1

The French Revolution

Milestone Ans. The Periods between 1793 and 1794 are
Multiple-Choice Questions known in French history as the Reign of
Terror.
1. Jacobin club became extremely
revolutionary under the leadership of Short Answer Type Questions
(a) Rousseau.
8. Napoleon’s rise to power was nothing
(b) Mirabeau. short of dramatic. Justify the statement.
(c) Louis XVI. Ans. Napoleon Bonaparte rose in rank under
(d) Maximilian Robespierre. the rule of the Directory and finally in
Ans. (d) Maximilian Robespierre. 1804, he crowned himself the Emperor of
2. Who among the following was the king of France. Napoleon saw himself as the
France at the time of the Revolution? moderniser of Europe, whose role was to
(a) Louis XVI (b) Louis XIV spread the ideas of liberty and modern
(c) Marie Antoinette (d) Jacques David laws to the rest of Europe. He introduced
Ans. (a) Louis XVI
laws protecting private property, uniform
system of weights and measures based on
3. In which year Napoleon Bonaparte
the decimal system. He created an image
crowned himself the Emperor of
of a liberator for the rest of Europe,
France?
liberating the people from the rule of
(a) 1814 (b) 1804
despotic monarchs. However, very soon
(c) 1806 (d) 1811
the Napoleonic armies came to be viewed
Ans: (b) 1804 as invaders and in 1815; he was finally
defeated at a place called Waterloo in
Very Short Answer Type Questions
modern day Belgium,
4. What were the voting criteria established
by the combined forces of Britain, Austria,
by the Constitutional Monarchy?
Prussia and Russia.
Ans: Men above the age of 25 years who paid
9. ‘The Constitution of 1791’ could not
taxes equal to at least 3 days of a
bring about equality. Explain the
labourer’s wage were entitled to vote.
statement.
5. Who lived in the chateaux and manors?
Ans. The Constitution of 1791 vested the
Ans. King or a nobleman lived in the chateaux
powers to make laws in the National
and manors.
Assembly, which was indirectly elected. All
6. What is guillotine? Who invented it? citizens did not have the right to vote. Only
Ans: Guillotine was a special process of men above 25 years of age who paid taxes
beheading the enemies of the Republic. It equal to at least three days of a labourer’s
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was invented by Dr Guillotin. wage were entitled to vote. All other men
7. Which period in France is referred as and women were classed as passive
‘Reign of Terror’? citizens. In order to qualify as an elector
and then as a member of the Assembly, a
man had to belong to the highest bracket
of taxpayers.
10. Where did the French have their colonies?
What did these colonies produce?
How was the demand for slaves met
for the colonies?
5
 Ans. Some of the important French colonies in For question numbers 4 to 7, two
the Caribbean – Martinique, Guadeloupe statements
and San Domingo were significant 6 are given as Assertion (A) and Reason (R).
suppliers of goods like tobacco, indigo,
sugar and coffee. The slave trade started in
the 17th century. French merchants sailed
to the African coast, and bought slaves
from the local chieftains. The easy
availability
of slave labours made it possible to meet
the demand in European markets for
sugar, coffee, and indigo. Port cities like
Bordeaux and Nantes were prosperous due
to the flourishing slave trade.

Long Answer Type Question

11. What was the position of women in the
pre- revolutionary years? How did it
change as a result of the revolution of
1789?
Ans. Women belonging to the third estate used
to work as laundresses, sold flowers, fruits
and vegetables at the market, and domestic
servants. Women in general did not have
access to education and only daughters of
nobles or richer members of the third
estate could study at a convent. They were
not paid wages equal to men. In the early
years, the revolutionary government aid
introduced
laws to improve lives of women. As a result
of establishing of the state schools,
schooling was made compulsory for all girls.
Now they could not be forced into marriage
against their will. Marriage was now a
contract entered with the free will and
divorce was made legal. Women could now
train for jobs.

