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FRENCH REVOLUTION
The French Revolution was an important event in modern history because it catalyzed many
changes which have had far reaching consequences. French Revolution initiated the change
from monarchy to democracy. This revolution initiated the new system of various rights
granted to individuals.

At present, whatever benefits we are getting in most of the democracies in the world could
become possible because of French Revolution. In this lesson, you will learn about the
French society and economy during eighteenth century. You will learn about various factors
which resulted in a revolution in France. You will also learn about the effects of French
Revolution on France as well as on other countries of the world.

❖ French Society

During the eighteenth century the French Society was divided into three groups, viz., First
estate, Second estate and Third estate.

First Estate

Clergy belonged to 1st estate of the French Society. Clergy were the group of persons who
were responsible for special functions in the church, e.g. fathers, and other members of
church.

Second Estate

Nobility belonged to 2nd estate. Nobility was hereditary, which means a person could get
nobility by birth. However, new members were also awarded nobility by monarchy after
paying heavy taxes or outstanding service to the monarchy, i.e. nobility could be purchased
also.

Third Estate

The 3rd estate was further divided into three categories. Big businessmen, merchants, court
officials, lawyers, etc. belonged to the first category of 3rd estate. Peasants and artisans
belonged to the second category. And small peasants, landless labors and servants
belonged to third category, and were considered as the lowest class in the society.

Taxes: Members of the third state had to pay all types of taxes including tithes and
taille. Tithe was a religious tax collected by the churches, while taille was composed of
direct and indirect taxes and was collected by the state.

Privileged Class

Clergy and Nobility were privileged class. They had certain special privileges, in addition to
feudal privilege. They were exempted from paying any types of taxes. They paid feudal
taxes after extracting from the members of the third estate.

Livre: Unit of currency of France. This was discontinued in 1794.

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❖ New King

Louis XVI, of the Bourbon dynasty, became the ruler of France in 1774. By that time, long
years of war, maintenance of the court of the immense palace of Versailles made the
treasury empty.

In addition to this, France had helped the thirteen American colonies in the war of
independence against the British. The war for American independence resulted in a debt
of 10 billion livres. The state was already reeling under a debt of 2 billion livres. The king was
thus forced to increase taxes, resulting in resentment among the members of the third
estate.

❖ The Struggle to Survive

The population of France was increasing at a healthy pace. This resulted in increased
demand of food grains. Poor production of food grains, frequent draught or hail, diseases,
epidemics, further worsened the situation. The price of bread (staple diet of people)
increased as a result. On the other hand, wages of workers could not keep pace with price
rise. So, for most of the poor it resulted in subsistence crisis. A situation in which people are
unable to buy even the basic necessities is called subsistence crisis.

❖ Middle Class

Many people of the third estate had earned wealth through overseas trade and
manufacturing goods. They were termed as middle class. It was a new social group, which
also comprised of court officials, lawyers and administrative officials.

In the past, peasants and laborers had started various revolts against high taxes and food
scarcity. But they could not bring a change due to lack of means and lack of concrete
programme. So, now the responsibility of changing the socio-economic order fell on the
middle class.

People of middle class were educated. They were against the privileges on the basis of birth
and believed that a person’s merit and effort should decide his position in the society.

Philosophers, such as John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau were envisaging a society
based on freedom, equal laws and opportunity for all. American war of freedom also
influenced the people of France.

These ideas of contemporary philosophers and political thinkers began to spread far and
wide among people. People started discussions to bring the change in society as well as
change the government based on those ideas. Such discussions began to take place in
salons, coffee house, etc. Many books were published based on new ideas. Some persons
used to read those books and newspaper aloud among people at public places for the
benefit of illiterates.

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❖ The Outbreak of the French Revolution

(i) On 5th May, 1789 Louis XVI called together an assembly of the three Estates to pass
proposals for new taxes.

(ii) Each Estate had one vote. The Third Estate demanded one vote for each member of the
assembly. They demanded that voting should now be conducted by the assembly as a
whole.

(iii) When the king rejected the proposals of the Third Estate, they walked out of the
assembly in protest and held their meeting in the hall of an indoor tennis court and declared
themselves the National Assembly.

(iv) Meanwhile the rest of France was seething with turmoil because a bad harvest led of
increase in bread prices and hoarding. Crowds of angry women stormed the shops.

(v) On 14th July, 1789, an agitated crowd stormed and destroyed the Bastille, a prison just
outside Paris, freeing all its prisoners.

