THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

1 When did the French Revolution begin?

The French Revolution began on 14th July, 1789 with the storming of the Bastille prison.

2 Why was the Bastille hated by all?

The Bastille, the fortress prison was hated by all, because it stood for the despotic
power of the king.
3 Who was the ruler of France at the time of the French Revolution?
Louis XVI
4 What did the fall of Bastille signify?

The fall of the Bastille signified the end of the despotic rule.

5 Describe the circumstances which led to the destruction of the Bastille prison

• On the morning of 14th July 1789, the city of Paris was in a state of alarm. The king
Louis XVI had commanded troops to move into the city.
• Rumours spread that the king of France would soon order the army to open fire upon
the people.
• Soon 7000 men and women gathered in front of the town hall and decided to form a
peoples’ militia. They broke into a number of govt buildings in search of weapons.
• 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 seven prisoners were released.
• The stone fragments were sold in the markets to all those who wished to keep a
souvenir of its destruction.

SUB UNIT 1
FRENCH SOCIETY DURING THE LATE 18th CENTURY

6 Name the ruling dynasty of France at the time of the French Revolution
Bourbon Dynasty
7 What was the political condition of France?
Absolute monarchy was there in France. Louis XVI of the Bourbon dynasty was the
ruler of France. He believed in divine right theory of kingship.

8 What were the causes for the empty treasury of France under Louis XVI?
OR
What was the economic condition of France in the late 18th century?
In 1774, Louis XVI ascended the throne of France. He found an empty treasury.
Causes

❖ Long years of wars had drained the financial resources of France.

❖ The cost of maintaining an extravagant court at the immense palace of

Versailles was very high. They led a luxurious life.

❖ France helped the 13 American colonies to gain independence from Britain. The
war with Britain added more than a billion livres to a debt that had already risen to
more than 2 billion livres.

❖ Lenders, who had given the state credit, now began to charge 10% interest on
loans.

❖ Taxes were levied only on third estate and the other estates were exempted from
taxes.

❖ To meet its regular expenses, such as the cost of maintaining an army, the court,
running govt offices or universities, the state was forced to increase taxes.

9 Define the term Old Regime

The term Old Regime is usually used to describe the society and
institutions of France before 1789.

10 Describe the divisions in French society before the French Revolution

OR
th
The society of estates in 18 Century France was part of the feudal system
that dated back to the Middle Ages. Explain

Before the French Revolution the society of France was divided into three estates.
❖ First Estate
It comprised of the church and the clergy. They enjoyed certain privileges by birth. They
were exempted from paying taxes to the state. Tithe is a tax levied by the church,
comprising one- tenth of the agricultural produce.
❖ Second Estate
They were big aristocrats and landlords. They were also exempted from paying taxes.
They also extracted feudal dues from the peasants.
❖ Third Estate
The third estate comprised the big business men, merchants, court officials, lawyers,
peasants, artisans, landless labourers and servants. The peasants made up about 90% of
the population. Less than 40% of the land was owned by the 90% of the population. They
had no political rights. Taxes were collected only from the third estate.
11 Define the following terms
Tithe - A tax levied by the church, comprising one- tenth of the agricultural
produce.
Taille – Direct tax (Tax to be paid directly to the state.)
12 Why did subsistence crisis frequently occur in France during the old regime?

Subsistence crisis is an extreme situation where the basic means of livelihood are
endangered. During the Old Regime, subsistence crisis frequently occurred in
France.
Reasons
❖ The population of France rose from about 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in 1789.
This led to a rapid increase in the demand for food grains.

❖ 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 on fixed wages. Their wages could not
keep pace with the rise in prices.

❖ Gap between the poor and the rich widened. The situation became worse whenever
drought or hail reduced the harvest.

13 Briefly describe the role of the middle class in France

OR
Describe the role of philosophers in creating awareness among the French
people to fight for their rights
❖ In the 18th century France witnessed the emergence of a group of great thinkers.
The middle class is the most powerful class in France. These thinkers created
awareness among the people to fight for their rights.

❖ John Locke in his book “Two Treatises of Government” criticized the doctrine of
divine and absolute right of the monarch.

❖ Rousseau in his book “The Social Contract”, proposed a form of govt based on a
social contract between people and their representatives.

