Chapter 1 Some Aspects Of The French Revolution Topic A France: A Political Prison and a Museum of Economic Errors Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1. What was the nature of monarchy in France before the outbreak of the French Revolution?
Answer:
Nature Of Monarchy In France Before The Outbreak Of The French Revolution:-
Despotic monarchy prevailed in France before the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789. The French monarch believed in the divine right of kingship and regarded himself to be the representative of God on earth. He did not consider himself responsible to anybody for his actions and ruled wilfully. His word was the law of the country.
Question 2. Who was Turgot?
Answer:
Turgot:-
Turgot was appointed by Louis XVI to the post of Finance Minister to improve the economic condition of France. He wanted to minimise the state expenses and chalked out a detailed programme to improve the economic condition of France. He also intended to impose taxes on the priests and the nobles who were Some Aspects of the French Revolution exempted from all sorts of taxes. He was. opposed by the queen and the nobles and was removed from his office.
Question 3. Who was Necker?
Answer:
Necker:-
Necker was the second finance minister appointed by Louis XVI to improve the economic condition of France. At that time due to the participation of France in the American War of Independence the treasury of France became empty. Necker proposed equal taxation on all classes to fill the treasury. Queen Antoinette criticised him as a miser and the king removed him from his office due to the excessive influence of the queen.
Question 4. Who was Calonne?
Answer:
Calonne:-
Calonne was appointed by Louis XVI to the office of Finance Minister after Necker was removed. Calonne did not wish to displease the king’s family. So he took huge loans to compensate the deficit of the royal treasury. Soon he realised that the government could not work on the basis of his policy and so he called a meeting of the Assembly of Notables and the king accepted his proposal.
Question 5. Who was Brienne?
Answer: Brienne:-
Louis XVI, the king of France, appointed Brienne as his Finance Minister. He did not succeed in solving the economic problems in France. He proposed some new taxes which were opposed by the Parliament of Paris.
Question 6. Why was the treasury of France empty when Louis XVI ascended the throne of France?
Answer:
The Treasury Of France Empty When Louis XVI Ascended The Throne Of France:-
Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France. Along with this was the constant cost of maintaining an extravagant court at Versailles. So, the treasury of France was almost empty when Louis XVI ascended the throne of France.
Question 7. How did the American War of Independence affect France’s debt situation?
Answer: The French government supported the thirteen colonies of America in their war of independence against Great Britain. This added more than one billion livres (units of currency in France) to the national debt that increased to more than two billion lives with interest.
Question 8. What is ‘Assembly of Notables’?
Answer:
‘Assembly Of Notables’:-
The Assembly of Notables was the assembly of the nobles, priests and magistrates who were appointed by the king himself. The Assembly lacked the representation of the general public because all the members were appointed by the king.
Question 9. What was the ‘States-General’?
Answer:
‘States-General’:-
The ”States-General’ was a political and legislative body to which the three estates of French society sent their representatives. In France during the Old Regime, the king did not have the power to impose taxes. Rather, he had to call a meeting of the States-General to pass the proposals for new taxes.
Chapter 1 Some Aspects Of The French Revolution Topic B French Society Prior to the Outbreak of the French Revolution and the Role of French Philosophers Short Answer (SA) Type Questions
Question 1. Who was Rousseau?
Answer: Rousseau was a French philosopher who through his works prepared the intellectual ground for the outbreak of the French Revolution. He was the author of the book ‘Social Contract’ where he proposed a form of government based on a social contract between people and their representatives.
emphasized that a king, instead of regard himself as an absolute monarch, should consider himself a servant of humanity and should serve them, heart and soul.
Question 2. Who was Montesquieu?
Answer: Montesquieu was a great French philosopher. He was the author of the famous book ‘The Spirit of the Laws’. In this book, he proposed a division of power between the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary. In his book ‘The Persian Letter he criticized the aristocracy, the monarchy, and the French social system.
Question 3. Who were the physiocrats?
Answer: The physiocrats were the economic thinkers of France who strongly criticized the mercantile doctrine and advocated free trade, privatization of industry, and trade.
Question 4. Who was John Locke?
Answer: John Locke was a popular and progressive English philosopher. His writings fuelled the thought of revolution against the existing monarchical system among the French people. He refuted the doctrine of the divine and absolute right of the monarch in his book ‘Two Treatises of Government’.
Question 5. What were the three estates in French society?
Answer: Prior to the French Revolution, the people of France were divided into three estates-
[1] There were the clergy holding the first estate.
[2] The second estate comprised the French aristocracy and landlord.
[3] The rest of the Frenchmen were grouped in the third estate.
Question 6. What was the third estate in French society?
Answer: The third estate in France was divided into several sub-groups. The upper bourgeoisie comprised of financiers, businessmen, etc. The lower bourgeoise comprised of lawyers, teachers, salaried classes, and shopkeepers. In the third estate, there were also the peasants, sans-culottes, mill hands, and daily wage earners.
Question 7. What is the divine right of kings?
Answer: The divine right of kings was a political and religious doctrine. It meant that a king was given the right to rule by God alone. His authority could not be questioned by anybody because he ruled in the name of God. It gave a king full power over his subjects.
Question 8. Why were the Intendants compared to ‘ravenous wolves’?
Answer: Intendants were the government officers of France. They were known for their selfish and corrupt nature. These officials badly tortured the people for collecting taxes, the larger part of which was misappropriated by them. This is why they were compared to ‘ravenous wolves.
Question 9. What was the social composition of the sans-culottes?
