Worksheet – 1
Year: 2016-17
Class: IX (A & B)
NAME: ___________________________________
Topic: The French Revolution (Part B)
Subject: History
Date: __________________
Q A. Answer the following questions in brief.
1. Explain any five economic conditions of France that led to the revolution? / What compelled
Louis XVI to raise taxes in France? / Why did Louis XVI conclude to increase taxes in France? /
What were the causes of the empty treasury of France under Louis XVI? Ans. The five economic
conditions of France that led to the revolution were / Louis XVI was compelled to raise taxes in
France because / Following were the causes of the empty treasury of France under Louis XVI:
Political causes
i. Long years of war had emptied the royal treasure.
ii. High cost of maintenance of the immense palace of Versailles and court.
iii. Under Louis XVI, France had helped thirteen British colonies in America to gain
independence that in turn had increased the royal debt.
Economical causes
i. Higher interest was charged by lenders on state loans.
ii. Regular expenses could not be avoided.
iii. Unequal and unfair distribution of taxes on the three Estates had reduced the state’s
income.
Social causes
i. The society had been divided into three estates of which only the Third Estate had to
pay the taxes.
ii. Subsistence crisis was faced by the society.
iii. Educated people got inspired with the American Constitution and spread awareness.
iv. Bastille, the symbol of the supreme power of monarchy was stormed by the agitated
people.
2. State any five events that led to the outbreak of the French Revolution during the 18th century.
/ Describe any five events that led to outbreak of the French Revolution during the 18 th
century.
Five major events that led to the Revolution were :
i. The Subsistence crisis – People were unable to survive, the price of bread had rose and
there were food-riots.
ii. Storming of Bastille – The angry mob had stormed the Bastille – the fortress prison as
it was a symbol of the supreme power of the king.
iii. The formation of the National Assembly – The members of the Third estate of the
General Assembly of the Estate General, represented by the middle class had walked
out the Assembly and declared them a National Assembly and took the Tennis Court
Oath.
iv. The empty royal treasury – When Louis VI ascended the throne, the royal treasury was
empty and he decided to increase the tax on the Third Estate.
v.
A growing middle class and philosophers envisaged (dreamt) an end to privileged
classes- the First and Second Estate.
3. a. What was the system of estates in the French Society? How was the system of Estates in
French society organized?
b. Who constituted the middle class? What were their ideas about privileges in the society? /
How did the middle class participate in the French Revolution? Explain the conditions that
helped the middle class in bringing change in social and economic order in France.
c. What was the condition of peasants in the system of three Estates? / How did peasants
contribute to the outbreak of the French Revolution?
d. How was the Church responsible for the French Revolution?
Ans. a.
The First Estate – consists of Clergy, the people who served the church;
The Second Estate-consists of Nobles, who owned the feudal lands;
The First and the Second Estates were considered privileged by the birth and were
exempted to pay the taxes to the state.
The Third Estate-small peasants, landless labour, servants, artisans, peasants, big
businessmen, merchants, court officials, lawyers, etc.
They had to pay a tax called tithe to the church and a direct tax, taille to the state. They
were also supposed to pay the indirect taxes as salt tax, tax on tobacco, etc.
b. The newly rich merchants and manufacturers and educated professionals like lawyers and
administrative officials constituted the middle class.
 The middle class was influenced by the philosophers and believed in a society based on
freedom, equal laws and opportunities.
 They were of the opinion that no one should be considered privileged by birth.
 Person’s social status should be based on merit.
 They discussed and read aloud the ideas of philosophers for the uneducated.
 Voltaire, John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau and Montesquieu were the famous
philosophers.
 John Locke - refuted (disapproved) the doctrine of the divine and absolute rights of the
monarch. (Two Treaties of Government)
 Rousseau – gave the idea of one person, one vote i.e. the government should be based
on the consent of the governed. (Social Contract)
 Montesquieu – there should be the division of power i.e. the power should be divided
between the legislature, executive and the judiciary (The Spirit of Law)
 They were inspired with the American Constitution and its guarantee of individual
rights.
c. The condition of the peasants was very pitiable in the system of three Estates. They :
 Had to serve their masters.
 Around 81% of their income went in paying taxes and had to survive only on 19% of
their income.
 Had to pay tithe to the church.
 Had to pay a direct tax-taille to the state.
 Had to pay other taxes as salt tax, tan on tobacco, etc.
 Had to work free in the lands of nobles for three days a week.