❖ Montesquieu believed that all powers should not be concentrated in one person’s
hand. In his book “The Spirit of Laws” he proposed a division of power within the
govt between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.

❖ Philosophers wanted a society based on freedom and equal opportunity for all.
The ideas of these philosophers were discussed in salons and coffee houses and
inspired them to fight for their rights.
 SUBUNIT 2

THE OUTBREAK OF THE REVOLUTION

14 State the events which led to the formation of the National Assembly

❖ The Estates General was a political body of France to which the three estates sent
their representatives. The voting in the Estates General had been conducted
according to the principle that each estate had one vote.

❖ Louis XVI called an assembly of the Estates General to pass proposals to increase
taxes on 5th May 1789.

❖ The first 2 estates sent 300 representatives each, while the third estate sent 600
members, who were prosperous and educated. Entry to the assembly was denied to
artisans, peasants and women.

❖ But the members of the third estate demanded individual voting where each member
would have one vote.

❖ When the king rejected their proposal the members of the third estate walked out of
the assembly in protest.

Tennis Court Oath

❖ The representatives of the third estate viewed themselves as spokesmen for the
whole French nation.

❖ On 20th June 1789 the representatives of the third estate assembled in the hall of an
indoor tennis court in the grounds of Versailles where they declared themselves a
National Assembly and vowed to draft a constitution for France that would limit
the powers of the king.

❖ They were led by Mirabeau, a noble man and Abbe’ Sieyes, a priest.

15 Explain the role of Mirabeau and Abbe’ Sieyes in the French Revolution

❖ Both Mirabeau and Abbe’ Sieyes were great political thinkers.

❖ They were the leaders of the National Assembly which was formed in 1789 after
the failure of the meeting of the Estate General.
❖ Mirabeau was born in a noble family, but he opposed a society of feudal privileges.
He brought out a journal to express his revolutionary ideas.

❖ Abbe’ Sieyes was originally a priest but had revolutionary ideas. He expressed his
ideas through an influential pamphlet called ‘What is Third Estate?’
16 While the National Assembly was busy at Versailles drafting a constitution, the
rest of France was in turmoil. Explain

❖ While the National Assembly was busy at Versailles drafting a constitution, the
rest of France was seething with turmoil.
❖ A severe winter had meant a bad harvest, the price of bread rose. Often bakers
exploited the situation and hoarded supplies.
❖ After spending hours in long queues at the bakery, crowds of angry women
stormed into the shops.

❖ At the same time, the king ordered troops to move into Paris. The agitated crowd
stormed and destroyed the Bastille on 14th July 1789.

❖ In the countryside rumours spread that the lords of the manor hired bands of
brigands to destroy the ripe crops.

❖ The peasants looted the hoarded grains and burned down the documents
containing the records of manorial dues.

❖ Many nobles fled to the neighbouring countries.

17 Define the following terms

Chateau– Castle or stately residence belonging to a king or a nobleman

Manor – An estate consisting of the lord’s lands and his mansion

18 What landmark decisions were taken by the National Assembly led by the Third
Estate on 4th August, 1789?
❖ Louis XVI finally accorded recognition to the National Assembly and
accepted the principle that his powers would be checked by a constitution.
❖ On 4 August 1789, the Assembly passed a decree abolishing the feudal system
of obligations and taxes.
❖ Members of the clergy too were forced to give up their privileges.
❖ Tithes were abolished, and lands owned by the church were confiscated.
❖ As a result, the government acquired assets worth 2 billion livres.

19Explain the features of the Constitution of 1791 framed by the National

Assembly.

OR
How did France become a constitutional monarchy?
• The National Assembly completed the drafting of the constitution in 1791.
• It declared France as a constitutional monarchy. Powers of the king were separated
and assigned to different institutions – the legislature, executive and judiciary. The
king enjoyed the veto power.
• The National Assembly was given the power to make laws.
• The judiciary and the legislature were elected by the people.
• Only men above 25 years of age who paid taxes equal to 3 days of a labourer’s
wage were given the status of active citizen.
• To qualify as an elector and as a member of the assembly, a man had to belong to
the highest bracket of tax payers.
• The constitution began with the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen.
• The constitution declared that it was the duty of the state to protect each citizen’s
natural rights.

❖ Right to life
❖ Freedom of speech
❖ Freedom of opinion and
❖ Equality before law were established as natural and inalienable rights.