Chapter: The French Revolution

Subject: History
Class: IX

42. Which factor contributed to the rise of Napoleon?

The political instability of the Directory contributed to the rise of Napoleon.
43. When was Napoleon defeated at Waterloo?
Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo in the year 1815
44. Who authored the book 'The Spirit of the Laws'? What was proposed in this book?
Montesquieu was the author of The Spirit of the Laws. In the book, he proposed a division of power within the
government between the legislative, the executive and the judiciary.
45. Which cities became prosperous because of the slave trade?
Port cities like Bordeaux and Nantes prospered due to the flourishing slave trade.
46. When did the Assembly pass a decree abolishing the feudal system of obligations and taxes?
4 August 1789
47. Who was the president of USA during French revolution?
George Washington became the first president of USA at that time.
48. Arrange the following events of French Revolution in chronological order (what happened next).
(i) Louis XVI is guillotined.
(ii) the Oath of the Tennis Court
(iii) The Bastille falls
(iv) French Republic is declared.
(v) The Great Fear
The correct sequence is (ii) - (iii) - (v) - (iv) - (i)
49. When did Louis XVI call for The Estates General? When was it convened last time?
Louis XVI called for The Estates-General on May 5, 1789. It was called after a gap of 175 years since 1614
50. From where Jacobin's club got its name? Who was the leader of Jacobin's club?
It got its name from the former convent of St Jacob in Paris. Maximillian Robespierre was the leader of Jacobins.
51. What was the outcome of Battle of Waterloo? When did this battle occur?
The Battle of Waterloo was fought in 1815 between Napolean Forces and the allied army of Prussia, UK and
Netherlands. In this battle, Napolean was defeated.
52. What was a Manor?
Manor was an estate consisting of the lord's lands and his mansion.
53. When had France become a Republic?
The newly elected assembly was called the Convention. On 21st Sep. 1792, it abolished the monarchy and
declared France a republic.

Short Answer Type Questions

1. What was the system of voting in the Estates General? What changes did the Third Estate want in this
system?
Voting in the Estates General had been conducted from the past. According to the principle, each estate had one
vote. Members of the Third Estate demanded that voting must to be conducted by the assembly as a whole, where
each member would have one vote. However, their demand was denied that made them to initiate protests.

2. Describe the incidents that led to the storming of the Bastille.

National Assembly was busy in drafting a constitution at Versailles while the rest of France was disturbed with
the agitations and protests. Due to the severe winter there was bad harvest which resulted in the increased prices
of bread. 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 rumour spread that the king ordered troops
to move into Paris. Anticipating the attack by king’s troops, the agitated crowd stormed and destroyed Bastille on
14th July, 1789.

3. What were ‘natural and inalienable rights’?

Rights such as the right to life, freedom of speech, freedom of opinion, equality before the law were established
as ‘natural and inalienable rights’, i.e., they belonged to each human being by birth and could not be taken away.
It was the duty of the state to protect each citizen’s natural right.
Chapter: The French Revolution
Subject: History
Class: IX

4. Who formed the National Assembly? On which date is ‘Bastille Day’ celebrated and why?
The representatives of the Third Estate assembled at Versailles on 20th June, 1789 and declared themselves a
National Assembly. The Bastille Day is celebrated on 14th July every year because on this day the unruly Paris
mob stormed and attacked the prison of Bastille which was considered a symbol of terror and dictatorship.

5. What is the importance of the document 'Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen'?
OR
Why 'Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen' is considered as a revolutionary document in French
revolution?
Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen is regarded as a revolutionary document because:
(i) It abolished the privileges and power given to the French feudal classes i.e. First Estate and Second
Estate.
(ii) It provided equal distribution of the burdens of taxation and rights to public property among all citizens.
(iii) The Declaration emphasized equality before law and freedom of speech and press. Every citizen has
right to speak, print and express.

6. What was the important aim of setting up Directory? What was the final outcome of appointing the
Directory?
After the fall of the Jacobin government, the two elected legislative Council appointed an executive of five
members called Directory. The main objective of the directory was to work as a safeguard against the
concentration of power in the hands of one-man as under the Jacobins. However, the Directors often clashed with
the legislative councils, who then sought to dismiss them. The political instability of the Directory paved the way
for the rise of a military dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte.

7. Who were allowed to vote for the formation of the National Assembly?
Only men above 25 years of age and those who paid taxes equal to at least 3 days of a labourers wage were given
the status of active citizens. And they were entitled to vote. The remaining men and women were classified as
passive citizens and were not allowed to vote. To qualify as an elector and then as a member of the assembly, a
man had to belong to the highest bracket of taxpayers.

8. What was Rousseau's concept about the state?

Rousseau, a thinker and a French philosopher, is regarded as an inspiration behind the French Revolution. He
carried the idea of Locke forward, proposing a form of government based on a social contract between people and
their representatives. According to him, the society creates a Political state for a stable life. If the state failed to
abide by the terms of the contract, people have natural and moral rights to overthrow the state authority.

