History - French Revolution

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French Revolution

Questions and Answers

1)                What were the causes for the empty treasury of France? or What was the financial position of France?

 

i)                   Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France.

ii)                The cost of maintaining an extravagant court at the immense palace of Versailles.

iii)              Under Louis XVI, France helped the 13 American colonies to gain their independence from the common enemy, Britain.

iv)              The war added more than a billion livres to a debt that had already risen to more than 2 billion livres.

v)                 Leaders who gave the state credit, now began to charge 10% interest on loans.

 

2)                How was the system of the state in French society organized?

i)                   The members of the first two estate comprises the clergy and the nobility, who enjoyed certain privileges by birth.

ii)                The most important of these was exception from paying taxes to the state.

iii)              The nobles further enjoyed feudal privileges which included feudal dues which they extracted from the peasants.

iv)              The third estate included big businessmen, merchants, court officials, lawyers, peasants and artisans, landless laborers and servants.

v)                 Peasants were obliged to render services to the lord and to work in their house and fields and to serve in the army or to participate in building roads.

vi)              The burden of financing activities of the state through taxes was borne by the third estate alone.

3) Explain the condition that led to the subsistence crises?

 

i)                   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.

ii)                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.

iii)              Most workers were employed as laborers in workshops who had fixed wages, but the wages did not keep pace with the rise in prices.

iv)              The gap between the poor and the rich widened. Things became worse whenever drought or hail reduced the harvest which led to a subsistence crises.

 

4) How did the new middle class and philosophers were the cause of the French revolution?

i)                   The 18^th century witnessed the emergence of social group, termed as the middle class which consisted of merchants and manufacturers and professions such as lawyers or administrative officials.

ii)                 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 merits.

iii)              Philosophers  like John Locke through his book Two Treatises of Government, sought to refute the doctrine of the divine and absolute right of the monarch

iv)              Jean Rousseau carried the idea of proposing a form of government based on a social contract between people and their representatives.

v)                In The Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu proposed a division of power within the government between the legislative, the executive and the judiciary.

5)   Describe the contribution of Mirabeau and Abbe Sieyes?

       I.            The representatives of the third estate viewed themselves as spokesmen for the whole French nation led by Mirabeau and Abbe Sieyes.

     II.            On 20^th June they assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court in the grounds of Versailles and declared themselves a National Assembly.

  III.            They swore not to disperse till they have drafted a constitution for France that would limit the powers of the Monarch.

 IV.            Mirabeau was born in a noble family but was convinced of the need to do away with a society of feudal privilege, who brought out a journal and delivered powerful speeches to the crowds assembled at Versailles.

    V.            Abbe Sieyes, originally a priest, wrote an influential pamphlet called “ What is the Third Estate? “.

 

6) Explain how the revolution spread in the countryside of France?

i)       In the countryside rumor 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.

ii)    Caught in a frenzy of fear, peasants in several districts seized hoes and pitchforks and attacked chateaux.

iii)   They looted hoarded grain and burnt down documents containing records of manorial dues.

iv)   A large number of nobles fled from their homes, many of them migrating to neighboring countries.

 

7) How did France become a constitutional Monarchy?

i)       The National Assembly completed the draft of the constitution in 1791 and its main object was to limit the powers of the monarch.

ii)     The powers instead of being concentrated in the hands of one person were now separated and assigned to different institutions – the legislature, executive and judiciary which made France a constitutional monarchy.

 

8) Distinguish between active and passive citizens?

i)       The Constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in the National Assembly, which was indirectly elected?

ii)    Active citizens were entitled to vote and were about 4 million in population.

iii)   Only men about 25 years of age who paid taxes equal to at least 3 days of a laborers wage were given the status of active citizens.

iv)   Passive citizens had no voting rights. It comprises of 3 million men, women, children and youth below 25 years of age.

 

 

9) How did the Constitution in France begin?

i)       The Constitution began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.

ii)    Rights such as the right to Life, Freedom of speech, Freedom of opinion, Equality before law were established as “ Natural and Inalienable “. Rights i.e. they belonged to each human being by birth and could not be taken away.

iii)   It was the duty of the state to protect each citizen’s natural rights.

                                                                                 

10) Write any 5 of the declaration of rights of man and citizens?

i)       Men are born and remain free and equal in rights.

ii)    Liberty consists of the power to do whatever is not injurious to others.

iii)   The law has the right to forbid only actions that are injurious to society.

iv)  No man can be accused, arrested or detained except in cases determined by the law.

v)    Every citizen may speak, write and print freely; he must take responsibility for the abuse of such liberty determined by the law.

