Chapter 1

History French Revolution

Class IX
Revision Assignment
Objective type questions
Q1. On which of the following day ‘Storming of
the Bastille’ took place –

a. 17 July 1789

b. 15 July 1789

c. 14 July 1789
Q2. The most important privilege enjoyed
by the clergy and nobility was –
a. Ownership of land
b. Participate in wars
c. Exemption from paying taxes to the
state
Q3.Which of the following refuted the doctrine
of divine and absolute right?

a. John Locke
b. Rousseau
c. Voltaire
Q4. Division of power within the government
was put forth in –

a. The Social Contract

b. The Spirit of laws
c. Two Treatise of Government
Q5. Which of the following was the main
objective of the Constitution of 1791?

a. Give equal rights to women

b. To limit the powers of the king
c. To remove the monarch
Q6. Members of the Jacobin Club were
known as ___________.
Q7. Which of the following best signifies the image given
below

a. Market in Paris
b. Meeting of National assembly
c. Storming of Bastille
d. Meeting of third estate
Q8.Two statements are given in the question below as assertion and reason,
read the statements and choose the correct option:

Assertion (A): Mirabeau brought out a journal and delivered powerful

speeches to the crowds assembled at Versailles.
Reason (R): Mirabeau was born in a noble family but was convinced of the
need to do away with a society of feudal privilege.

a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

b) Both A and R are true and R is not the correct explanation of A.
c) A is true but R is false
d) A is false but R is true
Q9.Assertion (A) Women’s struggle for equal political rights
continued for more than two hundred years after the French
Revolution.
Reason (R) In 1946, women in France won the right to vote.

a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

b) Both A and R are true and R is not the correct explanation of A.
c) A is true but R is false
d) A is false but R is true
Q10. Match the following items given in Column A with those in Column
B.

1. Louis XVI a. The Social Contract

2. Estates General b. Battle of Waterloo 1815
3. John Locke c. Political Body
4. Bastille d. Bourbon Family
5. Rousseau e. Two Treaties of Government
6. Napoleon Bonaparte f. The fortress Prison
Short answer question
Q11. Define –a. Tithe b. Taille

Ans: Tithe: Tithe refers to a religious contribution or tax

that is typically one-tenth of a person's income or
produce. It has its roots in ancient biblical practices and
is commonly associated with Christianity.

Taille: Taille, on the other hand, is a form of direct

taxation imposed in medieval France. It was a tax levied
on the land and property of the French peasantry.
Q12. Differentiate between Active and Passive Citizen.

Ans:
Q13.Who were Jacobins? Discuss the role of Jacobins in
emergence of France as a Republic.
 The Jacobin Club in France was formed by the revolutionary
forces of the country. It included small shopkeepers, watch
makers, pastry cooks, printers, daily wage earners and
servants. It was the most popular and successful political club
of France. The Jacobin club derived its name from a former
convent of St Jacob in Paris.

 In 1792, when the supplies of bread reduced, the Jacobins along

with people stormed the Tuileries Palace and imprisoned the
royal family of France. Thus they played an important role in
the beginning of the French Revolution
 They wore Knee-breeches and in addition a red cap symbolizing
Liberty.

 This development led to the changes in the Constitution. Elections were

held and everyone more than 21 years of age was given the right to
vote.

 The Jacobins on 21st September 1792, abolished Monarchy and

declared France as Republic. Their leader, Maximilian Robespierre,
instilled fear and discipline in his reign. He ensured Equality was
practiced in all forms of speech and address
Q14. Describe the condition of women during the period of French
Revolution.
Ans: Conditions of women during the period of French Revolution are :

1). From the very beginning, women were active participants in the events which
brought about major changes in the French Society.
2). Most women of the Third Estate had to work for a living as seamstresses or
laundresses. They even sold flowers, fruits, and vegetables at the market
3). They were employed as domestic servants in the house of prosperous people.
4). They started their own political clubs and newspapers in order to voice their
interests.
5). They demanded the right to vote to be elected to the Assembly and hold political
office.
Q15.Why was the Directory rule not successful in France?

 After the fall of Jacobins, a new Constitution was formed which

denied the right to vote to non propertied men.

 It provided two elected legislative Councils, who appointed a

Directory, an executive made up of five members.

 However, the directors often clashed with the legislative councils

and were finally dismissed.

 With this, political instability emerged in France which gave

rise to a military dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte.
Q16. Write a short note on ‘Slavery in French
Colonies’.
(i) In order to overcome the shortage of labour on the plantations, a triangular
slave trade between Europe, Africa and the Americas began in the 17th century.