9. How did women suffer in France?

Most of the women had to work for a living. They worked as laundresses or seamstresses sold flowers, fruits and
vegetables or were employed as domestic servants. They could not get education or job training. Working women
had also to take care of their families, that is cook, fetch water, queue up for bread and look after children. Their
wages were also lower than men.

10. What happened after the fall of Robespierre’s government?

OR
Write a short note on the Directory.
After the fall of Jacobins, a new Constitution was formed which denied the right to vote to non-propertied men.
It provided two elected legislative Councils, who appointed a Directory, an executive body made up of five
members. Directory was formed to prevent the concentration of power in a one man executive as under the
Jacobins. However, the directors often clashed with the legislative councils and were finally dismissed. With this,
political instability emerged in France which gave rise to a military dictator “Napoleon Bonaparte”.

Long Answer Type Questions

1. Describe the circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in France. (Also in NCERT
Textbook)
The outbreak of revolutionary protest in France was a culmination of social, political, economic and intellectual
factors:
Chapter: The French Revolution
Subject: History
Class: IX

(i) Social Causes or Social Conditions: French society was divided into privileged (Clergy and Nobility)
and non-privileged sections (Third Estate). Clergy and Nobility were exempt from payment of state taxes.
The third estate consisted of the lower and middle classes who bore the burden of taxes. Besides, they
did not have any political rights and social status which caused a feeling of resentment in them from
privileged sections.
(ii) Political Causes: Louis XVI, the king of France was an autocratic, inefficient ruler who led a luxurious
life with his queen Marie Antoinette. People of France became tired of this system of administration and
wanted a change.
(iii) Economic Causes: The treasury of the king was empty on account of long wars, involvement in the
American War of Independence, luxurious living of the king and faulty system of taxation.
(iv) Intellectual Causes Philosophers like Rousseau, Voltaire and Montesquieu played a significant role. The
ideas of these philosophers were discussed intensively in salons and coffee-houses and spread among
people through books and newspapers.
Forced by financial bankruptcy, Louis XVI was compelled to call an assembly of the Estates General to pass
proposals for new taxes in 1789. This time, voting method was not accepted by the third estate. They demanded
each member should have one vote. This controversy led to agitation among the people which became the
immediate cause of the French Revolution.

2. Describe the legacy of the French Revolution for the peoples of the world during the 19th and 20th
centuries. (Also in NCERT Textbook)
The legacy of the French Revolution for the peoples of the world during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
was as follows:
(i) Ideas of equality and democratic spread from France to other European countries and feudalism was
abolished;
(ii) Colonial people reworked the idea of freedom from bondage into their movements to create sovereign
nation states;
(iii) It was the first movement to adopt the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity;
(iv) The declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen gave rights such as right to life, freedom of speech,
equality before law, etc.;
(v) Women were given many rights. They could not be forced to marry against their will, divorce was made
legal, schooling was made compulsory and they could train for jobs.

3. What was the impact of the French Revolution in France?

The impact of the French Revolution in France can be summarized as:
(i) End of Monarchy: It marked the end of absolute monarchy and paved way for a republic government.
(ii) Laid the foundation of Democratic Principles: It upheld the theory of sovereignty and laid the foundation
of the democratic principles i.e. government decisions should be based on the consent of her citizens.
(iii) Ideas of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity: The slogans of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity became the
founding milestones for a democratic nation.
(iv) Declaration of Rights and Equality: The declaration provided equality among the citizens for all public
offices, freedom of speech and expression was granted and freedom from arrest without a proven cause
was implemented.
(v) Abolition of Censorship: Mass media was allowed Freedom of the press was granted.
(vi) Taxes to be paid by all: Taxes would be borne by all the people irrespective of their status.
(vii) Religious Freedom: It guaranteed the free exercise of religious worship and abolished the taxes collected
by the churches.
(viii) Reforms and New Initiatives: New initiatives and reforms were carried out in education, administration
and judiciary domain.

4. Explain 'Reign of Terror'.

OR
Describe the causes for the fall of Jacobin government in France.
The period from 1793 to 1794 is referred to as the 'Reign of Terror' because during this time, Robespierre followed
a policy of severe control and punishment. During this period,
(i) All of those whom he considered being enemies of the Republic (e.g. nobles, clergy, members of other
political parties) were arrested. They were arrested and more than 15,000 persons including Queen of
France were guillotined;
(ii) Meat and bread were rationed;
(iii) Peasants were forced to sell their grains at the prices fixed by the government.
Chapter: The French Revolution
Subject: History
Class: IX

(iv) Use of expensive white flour was forbidden and all citizens were forced to eat the equality bread i.e., a
loaf made of whole wheat.
(v) Churches were shut down and their buildings were converted into barracks or offices.
Finally, Robespierre was convicted and guillotined in July, 1794 and the Reign of Terror ended with his death.