11) Explain any 5 political symbols used in the 18^th century to convey politics?

i)       The broken chain: Chains were used to fetter slaves. It stands for the act of becoming free.

ii)    Scepter: Symbol of royal power.

iii)  Blue-white-red: The national colors of France.

iv)  The law tablet: The law is the same for all, and all are equal before it.

v)    The winged woman: Personification of the Law.

 

12) What were the Jacobins club? Explain their activities?

i)       Jacobans club was a political club formed to discuss government policies and plan their own forms of action.

ii)    Its name from the former convent of St. Jacob in Paris.

iii)  The member of the Jacoban club belonged mainly to the less prosperous sections which included small shopkeepers, artisans such as shoe makers, pastry cooks, watch makers, printers as well as servants. Their leader was Maximilian Robespierre.

iv)  A large group among the Jaconbans decided to start wearing long striped trousers in order to set themselves apart from the fashionable sections of society, specially nobles who wore knee breeches.

v)    It was a way of proclaiming the end of power wielded by the wearers of knee breeches.Thus the jacobans came to be known as sans-culottes, literally meaning “ Those without knee breeches “.

vi)  Sans-culottes wore in addition the red cap that symbolized liberty.

13) Explain how France became a Republic?

i)       In 1792 the jacobans planned an insurrection of a large number of Parisians who were angered by the short supplies and high prices of food.

ii)    On 10^th August they stormed the Palace of the Tuileries, massacred the king’s guards and held the king as hostage.

iii)  Later the assembly voted to imprison the royal family and an election was held.

iv)  All men of 21 years and above, regardless of wealth, got the right to vote.

14) What is a Republic?

i)       Republic is a form of government where the people elect the government including the head of the government.

ii)    There is no hereditary Monarchy.

15) Explain the role played by the political club?

i)       In order to discuss and voice their interest, women started their own political clubs and newspapers.

ii)    About 60 women’s clubs came up in different French cities. “ The Society of Revolutionary “ and “ Republic Women “ was the most famous of them.

iii)  One of their main demands was that women enjoy the same political rights as men.

iv)  Women were disappointed that the constitution of 1791 reduced them to passive citizens.

v)    They demanded the right to vote, to be elected, to the assembly and to hold political office.

16) Explain the laws introduced by the Revolutionary government to improve the lives of women in France?

i)       Schooling was made compulsory for all girls.

ii)    Their fathers 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.

iv)  Divorce was made legal and could be applied by both Men and Women.

v)    Women could now train for jobs, could become artists or run small businesses.

17) Explain the role played by Olympe de Gouges in Revolutionary France?

i)       Olympe de Gouges was one of the most important of the politically active women in revolutionary France.

ii)    She protested against the Constitution and the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen’s as they excluded women from basic rights.

iii)  In 1791, she wrote a Declaration of the Rights of Women and Citizen’s.

iv)  In 1793 she criticized the Jacobin government for forcibly closing down women’s club.

v)    She was tried by the National Convention, which charged her with treason and she was executed later.

18) Explain slave trade that existed during the 17^th century?

i)       The colonies in the Caribbean – Martinique, Guadeloupe and San Domingo – were important suppliers of commodities such as tobacco, indigo, sugar and coffee.

ii)    A triangular slave trade between Europe, Africa and America was due to the reluctance of Europeans to go and work in distant lands.

iii)  The slaves were packed tightly into ships for the 3 month long voyage across the Atlantic to the Caribbean and were sold there.

iv)  The exploitation of slave labor made it possible to meet the growing demand in European market for sugar, coffee and indigo.

v)    Port cities like Bordeaux and Nantes owned their economic prosperity.

19) Discuss the importance of the abolition of censorship?

i)       The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen proclaimed freedom of speech and expression.

ii)    Newspapers, pamphlets, books and printed pictures flooded the town of France.

iii)  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.

v)    Place, songs and festivals attracted large numbers of people which made them identify ideas of liberty and justice that political philosophers wrote about.

20) Why is Napoleon known as the modernization of Europe?

i)       In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of France. He conquered the neighboring European countries, dispossessing dynasties and creating Kingdoms.

ii)    Napoleon saw his role as a modernizer of Europe and introduced many laws such as the protection of private properties and a uniform system of weights and measures

iii)  Initially many people saw Napoleon as a liberator who brought freedom for the people.

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.

21) Explain the legacy of French Revolution?

i)       The idea of liberty and democratic rights were the most important legacy.

ii)    These ideas spread to the rest of Europe during the 19^th century, where feudal systems were abolished.

iii)  Colonized people reworked the idea of freedom from bondage into their movement to create a sovereign National state.

iv)  French revolution gave the term “ Nation “ which means the people themselves.