(vi) Due to rumours spreading about the nobles trying to destroy crops, the peasants
attacked them, booting and destroying records of manorial duces.

(vii) Finally, the king agreed to a Constitutional Monarchy rule. On 4th August, 1789, the
Assembly abolished taxes and tithes and the lands owned by the Church were confiscated.

❖ Causes of French Revolution

A. Social Cause

The society was divided into 3 estates.

1. The members of first 2 estates i.e., Clergy and Nobility enjoy certain privileges by
birth. They are exempted from paying taxes to the state. Nobles also enjoy feudal
privileges which include feudal dues extracted from peasants.
2. The church extracts its share of taxes called Tithes from peasants. A direct tax Taille
and a number of indirect taxes are levied on everyday consumption articles like salt
and tobacco.

B. Economic Cause (The struggle to survive)

1. The population of France increase from 23 million to 28 million in 1789 which led to
increment in demand for food grains.
2. Most workers were employed as labourers in workshops with fixed wages but the
wages did not keep pace with rise in prices of food grains.
3. This led to Subsistence crisis (extreme scarcity of basic means of livelihood) in
France due to old regime.

C. Political Cause

1. In 1774, Louis XVI becomes the king of France and faces empty treasury due to long
years of war which drained financial resources and discontent within the society was
increasing.

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2. He helped 13 American colonies to gain their independence from the common

enemy, Britain. This war added more than 3 billion lives for which the moneylenders
began to charge 10% interest on loans.
3. To meet its regular expenses, such as the cost of maintaining an army, the court,
running government offices or universities, the state was forced to increase taxes.

❖ France Becomes a Constitutional Monarchy

(i) The National Assembly completed the draft of the Constitution in 1791. Power was
assigned to different institutions, the Legislature, Executive and Judiciary. This made France
a Constitutional Monarchy.

(ii) Only men who paid taxes equal to 3 days wages of a labourer were entitled to vote.

(iii) The remaining men and all women were classed as passive citizens.

❖ Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

(i) The Constitution began with a declaration of the rights of man and citizen. Rights such as
right to live, freedom of speech, freedom of opinion and equality before law as established
as the ‘natural and inalienable’ rights.

(ii) Each right belonged to each human being by birth and could not be taken away.

(iii) It became the duty of the state to protect each citizen’s natural rights.

❖ The Jacobins

(i) The people who were poor were not her given political rights. So, they formed clubs to
discuss government policies and plan their actions.

(ii) The most popular club was that of the Jacobins. This club included small shopkeepers,
artisans such as shoemakers, pastry cooks, printers, servants and daily-wage workers.

(iii) Their leader was Maximilian Robespierre.

(iv) The Jacobins wore striped trousers to set themselves apart from the fashionable
sections of society who wore knee breeches.

❖ The Reign of Terror

(i) The period from 1793 to 1794 is referred to as the Reign of Terror.

(ii) Robespierre followed a policy of severe control and punishment.

(iii) All those whom he saw as being ‘enemies’ of the republic, ex-nobles and clergy,
members of other political parties and even members of his own party who did not agree
with his methods were arrested, imprisoned and tried by a revolutionary tribunal.

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(iv) If the court found them guilty they were guillotined.

(v) This government placed a maximum ceiling on wages and prices. Meat and bread were
rationed. Use of expensive white bread was forbidden.

(vi) All French men and women were now called citoyen and citoyenne (citizens). Churches
were closed.

(vii) Even the supporters of Robespierre demanded moderation Finally, he was convicted by
a court in, July 1794, arrested and on the next day sent to the guillotine.

❖ The Directory Rules France

(i) The fall of the Jacobins allowed the wealthier middle class to seize power. A new
Constitution provided for two councils which elected a Directory made up of five members.

(ii) The directors often clashed with the Legislative Councils who then sought to dismiss
them.

(iii) The political instability of the directory paved the way for the rise of the military dictator
Napoleon Bonaparte.

❖ Revolution and Women

(i) Most of the women of the Third Estate had to work hard for a living. They worked as
seamstresses, sold flowers. fruits and vegetables or worked as domestic servants. They had
no access to education or job training.

(ii) Their wages were lower then men.

(iii) They started their own newspapers and political clubs.

(iv) One of their main demands was equal political rights; they demanded the right to vote, to
be elected to the Assembly and to hold political office.

(v) The revolutionary government did introduce laws that helped to improve the lives of
women.