5. What role did women of France of the third Estate play in French revolution?
Women of the third estate of France played a crucial role in the revolution: During Revolutionary years, women
started their own political clubs and newspapers. They set up about sixty women clubs in different cities of France.
The most famous among them was the Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women. They also demanded
to enjoy the same political rights as men, i.e., right to vote, to be elected to the Assembly and to hold
political office. However, the women were disappointed because they were not given same political rights as
enjoyed by the men of France.

6. Explain how did the freedom of speech and expression under the revolutionary government in France
promote the ideals of Liberty and Equality into everyday practice.
(i) The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen emphasized that freedom of speech and expression be
established as established as ‘natural and inalienable’ right;
(ii) The ideas of these philosophers were discussed intensively in salons and coffeehouses and spread among
people through books and newspapers;
(iii) Newspapers, pamphlets, books and printed pictures flooded the towns of France from where they
travelled rapidly into the countryside;
(iv) Freedom of the press also meant that opposing views of events could be expressed;
(v) Plays, songs and festive processions attracted large numbers of illiterate people to help them grasp and
identify with ideas such as liberty or justice that political philosophers wrote about.

7. How was slavery abolished in France?

OR
Explain the process of slavery abolition in France.
One of the most revolutionary social reforms of the Jacobin regime was responsible for the abolition of slavery.
An acute shortage of labour in the French Caribbean colonies, Martinique, Guadeloupe and San Domingo, led to
a triangular slave trade between Europe, Africa and America in the 17th century. The National Assembly held
long debates and finally, the Convention in 1794 passed laws freeing slaves in the French overseas possessions
but it was last for a short period. After ten years, slavery was reintroduced by Napoleon and it was finally abolished
in 1848.

8. What was the role of French philosophers and revolutionary thinkers in the French Revolution?
The 18th century witnessed the emergence of revolutionary thinkers such as John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau
and Montesquieu. They didn't play an active role in the events of the revolution but their ideas inspired the
revolutionary movement. Their revolutionary ideas encouraged people to fight for their rights.
(i) Voltaire's ideas revolved around individual liberties and he believed that man’s destiny is in his own
hands;
(ii) John Locke criticised the divine and absolute rights of the rulers;
(iii) Rousseau put forward the idea of formation of a government based on a social contract between people
and their representatives. Men had the right to change their government, if they were not satisfied with
it;
(iv) Montesquieu believed that all powers should not be concentrated in one person's hand. They should be
divided between the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary.
The ideas of these philosophers were discussed and debated in salons and coffee houses and spread among people
through books and newspapers. This founded the way to the revolution of 1789.

9. What was The Great Fear of French revolution?

After the storming of the Bastille, the National Assembly was busy at Versailles drafting a constitution, the rest
of France was disturbed with the agitations and protests.
(i) In the countryside rumours spread from village to village that the royalists of the Manor had hired bands
of brigands who were on their way to destroy the ripe crops;
(ii) Rumours also spread that King’s men were planning to kill National assembly representatives;
(iii) Peasants feared of killing seized hoes and pitchforks and attacked chateaux in several districts. 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 migrated to neighbouring countries.
Chapter: The French Revolution
Subject: History
Class: IX

This turmoil at that time is termed as The Great Fear.

10. What is the significance of The Tennis Court Oath' in the French Revolution?
The representatives of the third estate viewed themselves as spokesmen for the whole French nation. They
assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court in the grounds of Versailles on 20th June, 1789. They declared
themselves as a National Assembly and decided not to disperse until they had drafted a constitution for France
which would curtail the power of the monarch. Mirabeau and Abb'e Sieye's were the prominent leaders of National
Assembly while the National Assembly was busy at Versailles, drafting a constitution. Bastille was stormed and
peasants revolt spread in the countryside.

11. How was slave trade started? When and how was it abolished?
OR
Prepare a short note on 'Slave Trade'.
There was a shortage of labour at the plantation. So, Europeans solved this problem by a triangular slave trade
between Europe, Africa and America. Slave trade began in the 17th century when French merchants sailed to the
African coast to buy slaves from their local chieftains. The slaves were packed in the ships for a three month
voyage across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. There, they were sold to plantation owners. Exploitation of slave
labour made it possible to meet the growing demand in European markets for sugar, indigo and coffee. In France,
the National Assembly held long discussions to provide rights to all the people living in France but it did not pass
any law. Ultimately, in 1794 the 'Convention' passed a law to free all the slaves in the French colonies but this
was a short-term measure as later, Napoleon Bonaparte reintroduced slavery.

12. How did the French people ultimately get the right to vote for all citizens?
In the summer of 1792, the Jacobins planned an insurrection of a large number of Parisians who were angered by
the short supply and high prices of food. On the morning of August 10, they stormed the palace of Tuileries,
massacred the king's guards and held the king hostage for several hours. Later the Assembly voted to imprison
the royal family. Elections were held and from then, all men of 21 years and above regardless of wealth, got the
right to vote.