 

French Revolution

Questions and Answers

1)                What were the causes for the empty treasury of France? or What was the financial position of France?

 

i)                   Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France.

ii)                The cost of maintaining an extravagant court at the immense palace of Versailles.

iii)              Under Louis XVI, France helped the 13 American colonies to gain their independence from the common enemy, Britain.

iv)              The war added more than a billion livres to a debt that had already risen to more than 2 billion livres.

v)                 Leaders who gave the state credit, now began to charge 10% interest on loans.

 

2)                How was the system of the state in French society organized?

i)                   The members of the first two estate comprises the clergy and the nobility, who enjoyed certain privileges by birth.

ii)                The most important of these was exception from paying taxes to the state.

iii)              The nobles further enjoyed feudal privileges which included feudal dues which they extracted from the peasants.

iv)              The third estate included big businessmen, merchants, court officials, lawyers, peasants and artisans, landless laborers and servants.

v)                 Peasants were obliged to render services to the lord and to work in their house and fields and to serve in the army or to participate in building roads.

vi)              The burden of financing activities of the state through taxes was borne by the third estate alone.

3) Explain the condition that led to the subsistence crises?

 

i)                   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.

ii)                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.

iii)              Most workers were employed as laborers in workshops who had fixed wages, but the wages did not keep pace with the rise in prices.

iv)              The gap between the poor and the rich widened. Things became worse whenever drought or hail reduced the harvest which led to a subsistence crises.

 

4) How did the new middle class and philosophers were the cause of the French revolution?

i)                   The 18^th century witnessed the emergence of social group, termed as the middle class which consisted of merchants and manufacturers and professions such as lawyers or administrative officials.

ii)                 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 merits.

iii)              Philosophers  like John Locke through his book Two Treatises of Government, sought to refute the doctrine of the divine and absolute right of the monarch

iv)              Jean Rousseau carried the idea of proposing a form of government based on a social contract between people and their representatives.

v)                In The Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu proposed a division of power within the government between the legislative, the executive and the judiciary.

5)   Describe the contribution of Mirabeau and Abbe Sieyes?

       I.            The representatives of the third estate viewed themselves as spokesmen for the whole French nation led by Mirabeau and Abbe Sieyes.

     II.            On 20^th June they assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court in the grounds of Versailles and declared themselves a National Assembly.

  III.            They swore not to disperse till they have drafted a constitution for France that would limit the powers of the Monarch.

 IV.            Mirabeau was born in a noble family but was convinced of the need to do away with a society of feudal privilege, who brought out a journal and delivered powerful speeches to the crowds assembled at Versailles.

    V.            Abbe Sieyes, originally a priest, wrote an influential pamphlet called “ What is the Third Estate? “.

 

6) Explain how the revolution spread in the countryside of France?

i)       In the countryside rumor 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.

ii)    Caught in a frenzy of fear, peasants in several districts seized hoes and pitchforks and attacked chateaux.

iii)   They looted hoarded grain and burnt down documents containing records of manorial dues.

iv)   A large number of nobles fled from their homes, many of them migrating to neighboring countries.

 

7) How did France become a constitutional Monarchy?

i)       The National Assembly completed the draft of the constitution in 1791 and its main object was to limit the powers of the monarch.

ii)     The powers instead of being concentrated in the hands of one person were now separated and assigned to different institutions – the legislature, executive and judiciary which made France a constitutional monarchy.

 

8) Distinguish between active and passive citizens?

i)       The Constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in the National Assembly, which was indirectly elected?

ii)    Active citizens were entitled to vote and were about 4 million in population.

iii)   Only men about 25 years of age who paid taxes equal to at least 3 days of a laborers wage were given the status of active citizens.

iv)   Passive citizens had no voting rights. It comprises of 3 million men, women, children and youth below 25 years of age.

 

 

9) How did the Constitution in France begin?

i)       The Constitution began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.

ii)    Rights such as the right to Life, Freedom of speech, Freedom of opinion, Equality before law were established as “ Natural and Inalienable “. Rights i.e. they belonged to each human being by birth and could not be taken away.

iii)   It was the duty of the state to protect each citizen’s natural rights.

                                                                                 

10) Write any 5 of the declaration of rights of man and citizens?

i)       Men are born and remain free and equal in rights.

ii)    Liberty consists of the power to do whatever is not injurious to others.

iii)   The law has the right to forbid only actions that are injurious to society.

iv)  No man can be accused, arrested or detained except in cases determined by the law.

v)    Every citizen may speak, write and print freely; he must take responsibility for the abuse of such liberty determined by the law.