(vi) Schooling for girls was made compulsory.

(vii) Their fathers could not force them into marriage against their will. Marriage was made
into a contract entered into freely and registered under civil law.

(viii) Divorce was made legal and could be applied for by both women and men.

(ix) Women too could now train for jobs, could become artists or run small businesses.

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(x) It was finally in 1946 that women in France won the right to vote.

(xi) Olympe de Gouges was one of the most important politically active women in
revolutinary France.

❖ The Abolition of Slavery

(i) One of the most revolutionary reforms of the Jacobin regime was the abolition of slavery
in the French colonies in the Caribbean.

(ii) The slaves were brought from Africa by the European traders and sold in Europe and
America to work in the sugar, coffee and Indigo plantations.

(iii) The National Assembly did not pass laws to abolish slavery, as they feared opposition
from businessmen whose income depended on slave trade.

(iv) Finally, the Convention in 1794 made laws to free all slaves in French overseas
possessions.

(v) After 10 years, Napoleon reintroduced slavery.

(vi) Slavery was finally abolished in French colonies in 1848.

❖ The Revolution and Everyday Life or Effect of Revolution on the People of France

(i) The years following 1789 in France saw many changes in the lives of women and
children.

(ii) One important law was the abolition of censorship on books, newspapers, plays, etc.

(iii) Now the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen proclaimed freedom of speech and
expression to be a natural right.

(iv) Newspapers, pamphlets, books and printed pictures flooded the towns of France from
where they travelled rapidly to the countryside.

(v) Freedom of the Press meant that opposing views of events could be expressed.

❖ Legacy of the French Revolution

(i) The ideas of liberty, equality, and democratic rights were the most important legacy of the
French revolution.

(ii) These spread from France to the rest of Europe during the 19th century where feudalism
was abolished.

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(ii) Colonised people reworked the idea of freedom from bondage into their movements to
create a sovereign state.

(iv) Tipu Sultan and Ram Mohan Roy are two examples of individuals who responded to
ideas coming from revolutionary France.

NCERT Solution
Question 1: Describe the circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary
protest in France.

Answer: Following are some of the causes which had a cumulative effect to result in
revolution in France:

(a) The war with Britain for an independent America: This war led to mounting debt on
the French monarchy. This necessitated imposition of new taxes on the public.

(b) Privilege based on birth: People got privileges and position based on their lineage and
not on their merit. This led to resentment among common people.

(c) Concentration of power among the privileged: People belonging to the first and
second estate had all the power and money. Masses were at the mercy of this privileged
class.

(d) Subsistence Crisis: Rising population and less grain production resulted in demand
supply gap of bread, which was the staple diet. Wages did not keep pace with rising prices.
It was becoming difficult for people.

(e) Growing Middle Class: Because of increased overseas trade a new class emerged.
This class was wealthy not because of birth but because of its ability to utilize opportunities.
People of the middle class started raising their voice for an end to privileges based on
lineage.

All of this led to a general sense of resentment among people. Certain thinkers of the period
spread awareness through various media. Some from the privileged classes also advocated
a switch to democracy. So, finally there was revolution in France.

Question 2: Which groups of French society benefited from the revolution? Which
groups were forced to relinquish power? Which sections of society would have been
disappointed with the outcome of the revolution?

Answer: Peasants and artisans of French society benefited from the revolution. Clergy,
nobles and church had to relinquish power. It is obvious that those who had to forego power
and privileges would have been disappointed. People from the first and the second estate
must have been a disappointed lot.

Question 3: Describe the legacy of the French Revolution for the peoples of the world
during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Answer: 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 nineteenth
century, where feudal systems were abolished. Further these ideas spread to different

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colonies of the European nations. Colonised people interpreted and moulded these ideas
according to respective needs. This was probably like seed for an end of colonization in
many countries. By the mid of 20th century major part of the world adopted democracy as
the preferred mode of rule and the French Revolution can be termed as the initiation point
for this development.

Question 4: Draw up a list of democratic rights we enjoy today whose origins could be
traced to the French Revolution.

Answer: The following fundamental rights, given in the Indian constitution can be traced to
the French Revolution:

• The right to equality

• The right to freedom of speech and expression
• The right to freedom from exploitation
• The right to constitutional remedies

Question 5: Would you agree with the view that the message of universal rights was
beset with contradictions? Explain.