Self-Assessment
Multiple-Choice Questions
1. Livres, a unit of currency was in
circulation in which of the following
countries?
(a) France (b) Italy
(c) Germany (d) Russia
Ans. (a) France
2. Who among the following is the author
of the book ‘The Social Contract’?
(a) John Locke (b) Montesquieu
(c) Rousseau (d) Napoleon
Ans. (c) Rousseau
3. Which among the following bodies
declared France a Republic?
(a) The Directory (b) The Convention
(c) The National Assembly (d) None of these
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Ans. (b) The Convention

Assertion-Reason Type Questions

Read the statements and choose the correct
option from (a), (b), (c) and (d) as given below.
(a) Both A and R are true and R is
correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the
correct explanation of A.
(c) A is correct but R is wrong.
(d) A is wrong but R is correct.
4. Assertion (A): In 1788, Louis XVI of the
Bourbon family of kings ascended the throne
of France. Reason (R): He was 20 years old
and married to the Austrian princess Marie
Antoinette.
Ans. (d) Louis XVI of the Bourbon family of kings
ascended the throne of France in the year
1774.
5. Assertion (A): The population of France rose
from about 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in
1789. Reason (R): This led to a rapid increase
in the demand for foodgrains.
Ans. (a) Reason (R) is the correct explanation of
Assertion (A), as the population of France
increased from 23 million in 1715 to 28
million in 1789 it led to a rapid increase in
the demand for foodgrains.
6. Assertion (A): The National Assembly
completed the draft of the constitution in
1791.
Reason (R): Its main objective was to
give unlimited powers to the monarch.
Ans. (c) The main objective of National Assembly
was to draft the constitution to limit the
powers of the monarch.
7. Assertion (A): The period from 1793 to 1794
is referred to as the Reign of Terror.
Reason (R): The guillotine is a device
consisting of two poles and a blade with
which a person is beheaded.
Ans. (b) The period from 1793 to 1794 is known
as the Reign of Terror as Robespierre
followed a policy of severe control and
punishment. The guillotine was named
after Dr Guillotin who invented it.

Study the Picture and Answer the Question

 8. Which of the following option best
France that existed before 1789.
signifies the above given image?
15. What was the significance of the Rule
(a) The Declaration of the Rights of
of the Directory?
Man and Citizen.
Ans. The Directory formed a new Constitution
(b) The Declaration of the legal Rights of
Man. that brought back property qualification.
Once again the wealthy people had the
(c) The Declaration of the Rights of
right to vote and the rest did not.
Women and Citizen.
16. Mention the most revolutionary social
(d) The Declaration of the Fundamental
Rights. reform of the Jacobin regime?
Ans. Abolition of slavery in the French colonies
Ans. (a)
was the most revolutionary social reforms
Find the Incorrect Option of the Jacobin regime.
9. (a) Robespierre was convicted by a court in 17. In which year the women in France get the
July 1784, arrested and on the next day right to vote?
sent to the guillotine. Ans. French women got the right to vote in the
(b) Louis XVI was sentenced to death by a year 1946.
court on the charge of treason. On 21
January Short Answer Type Questions
1793 he was executed publicly at the 18. Which groups of French society benefited
Place de la Concorde. from the revolution? Which groups had to
relinquish power? What happened to the
(c) In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned
French treasury as a result of the revolution?
himself Emperor of France.
Ans. The people belonging to the middle class
(d) The Constitution of 1791 vested the
and peasants of the French society
power to make laws in the National
benefited from the revolution. The nobles,
Assembly, which was indirectly elected.
clergymen and the Church were the ones
Ans. (a)
who had to relinquish their powers. On 4th
Correct the Following Statement and Rewrite August 1789, the Assembly passed a decree
abolishing the feudal system of obligations
10. The first and second estates sent 500
and taxes. Members of the clergy too were
representatives each, who were seated in
forced to give up their privileges. Tithes
rows facing each other on two sides, while
were abolished and lands owned by the
the 800 members of the third estate had
Church were confiscated. As a result, the
to stand at the back.
government acquired assets worth at least
Ans. The first and second estates sent 300
two billion livres.
representatives each, who were seated in
19. Robespierre fall victim to his own
rows facing each other on two sides, while
policies. What does the statement
the 600 members of the third estate had to
mean?
stand at the back.
Ans. Despite creating a Republic over France,
Fill in the Blanks the name of Robespierre is associated
11. The main objective of the National with severe control, severe punishment
Assembly was to limit the powers of the and resultant terror. Robespierre policy of
monarch. severe control turned almost every one
12. The Convention had a special way of into ‘enemies of the Republic’. Ex-nobles,
eliminating the enemies of the state which clergymen, members of other political
was called guillotine. parties and even members of his party,
13. Directory came to rule over France after who
the fall of the Republic and it comprised did not agree with him or his methods,
of five member executive. were arrested, imprisoned, tried by the
revolutionary tribunal, inevitably found
Very Short Answer Type Questions guilty and beheaded. Robespierre
14. How can we say that feudalism still government issued laws placing a
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existed in the Old Regime? maximum ceiling or control on wages and

