FRENCH REVOLUTION

Q1.What were the main causes of the French Revolution?

Ans. Causes of the French Revolution:
() Despotic rule of Louis XVI: He became the ruler of France in 1774. He had drained
the financial resources of France in wars. For the cost of his regular extravagant
expenses, he
increased taxes which were paid by the third estate.
(i) Division of French society: The French society was divided into three estates; first,
second
and third estates, respectively. Among them, First and Second Estates had 10 per cent
of the
total population, consisted of the clergy and nobles. They enjoyed all privileges. Rest of
the
90 per cent was of the third estate, which paid all kinds of direct or indirect taxes. This
kind
of discrimination led to the revolution by the third estate.
(iii) Rising prices: The population of France had increased. This resulted into more
demand of
food grains. So, the price of bread rose rapidly, which the poor could not afford to buy.
So,
the gap between the rich and the poor widened.
(iv) Inspiration of the philosophers: Philosophers like John Locke, Jean Jacques
Rousseau
and Montesquieu propagated the ideas of having a society where people would enjoy
freedom, equal laws and equal opportunities. Their ideas inspired the people of France
to
realise their dreams.
(v) Role of middle class: The 18th century witnessed the emergence of social groups
termed
as middle class, who earned their wealth through an expanding trade of the
manufactured goods, being exported. There were other professionals also like lawyers,
administrative oflicials who were all educated. They believed that no group in society
should be privileged by birth.
Q2. Describe the circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest
in France.
OR
Which incident had led to the outbreak of the revolution in France?
Ans. The incidents leading to the outbreak of the revolution were:-
() Meeting of the Estates General: On 5 May 1789, Louis XVI called for a meeting to
propose
new taxes. Representatives of all the three estates reached there, but mermbers of the
third
estate had to stand at the back, as they were not offered any seat Peasants, artisans
and
women were denied entry to the assembly.
(ii) Demand for Universal Adult Franchise: Members of the third estate demanded the
power
for each member to vote. When the King rejected the demand, members of the third
estate
walked out of the assembly to protest.
(iii) Meeting of the newly formed National Assembly: Since the percentage of the
third
estate was more, they considered themselves as spokesmen for the whole French
nation.
They assembled in an indoor tennis court of Versailles and declared thenselves as the
National Assembly'. They believed in removing the feudal privileges of the nobles and
clergy.
(v) Revolt by peasants: The countryside rumours spread from village to village that
their ripe
crops would be destroyed by hired bands of lords of manors. Peasants in several
districts
seized hoes and attacked the residences of their manors. They looted, hoarded grain
and
burnt down documents containing records of manorial dues.
(VI) Fall of Bastille prison: During this political turmoil, the French had experienced
severe
winters leading to bad harvest. It increased the price of bread, which was hoarded in the
market. Angry women attacked the shops. At the same time, the King ordered troops to
move into Paris. On 14 July 1789, the agitated crowd stormed and destroyed the
Bastille
prison.
3. Describe the French division of society.
Ans. The French society was divided into three Estates:
(I) First Estate: It comprised the church and the clergy. They enjoyed certain privileges
by birth.
They were exempted from paying taxes to the state.
(ii) Second Estate: In the second estate, were the nobles and other rich members. They
were
also exempted from paying taxes. They also enjoyed feudal privileges. These included
feudal
dues from the peasants.
(iii) Third Estate: About 90 per cent of the population was peasants. They were obliged
to work
in the fields of their landlords as well as in their houses, and also serve in the army.
They
were paying all direct taxes like 'taille' and a number of indirect taxes were also levied
on
articles of everyday consumption like salt or tobacco.
Q4.. What was the role of the philosophers in the French Revolution?
Ans. Ideas of having a society based on freedom and equal laws and opportunities for
all were put forward by the French philosophers.
(i) John Locke: Locke wrote, 'Tuo Treatises of Government'. In this book, he criticised
the divine
and absolute rights of the monarch rulers.
(ii) Jean Jacques Rousseau: Rousseau had written his viewpoints in his book, The
Social Contract'. He had put forward the idea of formation of a government based on a
social contract between people and their representatives.
(iii) Montesquieu: His ideas were proposed in his book, The Spirit of the Laus'.
According to him,
there should be a division of power between the three important organs-the legislature,
the
executive and the judiciary.
The ideas of these philosophers were discussed by common people in salons and
coffee houses
and inspired them to fight for their rights.
5. Which three causes led to the 'subsistence crisis' in France during the Old
Regime?
Ans. The following points show how the subsistence crisis occurred in France during the
Old
Regime.
(i) The population of France increased from 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in 1789. This
led to the increase in demand for foodgrains.
(ii) When the production of foodgrains could not keep pace with the growing demand,
the price of bread which was the staple food increased rapidly.
(iii) On the other hand, the wages could not keep pace with the rise in prices. At the time
of drought or hail, harvest reduced and things got worsed. Thus, the gap between the
poor and the rich widened and this led to the subsistence crisis.
6. On ascending the throne of France, Louis XVI found the treasury empty. Why
was the
treasury empty?
Ans. The causes for empty treasury at the time of his accession were as follows.
(a) The financial resources of France had drained due to the long years of war.
(b) The high cost of maintaining an extravagant court at the immense palace of
Versailles also added to the financial drain.
(c) France had helped the thirteen American colonies to gain their independence from
Britain. This increased the debt to more than 2 billion livres.