Answer: The major contradiction in the message of universal rights as per the French
Constitution of 1791 was the total ignorance of women. All rights were given to men. Apart
from that the presence of huge number of people as passive citizens, without voting rights,
was like not putting into practice what you preach. In other words it can be said that although
the declaration of universal rights was a good starting point but it left much to be desired.

Question 6: How would you explain the rise of Napoleon?

Answer: After France became a republic in 1792, the then ruler, Robespeirre, gave more
privileges to the wealthier section of society. Further, he was a sort of autocrat himself. This
led to reign of terror for the following many years. After Robespeirre’s rule came to an end a
directory was formed to avoid concentration of power in one individual. Members of the
directory often fought among themselves leading to total chaos and political instability. This
created a political vaccum in France. This was a conducive situation and Napoleon
Bonaparte took the reign of power as a military dictator.

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Extra Questions

Question 1. Who was Robespierre ? Why Is his reign referred as the ‘Reign of Terror’?

• Robespierre was the leader of Jacobins club which led a successful revolt and came to
power. Robespierre ruled France from 1793 to 1794.
• His rule is referred as the ‘Reign of Terror’ because he followed a policy of severe control
and punishment.
• All those who were considered enemies by him or who did not agree with him or with his
methods were arrested, imprisoned and then tried by a revolutionary tribunal. If found guilty,
they were executed.

Question 2. How was the French society organised before the revolution of 1789 ?

• The French society was divided into sections called ‘estates’ namely first estate consisting of
the clergy, second estate comprising the nobility and the third estate comprising all
commoners including big businessmen, traders, merchants, court officials, lawyers,
peasants, artisans, labourers and servants.
• The members of the first two estates, that is, the clergy and the nobility, enjoyed certain
privileges by birth. They were exempted from paying taxes to the state. The members of this
estate had no political rights and social status.
• The entire burden of taxation fell on the third estate. All economic functions were performed
by them.

Question 3. Describe the incidents that led to the storming of the Bastille.

While the National Assembly was busy at Versailles drafting a constitution, the rest of
France was seething with turmoil. A severe winter had meant a bad harvest, the price of
bread rose. Often 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 king ordered troops to move into Paris. On 14 July, the agitated crowd stormed and
destroyed Bastille

Question 4. What do you know about the abolition of slavery in France ?

• It was finally the convention which in 1794 legislated to free all the slaves in the French
overseas possessions. This, however, turned out to be a short-term measure. However, ten
years later, Napoleon reintroduced slavery.
• Plantation owners understood their freedom as including the right to enslave African
Negroes in pursuit of their economic interests.
• Slavery was finally abolished in French colonies in 1848.

Question 5.Write a short note on the document ‘Declaration of the Rights of Man and
citizen.’

• The Declaration of the ‘Rights of Man’ and Citizen proclaimed freedom of speech and
expression to be natural rights.
• Censorship was abolished. Newspapers, books and pamphlets flooded French towns and
reached the countryside as well.
• Events and changes taking place in France were frankly discussed.
• Plays, songs and festive processions attracted large number of people. Thus, people could
identify with ideas of liberty and equality easily.

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Question 6.How was the Church responsible for the French Revolution ?

• The members of the church, clergy belonged to the First Estate. The clergy enjoyed all
privileges with no obligations. They lived in pomp and extravagance which led to resentment
among the members of the Third Estate.
• The church was owner of a big chunk of land in France.
• The church too extracted its share of taxes called tithes from the peasants. Apart from this,
the church also collected several other taxes.

Question 7.State the election process of the National Assembly in France.

The constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in the National Assembly, which
was indirectly elected. Citizens voted for a group of electors, who in turn close the assembly.
All citizens did not have 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. To qualify as an elector and then as a member of the assembly, a man had to
belong to the highest bracket of tax payers.

Question 8.What were the main ideas behind the French Revolution ?

The main ideas behind the French Revolution were :

• The revolutionary ideas in France were propagated and preached by the famous thinkers
and philosophers like Rousseau, Montesquieu. They favoured the abolition of such a social
system that supported political, social and economic injustice and discrimination.
• The French revolutionaries were also influenced by the triple ideals of the American
Revolution, i.e., Liberty, Equality and Fraternity and they opposed the privileges enjoyed by
the clergy and the nobles.

Question 9.Write some of the main features of the French Constitution of 1791.