Ans. In the eighteenth century, French society prices. Meat and bread were rationed and
was divided into three estates. The society peasants were forced to sell their products
of estates was part of the feudal system at prices fixed by the government.
that dates back to the middle ages. The 20. Why did the members of the third estate
term Old Regime is generally used to walked out of the assembly?
illustrate the society and institutions of Ans. Voting in the Estates General in the past
had been conducted according to
the principle that each
estate had one vote and Louis XVI decided
to
 continue the same practice. Members of (a) Who all were given the right to vote
the third estate demanded that voting now and what was the criterion for a
be conducted by the assembly as a whole, person to become a
where each member would have one vote. 8 member of the Assembly?
When king rejected this proposal,
members of the third estate walked out of
the assembly in protest.
21. What was the condition of the women at
the time of France revolution?
Ans. Various political clubs and newspapers were
launched in order to discuss and voice the
interests of women. Around sixty women’s
clubs were constituted in different cities and
among them the ‘Society of Revolutionary
and Republican Women’ was the most
famous. They demanded for equal political
rights for women similar to men. Some of
their important demands were the right to
vote, to be elected to the Assembly and to
hold political office. As a result of
establishing of the state schools, schooling
was made compulsory for all girls. Now they
could not be forced into marriage against
their will. Marriage was now a contract
entered with the free will and divorce
was made legal. Women were now free to
train
for jobs. Finally in 1946, women in France
won the right to vote.
22. ’The period from 1793 to 1794 is referred
to as the ‘Reign of Terror.’ Justify the
statement.
Ans. ’The period from 1793 to 1794 is referred
to as the Reign of Terror because
Robespierre followed a policy of severe
control and punishment. If he considered
anyone as the enemy of the republic such
as ex-nobles and clergy, members of other
political parties, even members of his own
party who opposed his policies. He
arrested them
and imprisoned and later they were tried
by a revolutionary tribunal. If the court held
them guilty they were guillotined.

Paragraph Based Questions

23. Read the sources given below and
answer the questions that follow:
Source A – France Becomes a
Constitutional Monarchy
Not all citizens, however, had the right to
vote. Only men above 25 years of age who
paid taxes equal to at least 3 days of a
labourer’s wage were given the status of
active citizens, that is, they were entitled
to vote. The remaining men and
all women were classed as passive citizens.
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To qualify as an elector and then as a

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member of the Assembly, a man had to

belong to the highest bracket of taxpayers.
 Source B – The Outbreak of the Revolution rights to all the men
A resplendent hall in Versailles was prepared
to host the delegates. The first and second
estates sent 300 representatives each, who
were seated in rows facing each other on two
sides, while the 600 members of the third
estate had to stand at the back. The third
estate was represented by its more
prosperous and educated members.
(b) How many delegates were there in
the assembly of the Estates
General?
Source C – France Abolishes Monarchy and
Becomes a Republic
The members of the Jacobin club belonged
mainly to the less prosperous sections of
society. They included small shopkeepers,
artisans such as shoemakers, pastry cooks,
watch-makers, printers, as well as servants
and daily-wage workers. Their leader was
Maximilian Robespierre. A large group among
the Jacobins decided to start wearing long
striped trousers similar to those worn by dock
workers. This was to set themselves apart
from the fashionable sections of society,
especially nobles, who wore knee breeches.
(c) Discuss the composition of the
members of the Jacobin club.
Ans. (a) The men above 25 years of age who paid
taxes equal to at least 3 days of a
labourer’s
wage were classed as active citizens. They
were entitled to vote. The remaining men
and all women were considered as passive
citizens. In order to become a member of
the Assembly,
it was mandatory for a man to belong to
the highest bracket of taxpayers.
(b) The first and second estates sent 300
delegates each. The third estate sent
600 delegates, they were more
prosperous and educated members.
(c) The members of the Jacobin club included
small shopkeepers, artisans such as
shoemakers, pastry cooks, watch-makers,
printers, servants and daily-wage workers.
They belonged to the less prosperous
section of society. They started wearing
long stripped trousers to set themselves
apart from fashionable section of the
society.

