THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

Transcription

1 THE FRENCH REVOLUTION 1) WHEN WAS THE FORTRESS PRISON BASTILLE STORMED? WHAT DID BASTILLE STAND FOR? On the morning of 14th July 1789, Bastille was stormed by a group of several hundred people. It stood for the despotic power of the King and was hated by all. 2) EXPLAIN THE CAUSES FOR THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. 1. Political Causes - a. Upon his accession, Louis XVI engaged France in constant wars with her neighboring countries. b. He helped the 13 American colonies to get their independence from the common enemy, Britain. c. Louis XVI was a weak ruler who failed to control the clergy and noblemen. 2. Economic causes - a. The war added more than a billion livres to a debt that had already risen to more than 2 billion livres. Lenders who gave the state credit, had now begun to charge 10% interest on loans. Hence, the French Government was obliged to increase taxes to cope up with the increasing payments to be made. b. The population of France rose from about 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in This sudden rise in population led to a rapid increase in the demand for foodgrains. However, the production of foodgrains could not keep pace with the demand. Hence, the price of bread, which was the staple diet of the majority rise rapidly. Most workers were employed as labourers in workshops whose owners fixed wages. These wages did not keep pace with the rise in prices and caused a Subsistence Crisis. 3. Role of philosophers - a. The ideas envisaging society based on freedom and equal laws and opportunities for all were put forward by philosophers such as Jean Jacuques Rousseau, John Locke and Montesquieu. b. The ideas of these philosophers were discussed intensively in salons and coffee-houses and spread among people through books and newspapers. These were frequently read aloud in groups for the benefit of those who could not read or write. c. The news that Louis XVI planned to impose further taxes to be able to meet the expenses of the state generated anger and protest against the system of privileges. 4. Social causes - a. French society in the eighteenth century was divided into three estates, the Clergy and Nobility, belonging to the upper class and the Commoners, belonging

2 to the Third Estate. Peasants made up almost 90% of the population. About 60% of the land was owned by the Nobles, the Church and the other richer members of the Third Estate. The Clergy and The Nobility enjoyed certain privileges by birth. The most important of these being the exemption from paying taxes to the State and the Church. b. The Nobles further enjoyed feudal privileges. The Church too extracted its share of taxes called tithes from peasants and finally all members of the Third Estate had to pay taxes to the state. The burden of financing the expenses of the State and the Clergy was borne by the Third Estate alone. 3) NAME THE THREE SOCIAL THINKERS OF FRANCE IN THE 18TH CENTURY. WHAT WAS THEIR IDEA? The three social thinkers of France in the 18th Century were 1. John Locke 2. Jean Jacuques Rousseau 3. Montesquieu. They believed in a society based on freedom, equality and liberty. 4) WHAT ROLE DID LOUIS XVI PLAY IN BRINGING ABOUT THE REVOLUTION IN FRANCE? 1. Upon his accession, Louis XVI engaged France in constant wars with her neighboring countries. 2. He helped the 13 American colonies to get their independence from the common enemy, Britain. 3. Louis XVI was a weak ruler who failed to control the clergy and noblemen. 5) EXPLAIN THE SUBSISTENCE CRISIS DURING THE 18TH CENTURY? The population of France rose from about 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in This sudden rise in population led to a rapid increase in the demand for foodgrains. However, the production of foodgrains could not keep pace with the demand. Hence, the price of bread, which was the staple diet of the majority rise rapidly. Most workers were employed as labourers in workshops whose owners fixed wages. These wages did not keep pace with the rise in prices and caused a Subsistence Crisis. 6) EXPLAIN THE EVENTS THAT LED TO THE EMERGENCE OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY. On 5th May 1789, Louis XVI called together an assembly of estates general to pass proposals for new taxes. The first and second estates sent 300 representatives each while the third estate was represented by 600 members. Voting in the estates generals in the past had been