(ii) French merchants sailed from the ports of Bordeaux or Nantes to the African
coast, where they bought slaves from local chieftains. Branded and shackled, the
slaves were packed tightly into ships for the three-month long voyage across the
Atalantic to the Caribbean. There they were sold to plantation owners. Thus, slave
trade was deeply rooted in France.
(iii) Throughout the 18th century there was little criticism of slavery in
France. The National Assembly held long debates about whether the
rights of man should be extended to all French subjects including those in
the colonies. But it did not pass any laws, fearing opposition from
businessmen whose incomes depended on the slave trade. It was finally
the Convention which in 1794 legislated to free all slaves in the French
overseas possessions. This, however, did not last for long. After a decade,
Napoleon reintroduced slavery in 1804 which was finally abolished in
French colonies in 1848.
Q17. Explain to what extent the French Revolution caused the rise of
Napoleon Bonaparte.
 The political instability of the Directory paved the way for the rise of a
military dictator - Napoleon Bonaparte.

 He crowned himself Emperor of France. He started conquering neighbouring

countries by waging wars against them and saw himself as a moderniser of
Europe.

 He introduced many laws, such as the protection of private property and a

uniform system of weights and measures provided by the decimal system.
 Many of his measures carried the revolutionary ideas of liberty and modern
laws to the other parts of Europe. This had a positive impact on people long
after he was dethroned as an emperor when he was finally defeated in the
Battle of Waterloo.
Long answer question
 Q18. When did Louis XVI ascend to the throne of France? What
were the causes of an empty treasury at the time of his accession.

Ans: Five causes for the empty treasury of France under Louis XVI are:

(i) Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France.

(ii) High cost of maintenance of immense palace of Versailles and court.

(iii) Under Louis XVI France helped the thirteen American colonies to gain
independence.

(iv) War added to a debt.

(v) Lenders began to barge high interest on loans

 Q19. What was subsistence crisis? Mention factors
responsible for the crisis.

Subsistence crisis is an extreme situation where the basic means of livelihood

are endangered. The Factors Responsible for this Type of Crises were:

(i) 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.
(ii) So the price of bread which was the staple diet of the majority rose
rapidly. Most worker 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.

(iii) Things became worse whenever drought or haul reduced the harvest.
This led to a subsistence crisis.
Q20. Evaluate the functions of National Assembly of France
during the period of 1789-1791.
The main features of the French constitution of 1791 are:-
- The feudal system was abolished and limited the powers of
the king.
-The king came under the supervision of the government, and
France became a constitutional monarchy.
-The nobles and the clergy were stripped – off of their
privileges.
-Taxes collected by the church were abolished, and the lands
owned by the church were confiscated.

-Power to make laws was vested in the hands of the national

assembly.

-Powers were distributed among – the judiciary, the

executive, and the legislature.
Q21. Who was Robespierre? Discuss why his reign is referred as
the ‘Reign of Terror’?
i) The period from 1793 to 1794 is referred to as the 'Reign of
Terror'. Robespierre followed a policy of severe control and
punishment.

(ii) All those whom he saw as being 'enemies' of the republic-ex-

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 then tried by a revolutionary
tribunal.
(iii) If the court found them 'guilty' they were guillotined.

(iv) Robespierre's 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.

(v) Churches were shut down and their buildings converted into
barracks or offices.
 Q22. Explain the role of philosophers in the French Revolution of
1789.
Ans:
i) The philosophers played an important role in the French Revolution. They
inspired the common mass of France with their revolutionary ideas and
prepared them to fight against injustices.

(ii) They did not believe in the doctrine of the divine and absolute right of
the monarch. In his Two Treatises of Government John Locke refuted this
doctrine strongly.

(iii) Rousseau carried the idea forward proposing a form of government

based on a social contract between people and their representatives
(iv) In The Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu proposed a division of power
within the government between the legislative, the executive and the
judiciary.

(v) 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
were illiterate. Thus, the philosophers contributed a lot in bringing of the
French Revolution.
Case based question
Q25. CASE BASED QUESTION
The life of a revolutionary woman – Olympe de Gouges (1748-1793)
Olympe de Gouges was one of the most important of the politically active
women in revolutionary France. She protested against the Constitution
and the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen as they excluded women
from basic rights that each human being was entitled to. So, in 1791, she
wrote a Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Citizen, which she
addressed to the Queen and to the members of the National Assembly,
demanding that they act upon it. In 1793, Olympe de Gouges criticised the
Jacobin government for forcibly closing down women’s clubs. She was
tried by the National Convention, which charged her with treason. Soon
after this she was executed.
a) Who was Olympe de Gouges?
b) Why did Olympe de Gouges protest against Constitution
and the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen?
c) List the steps taken by Olympe de Gouges to advocate
women’s right.
Chapter 1
History French Revolution

Class IX
Revision Assignment