The main features of the French Constitution of 1791 were :

• The constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in the National Assembly, which
was indirectly elected. Its main objective was to limit the powers of the monarch.
• The citizens of France voted for a group of electors, who in turn chose the Assembly. Only
men above 25 years of age who paid taxes were entitled to vote.
• The constitution began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and citizens.
• The constitution declared that it was the duty of the state to protect each citizen’s natural
rights.

Question 10.How did a directory rule in France ? Explain.

Or
Write a short note on the Directory.

• The new constitution made provision for two elected legislative councils. These then
appointed a Directory, an Executive made up to five members. This was meant as a
safeguard against the concentration of political power in a one-man executive as under the
Jacobins.

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• The political instability of the Directory paved the way for the rise of a military dictator,
Napoleon Bonaparte.
• Through all these changes in the form of government, the ideals of freedom, of equality
before the law of the land and of fraternity remained inspiring ideals that motivated political
movements in France and the rest of Europe during the following century.

Question 11.What was subsistence crisis ? Mention two factors responsible for this
crisis ?

Subsistence crisis is an extreme situation where the basic means of livelihood are
endangered.
Two factors responsible for this crisis were :

• The population of France rose from about 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in 1789. This led to
a rapid increase in the demand for foodgrains. Production of grains could not keep pace with
the demand. So the price of bread which was the staple diet of the majority rose rapidly.
Most workers were employed as labourers in workshops whose owner fixed their wages. But
wages did not keep pace with the rise in prices. So the gap between the poor and the rich
widened.
• Things became worse whenever drought or hail reduced the harvest. This led to a
subsistence crisis, something that occurred frequently in France during the Old Regime.

Question 12.What is the significance of the “Tennis Court Oath” in the French
Revolution ?

The representatives of the third estate viewed themselves as spokesman for the whole
French nation. On 20th June, 1789, the assembled in the hall of on indoor tennis court in the
grounds of Versailles. They declared themselves a national assembly and swore not the
disperse till they had drafted a constitution for France that would limit the powers of the
Monarch. The National Assembly completed the draft of the constitution in 1791 as a result
of which France finally became a republic in 1792.

Question 13.What were the causes of the empty treasury of France under Louis XVI ?

Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France. Added to this was the cost
of maintaining an extravagant court at the immense palace of Versailles. Under Louis XVI,
France helped the thirteen colonies to gain their independence from the common enemy,
Britain. 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, now began to charge 10 percent
interest on loans. To meet its regular expenses, such as the cost of maintaining an army, the
court, running government offices or universities, the state was forced to increase taxes.

Question 14.Write the importance of Napoleon Bonaparte in the History of France and
the world.

Napoleon saw himself as a moderniser of Europe. He introduced many laws such as

protection of private properly and uniform system of weights and measures provided by the
decimal system. He carried out the revolutionary ideas of liberty and modern laws to other
parts of Europe which he conquered. They had a great impact on people. He was a great
general too.

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Question 15.Which laws were introduced by revolutionary government to improve the

condition of women in France ?

• In the early years, the revolutionary government did introduce laws that helped to 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 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

Question 16.What landmark decisions were taken by the National Assembly led by the
Third Estate on 4th August, 1789 ?

Louis XVI finally accorded recognition to the National Assembly and accepted the principle
that his powers would be checked by a constitution. On 4 August 1789, the Assembly
passed a decree abolishing the fedal system of obligations and taxes. Members of the clergy
too were forced to give up their privileges. Tithes were abolished, and lands owned by the
church were confiscated. As a result, the government acquired assets worth at least 2 billion
livres.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1.Who were the Jacobins ? What was their contribution to the French
Revolution ?

Political clubs had become rallying point for people who wanted to discuss government
policies and plan their own forms of action. The most successful of these clubs was that of
the Jacobins. They got their name from the former convent of St. Jacob in Paris. They
belonged to the less prosperous sections of the society. They included small shopkeepers,
artisans such as shoemakers, pastry cooks, watch-makers, printers, as well as servants and
daily wage earners. Their leader was Maximilian Robespierre.

A large group among the Jacobin decided to wear long striped trousers like those worn by
dock workers. This was to set themselves apart from the fashionable sections of society
especially the nobles who wore knee breeches. It was a way of proclaiming the end of the
power wielded by the wearers of knee breeches.

These Jacobins came to be known as sans-culottes, literally meaning ‘those without knee
breeches’. San-culottes men wore in addition the red cap that symbolised liberty. Women,
however, were not allowed to do so.

