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The French Revolution Class 9 Notes History Chapter 1

The document discusses key topics about the French Revolution including: 1) The three estates of French society prior to the revolution and the economic struggles that contributed to its outbreak. 2) Major events and stages of the revolution from 1789 to 1799 including the storming of the Bastille, the National Assembly, and Napoleon's rise to power. 3) Social impacts such as efforts to achieve greater rights for women and the abolition of slavery.

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893 views

The French Revolution Class 9 Notes History Chapter 1

The document discusses key topics about the French Revolution including: 1) The three estates of French society prior to the revolution and the economic struggles that contributed to its outbreak. 2) Major events and stages of the revolution from 1789 to 1799 including the storming of the Bastille, the National Assembly, and Napoleon's rise to power. 3) Social impacts such as efforts to achieve greater rights for women and the abolition of slavery.

Uploaded by

atharvashende806
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The French Revolution Class 9 Notes History Chapter 1

April 22, 2019 by Sastry CBSE


The French Revolution Class 9 Notes Social Science
History Chapter 1 SST Pdf free download is part of Class
9 Social Science Notes for Quick Revision. Here we have
given The French Revolution Class 9 History Chapter 1
Notes.
The French Revolution Class 9 Notes Social Science
History Chapter 1
After analysis of the previous 3 years’ examination papers,
it is concluded that the following topics are the most
important concepts from this chapter and should be
focussed upon.
 The outbreak of the French Revolution
 Changes after Revolution
 Classes of French Societies
 Facts about Napoleon, the former emperor of France.
The French Society during the Late 18th Century-
The French Society comprised :
1st Estate: Clergy
2nd Estate: Nobility
3rd Estate: Big businessmen, merchants, court officials,
peasants, artisans, landless laborers, servants, etc.
Some within the Third Estate were rich and some were
poor.
The burden of financing activities of the state through
taxes was borne by the Third Estate alone.
The Struggle for Survival: Population of France grew
and so did the demand for grains. The gap between the
rich and poor widened. This led to subsistence crises.
The Growing Middle Class: This estate was educated
and believed that no group in society should be privileged
by birth. These ideas were put forward by philosophers
such as Locke the English philosopher and Rousseau the
French philosopher. The American Constitution and its
guarantee of individual rights was an important example of
political theories of France. These ideas were discussed
intensively in salons and coffee houses and spread among
people through books and newspapers. These were even
read aloud.
The Outbreak of the Revolution
The French Revolution went through various stages.
When Louis XVI became the king of France in 1774, he
inherited a treasury which was empty. There was growing
discontent within the society of the Old Regime.
1789: Convocation of Estates General. The Third Estate
forms National Assembly, Tennis Court Oath the Bastille is
stormed, peasant revolts in the countryside, Assembly
issues Declaration of the Rights of Man.
1791: A constitution is framed to limit the powers of the
king and to guarantee the basic right to all human beings.
1792-93: Convention abolishes Monarchy; France
becomes a republic. The Jacobin Republic overthrown, a
Directory rules France.
1795: New Constitution is adopted. A new Convention
appointed a five-man Directorate to run the state from 26th
October 1795. Churches reopened.
1799: The Revolution ends with the rise of Napoleon
Bonaparte, Napoleon’s coup abolishes Directory and
establishes Consulate.
Time Line: The French Revolution
1770s-1780s: Economic decline: French Government in
deep debt. In 1774, Louis XVI ascends to the throne.
1788-1789: Bad harvest, high prices, food riots.
1789, May 5: Estates-General convened, demands
reforms.
1789, July 14: National Assembly formed. Bastille
stormed on July 14. French Revolution starts.
1789, August 4: Night of August 4 ends the rights of the
aristocracy, the surrender of feudal rights.
1789, August 26: Declaration of the Rights of Man
1790: Civil Constitution of the Clergy nationalizes the
Church.
1791: Dissolution of the National Constituent Assembly.
1792: Constitution of 1791 converts absolute monarchy
into a constitutional monarchy with limited powers.
1792: Austria and Prussia attack revolutionary France,
Robespierre, elected the first Deputy for Paris to the
National convention.
1793: Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were executed.
1792-1794: In 1793, the Reign of Terror starts. Austria,
Britain, the Netherlands, Prussia, and Spain are at war
with France.
Robespierre’s Committee of Public Safety repels back
foreign invaders.
Executes many ‘enemies of the people’ in France itself.
1794: Robespierre is executed. France is governed by a
Directory, a committee of five men. The Reign of Terror
ends.
1795: National convention dissolved.
1799: Napoleon Bonaparte becomes the leader of the
French Revolution ends.
Women’s Revolution
 From the very beginning, women were active participants
in the events which brought about so many changes in
French society.
 Most of the women of the third estate had to work for a
living.
 Their wages were lower than those of men.
 They demanded equal pay for equal work.
 In order to discuss and voice their interests, women
started their own political clubs and newspapers.
 One of their main demands was that women must enjoy
the same political rights as men.
 Some laws were introduced to improve the position of
women.
 Their struggle still continues in several parts of the world.
 It was finally in 1946 that women in France won the right
to vote.
The Abolition of Slavery
 There was a triangular slave trade among Europe, Africa,
and America.
 In the 18th century, there was little criticism of slavery in
France.
 No laws were passed against it.
 It was in 1794 that the convention made free to all
slaves.
 But 10 years later slavery was reintroduced by Napoleon.
 It was finally in 1848 that slavery was abolished in the
French colonies.
The Revolution and Everyday Life
 The years following 1789 in France saw many changes
in the lives of men, women, and children.
 The revolutionary governments took it upon themselves
to pass laws that would translate the ideals of liberty and
equality into everyday practice.
 One important law that came into effect was the abolition
of censorship.
 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 19th
century.
Napoleon
 In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France.
 He set out to conquer neighboring European countries,
dispossessing dynasties and creating kingdoms where
he placed members of his family.
 He saw his role as a modernizer of Europe.
 He was finally, defeated at Waterloo in 1815.

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