third estate had to stand at the back. The third estate was represented by its more prosperous and educated members. Peasants, artisans and women were denied entry to the assembly. 
5. The General Assembly alone had the authority to vote on new taxes in France.   

Q8.Describe the circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in France.

1. The war with Britain for an independent America: This war led to mounting debt on the French monarchy. This necessitated imposition of new taxes on the public.
2. Privilege based on birth: People got privileges and position based on their lineage and not on their merit. This led to resentment among common people.
3. Concentration of power among the privileged: People belonging to the first and second estate had all the power and money. Masses were at the mercy of this privileged class.
4. Subsistence Crisis:- Rising population and less grain production resulted in demand supply gap of bread, which was the staple diet. Wages did not keep pace with rising prices. It was becoming difficult for people.
5. Growing Middle Class: Because of increased overseas trade a new class emerged. 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 lineage.
6. All of this led to a resentment among people. Certain thinkers of the period spread awareness through their ideas. Some from the privileged classes also advocated a switch to democracy. So, finally there was revolution in France.

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Some important dates
 

1774:- Louis XVI becomes king of France, faces empty treasury and growing discontent within society of the Old Regime.
 

1789:- Convocation of Estates General, Third Estate forms National Assembly, the Bastille is stormed, peasant revolts in the countryside.
 

1791:- A constitution is framed to limit the powers of the king and to guarantee basic rights to all human beings.
 

1792-93:- France becomes a republic, the king is beheaded.
Overthrow of the Jacobin republic, a Directory rules France.
 

1804:- Napoleon becomes emperor of France, annexes large parts of Europe.
 

1815:- Napoleon defeated at Waterloo.

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New words

Livres – Unit of currency in France, discontinued in 1794.

Clergy – Group of persons invested with special functions in the church.

Tithes – A tax levied by the church, comprising one-tenth of the agricultural produce.

Taille – Tax to be paid directly to the state.

Subsistence crisis – An extreme situation where the basic means of livelihood are endangered.

Anonymous – One whose name remains unknown