In the summer of 1792, they planned an insurrection of many Parisians who were angered
by the short supplies and high prices of food. On August 10, they stormed the Palace of the
Tuileries, massacred the king’s guards and imprisoned the king. Elections were now held.

The newly elected assembly was called the Convention. On 21st September 1792 it
abolished the monarchy and declared France a republic. Louis XVI was sentenced to death
by a court on the charge of treason and executed on 21st January 1793. The queen also
met with the same fate.

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Question 2.“The revolutionary government took it upon themselves to pass laws that
would translate the ideals of liberty and equality into everyday practice.” Discuss this
statement with special emphasis on the abolition of censorship.

The years following 1789 in France saw many such 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 soon after the storming of the Bastille in the summer
of 1789 was the abolition of censorship. Earlier all written material and cultural activities —
books, newspapers, plays — could be published or performed only after they had been
approved by the censors of the king. Now the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
declared freedom of speech and expression to be a natural right. They all described and
discussed the events and changes taking place in France. Freedom of the press also meant
that opposing views of events could be expressed. Each side sought to convince the others
of its position through the medium of print. Plays, songs and festive processions attracted
large numbers of people.

This was one way they could grasp and identify with ideas such as liberty or justice that
political philosophers wrote about at length in texts. Newspapers, pamphlets, books and
printed pictures flooded the towns of France from where they travelled rapidly into the
countryside.

Question 3.Did women have a revolution in 1789 and after it ?

• Most of the historians believe that from the very beginning women were active participants in
the events related with the French Revolution of 1789.
• Before and during the days of Revolution, most of the women of France did not have access
to good job training or education.
• The women were paid lower wages than those of men.
• In order to discuss and voice their interests, women began their own newspapers and
political clubs. The Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women was the most famous
of them.
• They demanded the right to vote and right to contest elections as well as the right to hold
political office. Women’s movement for voting rights and equal wages continued through the
next two hundred years in many countries of the world.

Question 4.Describe the social conditions in France before the French Revolution.

• The French king drove France into useless wars bringing the country on the verge of
bankruptcy.
• French society was divided into three main classes called ‘estates’. The first estate
constituted the clergy, the second estate constituted the nobility and the rest of the
population constituted the third estate. The first two estates were the privileged ones
exempted from all the taxes. The third estate shouldered the burden of taxation and had few
privileges.
• France was a centralised monarchy and the people had no share in decision making.
Administration was disorganised, corrupt and inefficient. The defective system of tax
collection and oppression created discontentment.

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• Peasants made up of 10 per cent of the population. However, only a small number of them
owned the land they cultivated about 60 per cent of the land was owned by nobles, the
church and other richer members of the third estate.
• Peasants were obliged to render services to the lord. They have to work in the lord’s house
and fields or to serve in the army or to participate in building roads.

Question 5.Describe causes for the fall of Jacobin government in France.

• The Jacobin government in France was based on extreme measures. The period from 1793-
1794 is referred to as the reign of terror. Robespierre followed a policy of severe control and
punishment. All those he saw as being ‘enemies’ of the republic-nobles and clergy, members
of other political parties, even members of his own party who did not agree with his methods-
were arrested, imprisoned and guillotined. This led to chaos and resentment among the
people.

• The Jacobin government issued laws placing a maximum ceiling on wage 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. This led to a feeling of resentment against the Jacobins.
Peasants began opposing them.
• Robespierre’s government ordered shut down of churches and converting church buildings
into barrack or offices. Thus the clergy turned against the Jacobin regime and hastened its
fall.
• Robespierre pursued his policies so relentlessly that even his supporters turned against him.
They began to demand moderation and a middle path.
• Finally, he was convicted by a court in July 1794, arrested and guillotined.

Question 6.Explain the role of philosophers in the French Revolution of 1789.

The role of philosophers in the French Revolution of 1789 were :

• In Two Treaties of Government, Locke sought to refute the doctrine of the divine and
absolute right of the monarch.
• Rousseau carried the idea forward, proposing a form of government based on a social
contract between people and their representatives.
• In the Spirit of the laws Moritesquieu proposed a division of power within the government
between the legislative, the executive and the judiciary.
• The ideas of these philosophers were discussed intensely in salons and coffee-houses and
spread among people through books and newspaper.
• Patriotic song Marseillaise composed by poet Roget de Lisle. It was sung for the first time by
volunteers from Marseilles as they marched into Paris and so got its name. The Marseilles is
now the national anthem of France.

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