11) Explain any 5 political symbols used in the 18^th century to convey politics?

i)       The broken chain: Chains were used to fetter slaves. It stands for the act of becoming free.

ii)    Scepter: Symbol of royal power.

iii)  Blue-white-red: The national colors of France.

iv)  The law tablet: The law is the same for all, and all are equal before it.

v)    The winged woman: Personification of the Law.

 

12) What were the Jacobins club? Explain their activities?

i)       Jacobans club was a political club formed to discuss government policies and plan their own forms of action.

ii)    Its name from the former convent of St. Jacob in Paris.

iii)  The member of the Jacoban club belonged mainly to the less prosperous sections which included small shopkeepers, artisans such as shoe makers, pastry cooks, watch makers, printers as well as servants. Their leader was Maximilian Robespierre.

iv)  A large group among the Jaconbans decided to start wearing long striped trousers in order to set themselves apart from the fashionable sections of society, specially nobles who wore knee breeches.

v)    It was a way of proclaiming the end of power wielded by the wearers of knee breeches.Thus the jacobans came to be known as sans-culottes, literally meaning “ Those without knee breeches “.

vi)  Sans-culottes wore in addition the red cap that symbolized liberty.

13) Explain how France became a Republic?

i)       In 1792 the jacobans planned an insurrection of a large number of Parisians who were angered by the short supplies and high prices of food.

ii)    On 10^th August they stormed the Palace of the Tuileries, massacred the king’s guards and held the king as hostage.

iii)  Later the assembly voted to imprison the royal family and an election was held.

iv)  All men of 21 years and above, regardless of wealth, got the right to vote.

14) What is a Republic?

i)       Republic is a form of government where the people elect the government including the head of the government.

ii)    There is no hereditary Monarchy.

15) Explain the role played by the political club?

i)       In order to discuss and voice their interest, women started their own political clubs and newspapers.

ii)    About 60 women’s clubs came up in different French cities. “ The Society of Revolutionary “ and “ Republic Women “ was the most famous of them.

iii)  One of their main demands was that women enjoy the same political rights as men.

iv)  Women were disappointed that the constitution of 1791 reduced them to passive citizens.

v)    They demanded the right to vote, to be elected, to the assembly and to hold political office.

16) Explain the laws introduced by the Revolutionary government to improve the lives of women in France?

i)       Schooling was made compulsory for all girls.

ii)    Their fathers 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.

iv)  Divorce was made legal and could be applied by both Men and Women.

v)    Women could now train for jobs, could become artists or run small businesses.

17) Explain the role played by Olympe de Gouges in Revolutionary France?

i)       Olympe de Gouges was one of the most important of the politically active women in revolutionary France.

ii)    She protested against the Constitution and the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen’s as they excluded women from basic rights.

iii)  In 1791, she wrote a Declaration of the Rights of Women and Citizen’s.

iv)  In 1793 she criticized the Jacobin government for forcibly closing down women’s club.

v)    She was tried by the National Convention, which charged her with treason and she was executed later.

18) Explain slave trade that existed during the 17^th century?

i)       The colonies in the Caribbean – Martinique, Guadeloupe and San Domingo – were important suppliers of commodities such as tobacco, indigo, sugar and coffee.

ii)    A triangular slave trade between Europe, Africa and America was due to the reluctance of Europeans to go and work in distant lands.

iii)  The slaves were packed tightly into ships for the 3 month long voyage across the Atlantic to the Caribbean and were sold there.

iv)  The exploitation of slave labor made it possible to meet the growing demand in European market for sugar, coffee and indigo.

v)    Port cities like Bordeaux and Nantes owned their economic prosperity.

19) Discuss the importance of the abolition of censorship?

i)       The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen proclaimed freedom of speech and expression.

ii)    Newspapers, pamphlets, books and printed pictures flooded the town of France.

iii)  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.

v)    Place, songs and festivals attracted large numbers of people which made them identify ideas of liberty and justice that political philosophers wrote about.

20) Why is Napoleon known as the modernization of Europe?

i)       In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of France. He conquered the neighboring European countries, dispossessing dynasties and creating Kingdoms.

ii)    Napoleon saw his role as a modernizer of Europe and introduced many laws such as the protection of private properties and a uniform system of weights and measures

iii)  Initially many people saw Napoleon as a liberator who brought freedom for the people.

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.

21) Explain the legacy of French Revolution?

i)       The idea of liberty and democratic rights were the most important legacy.

ii)    These ideas spread to the rest of Europe during the 19^th century, where feudal systems were abolished.

iii)  Colonized people reworked the idea of freedom from bondage into their movement to create a sovereign National state.

iv)  French revolution gave the term “ Nation “ which means the people themselves.