 Despite of famines or floods they were supposed to pay the taxes.
d. The church too was responsible for the French Revolution as ;
 One-fifth of the land was the property of the church of which it does not have to pay
taxes. (reduction in the state’s income)
 The higher clergy were not bothered about their spiritual duties and led a luxurious but
corrupt and immoral life.
 The lower clergy were ill-paid and dissatisfied. So they supported the revolutionaries.
4. The subsistence crisis in France was an extreme situation. Justify. / What does subsistence
crisis mean? What led to the subsistence crisis in France? / Why did subsistence crisis
frequently occur in France during the Old Regime? / What gave rise to the subsistence crisis
in France during the Old Regime?
Ans. The crisis wherein the basic needs of life are not fulfilled for the people is known as the
subsistence crisis. Following were the causes of its occurrence in France:
Its main cause was the increase in the population of France.
The demand of food grains was more than supply as production was poor.
Prices of bread rose rapidly.
Wages could not keep pace with rising prices.
The gap between rich and poor widened.
The production or harvest was low due t hail or drought.
5. Give reasons as to why the National Assembly was formed by the people of Third Estate. /
What was the significance of the ‘Tennis Court Oath’ in the French Revolution? / Give the
reasons for the walk out from the Assembly of the Estate General by the members of the
Third Estate on 5th May 1789. What two steps were taken by the members of the Third Estate
after the walk out?
Ans.
In May 1789, Louis XVI had convened the assembly of the Estates General to pass the
proposal of new taxes to overcome the expenses made by the state.
The representatives of the First and the Second Estate ( 300 each) and that of the Third
Estate ( 600) as well as the king of France constituted the Estate General.
The Third Estate was represented by its more prosperous and educated members like
lawyers, administrative officials and the merchants and the manufacturers in the
General Assembly.
Peasants, artisans and the women were denied entry to the General Assembly of the
Estates General.
In the Old Regime, the voting was based on one estate - one vote in the Estate General.
But this time, the Third Estate demanded the voting should be on the basis of the whole
assembly i.e. one member – one vote.
When the king rejected their project, they walked out of the assembly in protest and in
June 1789, they assembled in the hall of the indoor tennis court in Versailles and
declared themselves a National Assembly. They took the oath not to give upp until a
new Constitution is formed. (The Tennis Court Oath)
Mirabeau and Abbe’ Siey`es were the two important leaders of the National Assembly.
First they had passed a decree in August 1789, helping the people of the Third Estate
and abolishing he privileges of the First and Second Estate. Later on they had framed
the Constitution in 1791, limiting the power of monarch and making France – a
constitutional monarchy. (Significance of the Tennis Court Oath)
6. How did the philosopher influence the thinking of the people of France?
Ans. Philosophers were of the opinion that no one should be considered privileged by birth.
Person’s social status should be based on merit.
They believed in a society based on freedom, equal laws and opportunities.
People were greatly influenced by them as they passed a decree in August 1789 where in :
The feudal system of obligations and taxes was abolished.
Clergy were forced to give up their privileges.
The Church-tax, tithes were abolished.
The land of the Church became the state property.
The government was able to acquire assets worth at least 2 billion livres.
7. Describe any three objectives of the Constitution of 1791 drafted by the National Assembly. /
Who were entitled to vote in France as per the Constitution of 1791, framed by the National
Assembly? State any four rights given to the people by this Constitution. / Explain any five
features of the Constitution of 1791 framed by the National Assembly in France. / Highlight
any five features of the Constitution of 1791 framed by the National Assembly in France. /
What was the ‘Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizens’ according to the French
Constitution of 1791? / Who were in France given the status of active citizens by the
Constitution of 1791? Why were women disappointed with the Constitution?
Ans. The features of the French Constitution were:
1. It had limited the power of the king.
2. It had declared France –a Constitutional Monarchy.
3. It had divided the power into legislature, executive and judiciary.
4. Power to make law was given to the National Assembly.
5. Citizens were grouped into active and passive – Only men above 25 years who paid taxes
equal to at least 3 days wages were given the right to vote and were called the active citizens
where as the men who do not belonged to the highest bracket of taxpayers or were less than
25 years and all women were termed as the passive citizens and were denied the right to vote.
6. The Constitution begins with the ‘Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizens’ and the
rights given to the people were: the right to life, freedom of speech, freedom of opinion and
equality before law. They were established as the ‘natural and inalienable rights’ as they
belonged to each human being by birth and can’t be taken away.
The women were disappointed with the Constitution as
They were reduced to passive citizens (no right to vote).
Women’s clubs were closed and their political activities were banned.
8. Explain the conditions that led to the rise of Jacobins. / What was Jacobin Club? Who were
its members? How did Jacobins contribute to carry the French Revolution further?