Long Answer Type Questions

24. The reign of Robespierre reign was known for
not only the terror it spread but also the
reforms it introduced in the society. Discuss
all the reforms introduced by him.
Ans. Robespierre immediately took charge of
the situation after convicting the royal
family. He also brought down the voting
age from 25 to 21 years and gave voting
 of France, irrespective of their wealth and nation. The people belonging to the Third Estate
social position. Members to the National did not enjoy any political rights.
Assembly were re-elected based on the • Economic circumstances: The spread of industrial
new voting age. This newly elected revolution led to the emergence of the Middle
assembly was now called as the Class. It was the class of businessmen, traders,
Convention. In September 1792, the
Convention, under the orders of
Robespierre, abolished the Constitutional
Monarchy and declared France as
a Republic. Robespierre policy of severe
control turned almost every one into
‘enemies of the Republic’. Ex-nobles,
clergymen, members of other political
parties and even members of his party,
who did not agree with him or his
methods, were arrested, imprisoned, tried
by the revolutionary tribunal, inevitably
found guilty and beheaded. A special
process of beheading the enemies of the
Republic was used which was called
Guillotine, invented by Dr Guillotin. This
was carried out publically to instil fear in
the minds of the people. The government
went to the ridiculous extent of forbidding
the more expensive use of white flour and
the citizens of France were forced to eat
whole-wheat bread or equality bread.
Equality was also practiced by abolition of
traditional ways of addressing. Instead of
Monsieur and Madam, all were to be
addressed as Citoyen and Citoyenne
respectively.
25. Describe the political, social and
economic circumstances that led to the
outbreak of the revolution in France.
Ans.
• Political circumstances: The kings regarded
themselves as ‘Representatives of God on
Earth’ and ruled over their subjects without
any check. In 1774, Louis XVI of the
Bourbon family of kings ascended the
throne of France and upon his accession he
found an empty treasury. The basic cause of
empty treasure was extravagant court at
the immense palace of Versailles. Long
years of war had drained the financial
resources of France.
• Social circumstances: The members of the
First and Second Estates were exempted
from paying taxes to the state. All the
taxes were paid by the members of the
Third Estate. In the seventeenth century,
the French society was divided into three
groups called the Estates (the first estate:
Clergy, the second estate: Nobility, the
third estate: Common people). Although
the upper two classes made up only a
small fraction of the total population, yet
they were the people who controlled the
political and economic system of the
 bankers, manufacturers, scholars, etc. (c) How did the new government tried to
The middle class people became the curb the activities of women
leaders of the Revolution. Production empowerment?
of food grains failed to keep pace Ans. (a) The women started their own political
with demand so price of staple diet clubs and newspapers so that their
rose rapidly. This caused a interest are taken care of. Around sixty

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widespread anger among the masses. women’s clubs came up in different
26. Read the extract and answer the cities of France. Some of the famous
questions that follow: among them were the Society of
In order to discuss and voice their Revolutionary and Republican Women.
interests women started their own Their
political clubs and newspapers. demands included equal political rights as
About sixty women’s clubs came men, right to vote, to be elected to the
up in different French cities. The Assembly and to hold political office.
Society of Revolutionary and (b) Initially, the revolutionary government
Republican Women was the introduced many laws that helped in improving
most famous of them. One of their 9
main demands was that women
enjoy the same political rights
as men. Women were
disappointed that the Constitution
of 1791 reduced them to passive
citizens. They demanded the right
to vote, to be elected to the
Assembly and to hold political
office. Only then, they felt, would
their interests be represented in
the new government.
In the early years, the
revolutionary government did
introduce laws that helped
improve the lives of women.
Together with the creation of state
schools, schooling was made
compulsory for all girls. Their
fathers could no longer force them
into marriage against their will.
Marriage was made into a contract
entered into freely and registered
under civil law. Divorce was made
legal, and could be applied for by
both women and men. Women
could now train for jobs, could
become artists or run small
businesses.
Women’s struggle for equal
political rights, however, continued.
During the Reign of Terror, the new
government issued laws ordering
closure of women’s clubs and
banning their political activities.
Many prominent women were
arrested and a number of them
executed.
(a) Discuss the steps taken by
women activists to improve
their status in the society.
(b) What steps were taken by the
revolutionary government to
improve the condition of
women?
 the condition of women. Along with the
8. The Estates General was last convened in
creation of state schools, schooling was
which of the following year?
made compulsory for all girls. They
(a) 1647 (b) 1614
could no longer be forced by their
(c) 1681 (d) 1604
parents to marry against their will.
Divorce was made legal, and could be Ans. (b) 1614
applied for by both women and men. 9. Which one of the following was not a
French colony?
(c) During the Reign of Terror, the new
government issued various laws which (a) San Domingo (b) Guadeloupe