 

French Revolution

Questions and Answers

1)                What were the causes for the empty treasury of France? or What was the financial position of France?

 

i)                   Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France.

ii)                The cost of maintaining an extravagant court at the immense palace of Versailles.

iii)              Under Louis XVI, France helped the 13 American colonies to gain their independence from the common enemy, Britain.

iv)              The war added more than a billion livres to a debt that had already risen to more than 2 billion livres.

v)                 Leaders who gave the state credit, now began to charge 10% interest on loans.

 

2)                How was the system of the state in French society organized?

i)                   The members of the first two estate comprises the clergy and the nobility, who enjoyed certain privileges by birth.

ii)                The most important of these was exception from paying taxes to the state.

iii)              The nobles further enjoyed feudal privileges which included feudal dues which they extracted from the peasants.

iv)              The third estate included big businessmen, merchants, court officials, lawyers, peasants and artisans, landless laborers and servants.

v)                 Peasants were obliged to render services to the lord and to work in their house and fields and to serve in the army or to participate in building roads.

vi)              The burden of financing activities of the state through taxes was borne by the third estate alone.

3) Explain the condition that led to the subsistence crises?

 

i)                   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.

ii)                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.

iii)              Most workers were employed as laborers in workshops who had fixed wages, but the wages did not keep pace with the rise in prices.

iv)              The gap between the poor and the rich widened. Things became worse whenever drought or hail reduced the harvest which led to a subsistence crises.

 

4) How did the new middle class and philosophers were the cause of the French revolution?

i)                   The 18^th century witnessed the emergence of social group, termed as the middle class which consisted of merchants and manufacturers and professions such as lawyers or administrative officials.

ii)                 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 merits.

iii)              Philosophers  like John Locke through his book Two Treatises of Government, sought to refute the doctrine of the divine and absolute right of the monarch

iv)              Jean Rousseau carried the idea of proposing a form of government based on a social contract between people and their representatives.

v)                In The Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu proposed a division of power within the government between the legislative, the executive and the judiciary.

5)   Describe the contribution of Mirabeau and Abbe Sieyes?

       I.            The representatives of the third estate viewed themselves as spokesmen for the whole French nation led by Mirabeau and Abbe Sieyes.

     II.            On 20^th June they assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court in the grounds of Versailles and declared themselves a National Assembly.

  III.            They swore not to disperse till they have drafted a constitution for France that would limit the powers of the Monarch.

 IV.            Mirabeau was born in a noble family but was convinced of the need to do away with a society of feudal privilege, who brought out a journal and delivered powerful speeches to the crowds assembled at Versailles.

    V.            Abbe Sieyes, originally a priest, wrote an influential pamphlet called “ What is the Third Estate? “.

 

6) Explain how the revolution spread in the countryside of France?

i)       In the countryside rumor 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.

ii)    Caught in a frenzy of fear, peasants in several districts seized hoes and pitchforks and attacked chateaux.

iii)   They looted hoarded grain and burnt down documents containing records of manorial dues.

iv)   A large number of nobles fled from their homes, many of them migrating to neighboring countries.

 

7) How did France become a constitutional Monarchy?

i)       The National Assembly completed the draft of the constitution in 1791 and its main object was to limit the powers of the monarch.

ii)     The powers instead of being concentrated in the hands of one person were now separated and assigned to different institutions – the legislature, executive and judiciary which made France a constitutional monarchy.

 

8) Distinguish between active and passive citizens?

i)       The Constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in the National Assembly, which was indirectly elected?

ii)    Active citizens were entitled to vote and were about 4 million in population.

iii)   Only men about 25 years of age who paid taxes equal to at least 3 days of a laborers wage were given the status of active citizens.

iv)   Passive citizens had no voting rights. It comprises of 3 million men, women, children and youth below 25 years of age.

 

 

9) How did the Constitution in France begin?

i)       The Constitution began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.

ii)    Rights such as the right to Life, Freedom of speech, Freedom of opinion, Equality before law were established as “ Natural and Inalienable “. Rights i.e. they belonged to each human being by birth and could not be taken away.

iii)   It was the duty of the state to protect each citizen’s natural rights.

                                                                                 

10) Write any 5 of the declaration of rights of man and citizens?

i)       Men are born and remain free and equal in rights.

ii)    Liberty consists of the power to do whatever is not injurious to others.

iii)   The law has the right to forbid only actions that are injurious to society.

iv)  No man can be accused, arrested or detained except in cases determined by the law.

v)    Every citizen may speak, write and print freely; he must take responsibility for the abuse of such liberty determined by the law.