Ans.
Jacobin Club belonged to the less prosperous sections of the society and included
members such as small shopkeepers, artisans such as shoemakers, pastry cooks, watchmakers, printers as well as servant and daily wagers. It was named after the convent of the
St. Jacob in Paris.
Maximilian Robespierre was the leader of the Jacobin club.
The Club was formed as the Constitution of 1791 had given rights only to the richer
sections of the society. ( The poorer sections were the passive citizens – no rights to vote)
They were nicknamed as sans–culottes as they were without knee-breeches
They planned an insurrection (revolt) in 1792 as they were angered by the short supplies
and high prices of food.
King and the royal family were imprisoned, elections were held and all men of 21 years
and above regardless of their economic status got the right to vote.
A newly elected assembly called Convention was formed and France became a republic as
monarchy was abolished and the people elected the head of the government.
9. Who was Robespierre? Describe any four steps taken by him to bring equality./ What
measures were taken by Robespierre to bring equality in the society? / Describe any five
efforts made by Maximilian Robespierre to bring equality in the French Society.
Ans. Maximilian Robespierre was the leader of the Jacobin club. He had followed a policy of
severe control and punishment to bring in the equality in the French Society. He and his
government had :
Placed a maximum ceiling (top limit) on the wages and prices.
Rationed the meat and bread.
Forced the peasants to transport the grains to the cities and sell them at a price fixed by the
government.
Forbidden (banned) the expensive white bread and made it mandatory for all to eat the
whole-wheat bread (equality bread).
Maintained equality in speech and address as French men and women were to be
addressed Citoyen and Citoyenne respectively instead of Monsieur and Madame.
Shut down the Churches and the buildings were changed to barracks and offices.
10.Explain the policy of severe control and punishment followed by Robespierre in France. /
Why was the period from 1793 to 1794 referred to as the ‘Reign of Terror’ in France? /
‘Robespierre’s rule in France was known as the ‘Reign of Terror’ in France. Justify the
statement.
Ans. ‘Robespierre’s rule in France was truly known as the ‘Reign of Terror’ in France as He had
followed a policy of severe control and punishment to bring in the equality in the French Society.
All those people whom he saw as the enemies of the republic – eg. Nobles and clergy,
members of other political parties, even the members of his own club who disagreed with
him were arrested, imprisoned and tried by a revolutionary tribunal (panel).
If found guilty, people were guillotined.
Atmosphere of restlessness, insecurity and anxiety prevailed.
He and his government had :
 Placed a maximum ceiling (top limit) on the wages and prices.
 Rationed the meat and bread.
 Forced the peasants to transport the grains to the cities and sell them at a price fixed by
the government.
 Forbidden (banned) the expensive white bread and made it mandatory for all to eat the
whole-wheat bread (equality bread).
 Maintained equality in speech and address as French men and women were to be
addressed Citoyen and Citoyenne respectively instead of Monsieur and Madame.
 Shut down the Churches and the buildings were changed to barracks and offices.
Because of his tactics, his supporters left him and he himself was finally convicted (found
guilty) and guillotined.
11.What was the condition of women in France in the 18th century? / Describe the condition of
women in France in the Old Regime. / Evaluate the status of women in France before the
Revolution. / Women of France did not have access to education or job training. What do
you think was the reason behind the poor condition of women in France?
Ans. The condition of women in France in the Old Regime i.e. before the Revolution was not
very promising as:
Most of the women of the Third Estate had to work for the living.
They worked as seamstresses, laundresses, sold flowers, fruits and vegetables at the
market or were employed as domestic maids.
They did not have access to education or job training.
Only daughters of nobles or richer section of the Third Estate could study at a convent.
Working women had to take care of the family also.
Their wages were lower than that of men.
12. Describe the laws introduced by the revolutionary government to improve the lives of
women. / What are your opinions regarding the disappointment of the women by the
Constitution of 1791? What laws did the revolutionary government introduce to improve the
lives of women? / Describe any five laws introduced in France by the revolutionary
government to improve the lives of women.
Ans. I think the ‘Right to vote’ is every individual’s duty irrespective of the caste, colour, sex or
economic status. Since the women were reduced to passive citizens ( no right to vote) by the
Constitution of 1791, they were disappointed.
The Revolutionary Government framed some important laws to improve the condition of
women, to provide them some security:
Several state schools for women were created
Schooling was made compulsory for women.
Marriage was seen as a social contract their father could not force them to marry against
their will.
Divorce was made legal and could be applied by both man and woman.
Women could now train for job, become artists or run small business.