ordered for the closure of women’s clubs (c) Martinique (d) Mexico
and declared all their political activities Ans. (d) Mexico
as illegal and banned. 10. Who wrote the influential pamphlet called
Many of the prominent women What is the Third Estate?
activists were arrested and a (a) John Locke (b) Rousseau
number of them were executed.
(c) Abbe Sieyes (d) Mirabeau
Ans. (c) Abbe Sieyes
Let’s Compete
Multiple-Choice Questions
1. The doctrine of division of power was propounded by
Value-based Questions
(a) Rousseau. (b) John Locke.
(Optional)
(c) Montesquieu. (d) Abbe Sieyes.
Ans. (c) Montesquieu. 10
Ans. (c) 21 September 1792
2. Sans-culottes wore the red cap that
symbolised the
(a) Liberty. (b) Fraternity.
(c) Integrity. (d) Equality.
Ans. (a) Liberty.
3. Who among the following responded to
the ideas coming from revolutionary
France?
(a) Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel
(b) Tipu Sultan and Raja Ram Mohan Roy
(c) Akbar and Aurangzeb
(d) Jawaharlal Nehru
Ans. (b) Tipu Sultan and Raja Ram Mohan Roy
4. Who among the following is the author
of the book The spirit of the Laws?
(a) Rousseau (b) John Locke
(c) Montesquieu (d) None of these
Ans. (c) Montesquieu
5. Which term was used for the indigenous
people of Africa?
(a) Lames (b) Negroes
(c) Pygmies (d) Gypsies
Ans. (b) Negroes
6. Members of the Jacobin Club came to be
known as the
(a) Sans-culottes. (b) Revolutionaries.
(c) Conservatives. (d) None of these.
Ans. (a) Sans-culottes.
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7. On which of the following dates

France was declared a republic by
the Convention?
(a) 21 July 1792 (b) 21 April 1789
(c) 21 September 1792 (d) 27 November
1791
 1. The people of Paris rose up and decided to
march on the Bastille, a state prison that
stood for the absolute despotism of the
Ancient Regime. This is an instance when the
people attacked a symbol
of authority in their own country. Can you
think of instances from the French history or
history of Indian National Movement when
people became violent and attacked the
authorities? (Try and put at least two such
instances from any one country or a
combination of both)
Ans. One such instance took place during the
Indian National Movement. The Chauri
Chaura incident, in Gorakhpur district of UP,
which took place
on 5th February 1922 when peaceful
protesters turned violent and set fire to the
police station and killed many policemen.
Another incident was the Royal Indian Navy
mutiny in which the naval ratings of Indian
origin serving the British navy turned
against the British in demand for equal
salaries and facilities enjoyed by the
serving officers of British origin.
2. Imagine yourself to be a visitor from
America – a country that has recently
undergone a revolution, who is visiting
France in the year 1789. What observations
will you make about the French countryside
as well as the French Royalty in terms of
popular discontent and conservatism
respectively? Write your observation separately
for the two cases.
Ans. The French society in the eighteenth century
was divided into three estates, and only
members of the third estate paid taxes. The
society of estates was part of the feudal
system that dated back to the middle ages.
Peasants made up about
90 per cent of the population but only a small
number of them owned the land they
The Church too extracted its share of
cultivated. About 60 per cent of the land taxes called tithes from the peasants. The
was owned by the nobles, the Church and gap between the poor and the rich
other richer members widened. Things worsened whenever
of the third estate. The clergy and the drought or hail reduced the harvest which
nobility were exempted from paying in turn led to a subsistence crisis.
taxes to the state.
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