11) Explain any 5 political symbols used in the 18^th century to convey politics?

i)       The broken chain: Chains were used to fetter slaves. It stands for the act of becoming free.

ii)    Scepter: Symbol of royal power.

iii)  Blue-white-red: The national colors of France.

iv)  The law tablet: The law is the same for all, and all are equal before it.

v)    The winged woman: Personification of the Law.

 

12) What were the Jacobins club? Explain their activities?

i)       Jacobans club was a political club formed to discuss government policies and plan their own forms of action.

ii)    Its name from the former convent of St. Jacob in Paris.

iii)  The member of the Jacoban club belonged mainly to the less prosperous sections which included small shopkeepers, artisans such as shoe makers, pastry cooks, watch makers, printers as well as servants. Their leader was Maximilian Robespierre.

iv)  A large group among the Jaconbans decided to start wearing long striped trousers in order to set themselves apart from the fashionable sections of society, specially nobles who wore knee breeches.

v)    It was a way of proclaiming the end of power wielded by the wearers of knee breeches.Thus the jacobans came to be known as sans-culottes, literally meaning “ Those without knee breeches “.

vi)  Sans-culottes wore in addition the red cap that symbolized liberty.

13) Explain how France became a Republic?

i)       In 1792 the jacobans planned an insurrection of a large number of Parisians who were angered by the short supplies and high prices of food.

ii)    On 10^th August they stormed the Palace of the Tuileries, massacred the king’s guards and held the king as hostage.

iii)  Later the assembly voted to imprison the royal family and an election was held.

iv)  All men of 21 years and above, regardless of wealth, got the right to vote.

14) What is a Republic?

i)       Republic is a form of government where the people elect the government including the head of the government.

ii)    There is no hereditary Monarchy.

15) Explain the role played by the political club?

i)       In order to discuss and voice their interest, women started their own political clubs and newspapers.

ii)    About 60 women’s clubs came up in different French cities. “ The Society of Revolutionary “ and “ Republic Women “ was the most famous of them.

iii)  One of their main demands was that women enjoy the same political rights as men.

iv)  Women were disappointed that the constitution of 1791 reduced them to passive citizens.

v)    They demanded the right to vote, to be elected, to the assembly and to hold political office.

16) Explain the laws introduced by the Revolutionary government to improve the lives of women in France?

i)       Schooling was made compulsory for all girls.

ii)    Their fathers 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.

iv)  Divorce was made legal and could be applied by both Men and Women.

v)    Women could now train for jobs, could become artists or run small businesses.

17) Explain the role played by Olympe de Gouges in Revolutionary France?

i)       Olympe de Gouges was one of the most important of the politically active women in revolutionary France.

ii)    She protested against the Constitution and the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen’s as they excluded women from basic rights.

iii)  In 1791, she wrote a Declaration of the Rights of Women and Citizen’s.

iv)  In 1793 she criticized the Jacobin government for forcibly closing down women’s club.

v)    She was tried by the National Convention, which charged her with treason and she was executed later.

18) Explain slave trade that existed during the 17^th century?

i)       The colonies in the Caribbean – Martinique, Guadeloupe and San Domingo – were important suppliers of commodities such as tobacco, indigo, sugar and coffee.

ii)    A triangular slave trade between Europe, Africa and America was due to the reluctance of Europeans to go and work in distant lands.

iii)  The slaves were packed tightly into ships for the 3 month long voyage across the Atlantic to the Caribbean and were sold there.

iv)  The exploitation of slave labor made it possible to meet the growing demand in European market for sugar, coffee and indigo.

v)    Port cities like Bordeaux and Nantes owned their economic prosperity.

19) Discuss the importance of the abolition of censorship?

i)       The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen proclaimed freedom of speech and expression.

ii)    Newspapers, pamphlets, books and printed pictures flooded the town of France.

iii)  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.

v)    Place, songs and festivals attracted large numbers of people which made them identify ideas of liberty and justice that political philosophers wrote about.

20) Why is Napoleon known as the modernization of Europe?

i)       In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of France. He conquered the neighboring European countries, dispossessing dynasties and creating Kingdoms.

ii)    Napoleon saw his role as a modernizer of Europe and introduced many laws such as the protection of private properties and a uniform system of weights and measures

iii)  Initially many people saw Napoleon as a liberator who brought freedom for the people.

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.

21) Explain the legacy of French Revolution?

i)       The idea of liberty and democratic rights were the most important legacy.

ii)    These ideas spread to the rest of Europe during the 19^th century, where feudal systems were abolished.

iii)  Colonized people reworked the idea of freedom from bondage into their movement to create a sovereign National state.

iv)  French revolution gave the term “ Nation “ which means the people themselves.

