The French Revolution

 French Revolution Notes

Q.1) Give reason as why was National Assembly formed by the people of the third estate?

Ans. 

• On 5th May 1789, Louis XVI called together an assembly of the estate general to pass proposal formed taxes.

• The Estate General was an ancient assembly consisting of 3 different estates. Each estate would represent a portion of French population.

• Voting in the Estate General in the past had been conducted according to the principle that ‘One Estate, One Vote’.

• Members of the 3rd Estate demanded that voting should be conducted by the assembly as a whole, where each member should have one vote.

• The King rejected the proposal & the members of 3rd estate walked out of the assembly in protest.

• On 20th June at the Tennis Court of Versailles, they declared themselves as National Assembly. They declared not to disperse until they had drafted the constitution for France which would certain the power of Monarch and Estates.

Q.2) What compelled Louis XVI raise taxes in France? Explain any 5 reasons?

Ans.

• Upon the accession of Louis XVI he found an empty treasury. Long years of war drained the financial resources of France.

• Added to this was the cost of maintaining an extravagant court at the immense Palace of Versailles.

• French Government was obliged to spend an increasing percentage of its budget on interest payments alone.

• Regular expenses, such as the cost of maintaining an army, the court, running government offices or universities, the estate was forced to increase taxes.

Q.3) What does Subsistence Crisis mean? What lead to subsistence crisis in France?

Ans.

• Subsistence crisis means an extreme situation where the basic means of livelihood are endangered. During the old regime, subsistence crisis frequently occurred in France. The reason that led to subsistence crisis are as follows.

• Rise in Population

• Increase in demand of food grains.

• The price of food stuff rose rapidly.

• Most workers were employed as labourers on fixed wages. Their wages could not keep pace with the rising prices.

• Gap between poor and rich widened. Poor remained poor, but rich became richer.

• Crisis of food grains became worse whenever drought or hail reduced the harvest.

Q.4) Who constituted the middle class in French Society? How did they participate in the French revolution. Or Describe/Discuss the role of middle class in French Revolution?
Ans.)

• The middle class constituted of the educated and prosperous section of the 3rd Estate. It also included Professionals like Doctors, Lawyers, Teachers and Judges. The rich among them were Bankers, Manufacturers and Businessman, etc. They participated in the French Revolution in the following ways.
  
  

• They provided the Peasants and the workers the vital leadership to help bring about change in socio-economic order. As they lacked the means and programs to carry out full-scale measures to the 3rd estate who had become prosperous and had excess of education and new ideas.

• They believed that no group should be privileged by Birth.

• The Middle class was influenced by the Philosophers and wanted to build a society having Freedom, equal laws and opportunities.

• They described the ideas of philosophers and read aloud for the uneducated.

Q.5) Who was Maximillian Robespierre? Describe any 4 steps taken by him to bring equality in French Society.
Ans.)

• Maximillian Robespierre was the leader of the Jacobin Club.

• The period from 1793 - 1794 was referred to as the Reign of Terror. He followed a policy of control and punishment.

• All those whom he saw as being enemies of the Republic : ex-nobles & clergy, members of other political parties, even members of his own party who did not agree with his methods were arrested, imprisoned and then tried by a revolutionary tribunal. If the court found them guilty they were guillotined.

• His Government issued laws placing a maximum ceiling on wages and prices. Meat and bread were rationed. Peasants were forced to transport their grain to the cities and sell it at prices fixed by the Government.

• Churches were shut down and their buildings converted into Barracks or Offices.

Q.6) Who found the national assembly in France in 1789?
Ans.)

• The National Assembly in France was founded by the members of the 3rd estate in 1789. They were led by Mirabeau(noble) and Abbe Sieyes (Clergy).

Q.7) Analyse the role of Philosophers in the French Revolution of 1789?
Ans.)

• Three main Philosopher during the time of revolution were :-

• John Locke, Jean Jacques, Montesquieu.

• In his ‘Two Treaties of Government’, Locke sought to refuse the doctrine of the divine and absolute right of the Monarch.

• Jean Jacques Rousseau carried the idea forward, proposing a form of Government based on a social contract between people and their representatives.

• In the ‘Spirit of Laws’, Montesquieu proposed a division of power within the Government between Legislative, Executive and Judiciary.

• The American Constitution and its guarantee of individual rights was an important example of political thinkers in France.

• There ideas were discussed intensively in Salon and spread all over the France promoting them.

Q.8) In which book did Rousseau mention the idea of ‘One Person, One Vote’?
Ans.)

• Rousseau in his book ‘The Social Contract’ , mentioned the idea of ‘One person, One vote.’

Q.9) On what charges was Louis XVI of France sentenced to death?
Ans.

• Louis XVI was sentenced to death by a court on the charge of treason.

• On 21st January 1793, he was executed publicly at the Place ‘De la Concorde’.

• The Queen Marie Antoinette met with the same fate shortly after.

Q.10) Explain any 5 economic condition of France that led to Revolution?
Ans.

• Louis XVI of Bourbon family ascended the throne in 1774 & found treasury of France to be empty. Long years of war had drained financial resources of France.

• Under Louis XVI, 13 colonies of America got independent from common enemy, Britain.

• This added a debt of billion livres to already existing 2 billion livres debt.

• Add on to this was the maintenance of extravagant court at Palace of Versailles.

• Tithes were a tax levied by the church, comprising one-tenth of the agricultural produce

• Taille were a Tax to be paid directly to the state.