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THE FRENCH REVOLUTION, Question 1. Describe the circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in France., Answer: The circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in France were:, Social Inequality: French society in the eighteenth century was divided into three estates namely The Clergy, The nobility and third estates which comprise peasants, officials and small business. It was only third estates that pay taxes. Clergy and nobility were exempt from taxes., Subsistence Crisis: The population of France also increased from 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in 1789. Food grains were now in great demand. Price of bread shot up. Wages did not keep pace with rising prices. This led to a subsistence crisis., Economic Problems: Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France. France had a debt of more than 2 billion livers. 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., Strong Middle Class: During the 18th century an educated and wealthy middle class emerged in different parts of Europe and France as well. They believed that no group in society should be given privileges by birth. Ideas of equality and freedom were put forward by philosophers like J.J Rousseau, John Locke and Monstequieu. The ideas of these philosophers were discussed intensively in salons and coffee houses and spread among people., Immediate Causes: On 5 may, 1789, Louis XVI called an assembly of Estates General to pass proposals for new taxes. Third estates protested against this proposal but as each estate have one vote, the king rejected this appeal. They walked out of the assembly., Question 2. Answer the following questions-, Which group of French society benefited from the revolution?, Which group were forced to relinquish power?, Which section of the society would have been disappointed with the outcome of the revolution?, Answer:, The middle class or the richer members of the Third Estate consisting of merchants, traders, lawyers and rich peasants benefited the most from the French Revolution; feudal obligations were no longer to be honoured by the Third Estate. Tithes, the tax given to the Church, were abolished., The clergy and nobility were the groups which were forced to relinquish power. Now they could not collect taxes and their lands were confiscated., The poorer sections of the third estate and women were disappointed with the outcome of the French revolution because their aspirations were not properly fulfilled, for example women were not given voting rights. Poor men who did not have fulfilled property or who did not pay taxes were not allowed to vote., Question 3. Draw up a list of democratic rights we enjoy today whose origins could be traced to the French Revolution., Answer., We can trace the origin of the following democratic rights we enjoy today to the French revolution:, Right to Equality, Right to Freedom, Freedom of Speech and expression, Right against exploitations, Right to justice, Question 4. Describe the legacy of the French Revolution for the people of the world during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries., Answer. The ideas of liberty and democratic rights were the most important legacy of the French Revolution. These spread from France to the rest of Europe during the nineteenth century, where feudal systems were abolished. It inspired the Germans, Italians, and Austrians to overthrow their oppressive regimes. The French Revolution inspired the struggling nations of Asia and Africa who were groaning under the oppression of European colonialism. Tipu Sultan and Rajaram Mohan Roy are two examples of individuals who responded to these ideas coming from the French revolution., 5. Would you agree with the view that the message of universal rights was beset with contradictions? Explain., Ans: Yes, the message of universal rights was beset with contradictions because the rights were given only to the males in the society. The French Constitution did not extend the rights to women. In fact, initially, the women were ignored completely. Also, not every citizen was entitled to vote. So, although a lot was done with good intent, a lot of improvement was left at that point due to which the French Constitution has been changed multiple times since the Revolution., 6. How would you explain the rise of Napoleon?, Ans: The period from 1789 t0 1804 has been a period of political instability in France. From National assembly to Convention and The Directory all the experiments failed to provide a stable government , hence caused political instability in France. Thus, the situation created after the revolution paved a way for the rise of a military dictator Napolean Bonaparte ,who dissolved the democracy and re-established monarchy in France., Prepared by, Javid Ahmad Lone, Tr. H/s Kanelwan, Customize your course in 30 seconds, Which class are you in?