 

 

French Revolution

Questions and Answers

1)                What were the causes for the empty treasury of France? or What was the financial position of France?

 

i)                   Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France.

ii)                The cost of maintaining an extravagant court at the immense palace of Versailles.

iii)              Under Louis XVI, France helped the 13 American colonies to gain their independence from the common enemy, Britain.

iv)              The war added more than a billion livres to a debt that had already risen to more than 2 billion livres.

v)                 Leaders who gave the state credit, now began to charge 10% interest on loans.

 

2)                How was the system of the state in French society organized?

i)                   The members of the first two estate comprises the clergy and the nobility, who enjoyed certain privileges by birth.

ii)                The most important of these was exception from paying taxes to the state.

iii)              The nobles further enjoyed feudal privileges which included feudal dues which they extracted from the peasants.

iv)              The third estate included big businessmen, merchants, court officials, lawyers, peasants and artisans, landless laborers and servants.

v)                 Peasants were obliged to render services to the lord and to work in their house and fields and to serve in the army or to participate in building roads.

vi)              The burden of financing activities of the state through taxes was borne by the third estate alone.

3) Explain the condition that led to the subsistence crises?

 

i)                   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.

ii)                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.

iii)              Most workers were employed as laborers in workshops who had fixed wages, but the wages did not keep pace with the rise in prices.

iv)              The gap between the poor and the rich widened. Things became worse whenever drought or hail reduced the harvest which led to a subsistence crises.

 

4) How did the new middle class and philosophers were the cause of the French revolution?

i)                   The 18^th century witnessed the emergence of social group, termed as the middle class which consisted of merchants and manufacturers and professions such as lawyers or administrative officials.

ii)                 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 merits.

iii)              Philosophers  like John Locke through his book Two Treatises of Government, sought to refute the doctrine of the divine and absolute right of the monarch

iv)              Jean Rousseau carried the idea of proposing a form of government based on a social contract between people and their representatives.

v)                In The Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu proposed a division of power within the government between the legislative, the executive and the judiciary.

5)   Describe the contribution of Mirabeau and Abbe Sieyes?

       I.            The representatives of the third estate viewed themselves as spokesmen for the whole French nation led by Mirabeau and Abbe Sieyes.

     II.            On 20^th June they assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court in the grounds of Versailles and declared themselves a National Assembly.

  III.            They swore not to disperse till they have drafted a constitution for France that would limit the powers of the Monarch.

 IV.            Mirabeau was born in a noble family but was convinced of the need to do away with a society of feudal privilege, who brought out a journal and delivered powerful speeches to the crowds assembled at Versailles.

    V.            Abbe Sieyes, originally a priest, wrote an influential pamphlet called “ What is the Third Estate? “.

 

6) Explain how the revolution spread in the countryside of France?

i)       In the countryside rumor 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.

ii)    Caught in a frenzy of fear, peasants in several districts seized hoes and pitchforks and attacked chateaux.

iii)   They looted hoarded grain and burnt down documents containing records of manorial dues.

iv)   A large number of nobles fled from their homes, many of them migrating to neighboring countries.

 

7) How did France become a constitutional Monarchy?

i)       The National Assembly completed the draft of the constitution in 1791 and its main object was to limit the powers of the monarch.

ii)     The powers instead of being concentrated in the hands of one person were now separated and assigned to different institutions – the legislature, executive and judiciary which made France a constitutional monarchy.

 

8) Distinguish between active and passive citizens?

i)       The Constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in the National Assembly, which was indirectly elected?

ii)    Active citizens were entitled to vote and were about 4 million in population.

iii)   Only men about 25 years of age who paid taxes equal to at least 3 days of a laborers wage were given the status of active citizens.

iv)   Passive citizens had no voting rights. It comprises of 3 million men, women, children and youth below 25 years of age.

 

 

9) How did the Constitution in France begin?

i)       The Constitution began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.

ii)    Rights such as the right to Life, Freedom of speech, Freedom of opinion, Equality before law were established as “ Natural and Inalienable “. Rights i.e. they belonged to each human being by birth and could not be taken away.

iii)   It was the duty of the state to protect each citizen’s natural rights.

                                                                                 

10) Write any 5 of the declaration of rights of man and citizens?

i)       Men are born and remain free and equal in rights.

ii)    Liberty consists of the power to do whatever is not injurious to others.

iii)   The law has the right to forbid only actions that are injurious to society.

iv)  No man can be accused, arrested or detained except in cases determined by the law.

v)    Every citizen may speak, write and print freely; he must take responsibility for the abuse of such liberty determined by the law.