3 conducted according to the principle that each estate had one vote. Members of the third estate had demanded that voting now would be conducted by the assembly as a whole where each member would have one vote. When the king rejected this proposal, members of the third estate walked out of the assembly in protest. The members of the third estate viewed themselves as the spokesmen for the whole French nation. On 20th June, they assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court in the grounds of Versailles. They declared themselves as the National Assembly. 7) WHY WAS THE JACOBIN RULE KNOWN AS THE REIGN OF TERROR? The Jacobin club was a revolutionary organisation led by Maximilien Robespierre which ruled France from 1793 to It followed a policy of severe control and punishment. All those seen as enemies of the republic, i.e. Nobles, Clergymen, members of other political parties or even members of his party who did not agree with his methods were arrested, imprisoned, and then tried by the revolutionary tribunal. If the court found them guilty, they were guillotined. Hence, the Jacobin rule was known as La Terreur or The Reign of Terror. 8) WHAT WERE SOME OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE JACOBIN CLUB? 1. Slavery was abolished in the French colonies. 2. Meal time & bread were rationed. 3. Equality was practised by the terms of speech and address. 4. The Clergy and the Nobility were forced to relinquish their powers. 9) JOT DOWN A LIST OF DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS WE ENJOY TODAY WHOSE ORIGIN IS TRACED TO THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. 1. Fundamental rights and directive principles of the Indian Constitution. 2. Right to equality. 3. Prohibition of decriminalization. 4. Right to freedom, speech and expression. 5. Right against exploitation. 6. Right to life. 7. Right to vote. 8. Promotion of the idea to fraternity. 10) HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE RISE OF NAPOLEON. The rise of Napoleon was mainly due to 1. Political instability during the rule of the directory. 2. His intellectual capability to rule. 3. People s desire for a fair and stable government. 4. People s desire for the restoration of discipline and respect for the authority.

4 5. Glorious victories of Napoleon in the French wars. 6. People s belief that since Napoleon was a product of the Revolution, his power was a guaranty against aristocratic privileges. 11) WHAT WAS THE FRENCH REVOLUTION? WHAT DID IT STAND FOR? The French Revolution was a mass uprising of the people against a dictatorial government. It stood by the ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity. 12) EXPLAIN THE FRENCH SLAVE TRADE. Acute shortage of labour in the French Caribbean colonies led to a triangular slave trade between Europe, America and Africa. French merchants bought and sold natives of Africa and America as slaves and made them work at plantations. 13) WHAT ROLE DID WOMEN PLAY DURING THE REVOLUTION AND WHAT DID THEY GAIN FROM THE REVOLUTION? Women were active participants in the revolution. To discuss and voice their interests, they started political clubs and newspapers. There were over 60 women s clubs in France, the most famous of which was the Society of Revolutionary Republican Women. They gained access to education with the system of compulsory education for women, marriage was transformed to a contract which would only take place at will and workshops for jobs becoming artists or small business owners were held. 14) EXPLAIN THE CIRCUMSTANCES LEADING TO THE FORMATION OF THE CONVENTION. In the summer of 1792, the Jacobins planned an insurrection of a large number of Parisians who were angered by the short supplies and high prices of food. On the morning of 10th August 1792, they stormed the Palace of Tuileries, massacred the king s guards and held the king hostage for several days,. Later, the assembly voted to imprison the royal family. Elections were held where all men above the age of 21 could vote. The newly elected assembly was called the convention. On 21st September 1972, it abolished the monarchy and declared France a republic. 15) WHO WAS OLYMPE DE GOUGES? WHY WAS SHE EXECUTED? Olympe De Gouges was one of the most important politically active women in france. She protested against the constitution and declaration of rights of men as they excluded women from basic human rights. She wrote a declaration of rights for women, which she addressed to the queen and to the members of the National assembly.

5 In 1973, she criticized the Jacobin Government for forcibly closing the women s clubs. Hence, she was tried by the National Assembly. She was charged with treason and was later executed. 16) EXPLAIN THE POLITICAL SYSTEM UNDER THE CONSTITUTION OF The National Assembly completed the draft constitution in Its main function was to limit the powers of the monarch. These powers instead of being concentrated in the hands of one person, were assigned to different institutions.