11) Explain any 5 political symbols used in the 18^th century to convey politics?

i)       The broken chain: Chains were used to fetter slaves. It stands for the act of becoming free.

ii)    Scepter: Symbol of royal power.

iii)  Blue-white-red: The national colors of France.

iv)  The law tablet: The law is the same for all, and all are equal before it.

v)    The winged woman: Personification of the Law.

 

12) What were the Jacobins club? Explain their activities?

i)       Jacobans club was a political club formed to discuss government policies and plan their own forms of action.

ii)    Its name from the former convent of St. Jacob in Paris.

iii)  The member of the Jacoban club belonged mainly to the less prosperous sections which included small shopkeepers, artisans such as shoe makers, pastry cooks, watch makers, printers as well as servants. Their leader was Maximilian Robespierre.

iv)  A large group among the Jaconbans decided to start wearing long striped trousers in order to set themselves apart from the fashionable sections of society, specially nobles who wore knee breeches.

v)    It was a way of proclaiming the end of power wielded by the wearers of knee breeches.Thus the jacobans came to be known as sans-culottes, literally meaning “ Those without knee breeches “.

vi)  Sans-culottes wore in addition the red cap that symbolized liberty.

13) Explain how France became a Republic?

i)       In 1792 the jacobans planned an insurrection of a large number of Parisians who were angered by the short supplies and high prices of food.

ii)    On 10^th August they stormed the Palace of the Tuileries, massacred the king’s guards and held the king as hostage.

iii)  Later the assembly voted to imprison the royal family and an election was held.

iv)  All men of 21 years and above, regardless of wealth, got the right to vote.

14) What is a Republic?

i)       Republic is a form of government where the people elect the government including the head of the government.

ii)    There is no hereditary Monarchy.

15) Explain the role played by the political club?

i)       In order to discuss and voice their interest, women started their own political clubs and newspapers.

ii)    About 60 women’s clubs came up in different French cities. “ The Society of Revolutionary “ and “ Republic Women “ was the most famous of them.

iii)  One of their main demands was that women enjoy the same political rights as men.

iv)  Women were disappointed that the constitution of 1791 reduced them to passive citizens.

v)    They demanded the right to vote, to be elected, to the assembly and to hold political office.

16) Explain the laws introduced by the Revolutionary government to improve the lives of women in France?

i)       Schooling was made compulsory for all girls.

ii)    Their fathers 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.

iv)  Divorce was made legal and could be applied by both Men and Women.

v)    Women could now train for jobs, could become artists or run small businesses.

17) Explain the role played by Olympe de Gouges in Revolutionary France?

i)       Olympe de Gouges was one of the most important of the politically active women in revolutionary France.

ii)    She protested against the Constitution and the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen’s as they excluded women from basic rights.

iii)  In 1791, she wrote a Declaration of the Rights of Women and Citizen’s.

iv)  In 1793 she criticized the Jacobin government for forcibly closing down women’s club.

v)    She was tried by the National Convention, which charged her with treason and she was executed later.

18) Explain slave trade that existed during the 17^th century?

i)       The colonies in the Caribbean – Martinique, Guadeloupe and San Domingo – were important suppliers of commodities such as tobacco, indigo, sugar and coffee.

ii)    A triangular slave trade between Europe, Africa and America was due to the reluctance of Europeans to go and work in distant lands.

iii)  The slaves were packed tightly into ships for the 3 month long voyage across the Atlantic to the Caribbean and were sold there.

iv)  The exploitation of slave labor made it possible to meet the growing demand in European market for sugar, coffee and indigo.

v)    Port cities like Bordeaux and Nantes owned their economic prosperity.

19) Discuss the importance of the abolition of censorship?

i)       The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen proclaimed freedom of speech and expression.

ii)    Newspapers, pamphlets, books and printed pictures flooded the town of France.

iii)  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.

v)    Place, songs and festivals attracted large numbers of people which made them identify ideas of liberty and justice that political philosophers wrote about.

20) Why is Napoleon known as the modernization of Europe?

i)       In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of France. He conquered the neighboring European countries, dispossessing dynasties and creating Kingdoms.

ii)    Napoleon saw his role as a modernizer of Europe and introduced many laws such as the protection of private properties and a uniform system of weights and measures

iii)  Initially many people saw Napoleon as a liberator who brought freedom for the people.

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.

21) Explain the legacy of French Revolution?

i)       The idea of liberty and democratic rights were the most important legacy.

ii)    These ideas spread to the rest of Europe during the 19^th century, where feudal systems were abolished.

iii)  Colonized people reworked the idea of freedom from bondage into their movement to create a sovereign National state.

iv)  French revolution gave the term “ Nation “ which means the people themselves.