Answer: The sans-culottes were the economically disadvantaged groups, who mostly inhabited the urban areas of France. The urban proletariats, the wage earners, mill hands, the roofless down outs of the society, and the daily workers formed that section.
Question 10. Which class in the French society was known as the “bourgeoisie’?
Answer: In France, by the eighteenth century, a new social class known as the ‘bourgeoisie’ or the middle class emerged. The doctors, writers, professors, big businessmen, lawyers, peasants, shopkeepers, and workers formed this class. They challenged the supremacy and special privilege of the aristocrats.
Question 11. What was the ‘Aristocratic Revolt’?
Answer: The French Revolution began with the revolt of the aristocracy. The tax burden on the peasantry was already very high, the only method of increasing government income was to take away from the aristocracy the privilege of not paying any tax. This was opposed by the aristocrats and the ‘Aristocratic Revolt’ broke out.
Chapter 1 Some Aspects Of The French Revolution Topic C Fall of Bastille, Popular Revolt and the Ideals of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity Short Answer (SA) Type Questions
Question 1. What was the significance of the fall of the Bastille?
Significance Of The Fall Of The Bastille
[1] The fall of the Bastille (14 July 1789) proved that the king had no longer any control over Paris, the capital.
[2] The attack and destruction of the Bastille was a moral victory for the people of France over the autocratic monarchy.
[3] It was a victory of liberal values over the absolute monarchy.
[4] It created an atmosphere of horror and terror among the absolute monarchs of Europe.
Question 2. Differentiate between Active and Passive Citizens of France.
Answer:
Differentiate Between Active And Passive Citizens Of France:-
The Constituent Assembly divided the citizens of France into two categories-active and passive.
Men who were above 25 years of age and who paid taxes equal to at least 3 days of a laborer’s wage were given the status of active citizens and they had the right to vote. The remaining men and women of France who could not fulfill the above criteria and did not have the right to cast their vote were called passive citizens.
Question 3. Which estate of the French society gained from the constitution of 1791? Which estates were dissatisfied and why?
Answer: Members of the third estate of French society gained from the Constitution of 1791. Members of the First and Second Estate were dissatisfied because their privileges were abolished and instead they had to pay taxes in proportion to their means
Question 4. What do you mean by ‘Cahiers’?
Answer:
‘Cahiers’:-
All the delegates who came from different parts of France to attend the session of the States-General in the grand hall of the Royal Palace of Versailles on 5 May 1789 brought with them complaints, memorandums, and demands of their respective areas. These were known as ‘Cahiers’.
Question 5. What were the different political parties in the National Convention?
Answer:
The four different political parties in the National Convention were:
[1] The Constitutionalists,
[2] The Girondins,
[3] The Jacobins and
[4] The Moderates.
Question 6. Which incident is known as the ‘Second French Revolution’?
Answer:
‘Second French Revolution’:-
On the morning of 10 August 1792, the members of the Jacobin Club stormed the Palace of Tuileries, massacred the king’s guards, and held the king hostage for several hours. Later, they voted to imprison the king’s family. Dethronement of the king virtually made. France a ‘Republic’. Historians have called this incident of 10 August 1792 the ‘Second French Revolution’.
Question 7. Who were the members of the Jacobin Club?
Answer:
Members Of The Jacobin Club:-
The members of the Jacobin Club were from poor classes. They included small shopkeepers, artisans like shoemakers, watchmakers, pastry cooks, and daily wage earners.
Question 8. Why were the Jacobins so named?
Answer:
Jacobins So Named Because:-
The members of the old Breton Club used to hold their meetings in the church named ‘Jacob’. That is why the members of this club came to be known as the Jacobins.
Question 9. Who were the Girondins?
Answer:
Girondins:-
The Girondins, one of the four political parties in the National Convention, played a prominent role in the French Revolution. The significant leaders of the party were Brissot, Condorcet, Petion, and Madam Roland and their chief aim was to establish a republican form of government in France. Though they were staunch revolutionaries, they did not support violence, lawlessness, and anarchy.
Question 10. Describe the incident of the storming of the Palace of Tuileries.
Answer:
Incident Of The Storming Of The Palace Of Tuileries:-
On the morning of 10 August 1792, the members of the Jacobin Club stormed the Palace of Tuileries, massacred the king’s guards, and held the king hostage for several hours. Later, they voted to imprison the king’s family.
Question 11. Why was the Reign of Terror introduced?
Answer:
Reign Of Terror Introduced:-
On 21 January 1793 when King Louis XVI of France was executed, there were outbursts of rebellion from the king’s supporters. Besides, monarchical countries such as Britain, Holland, Prussia, and Austria formed a coalition and declared war against the republican government of France.
The National Convention tried to protect the country from internal threats and external aggression by setting up an emergency government and following a strategy of terror where all opposition was ruthlessly suppressed. This period from June 2, 1793, to July 27, 1794, is called the Reign of Terror.
Question 12. What were the three instruments through which the Reign of Terror was made effective?
Answer: The three instruments through which the Reign of Terror was made effective were:
[1] The Committee of Public Safety.
[2] The revolutionary Tribunal and
[3] The Law of Suspects.
Question 13. What was the Committee of Public Safety?
Answer:
Committee Of Public Safety:-
The Committee of Public Safety was one of the instruments of the Reign of Terror. The Committee was given the responsibility of appointing important ministers and high-ranking officers of the armed forces. Two further committees-the Committee of General Security and the Revolutionary Tribunal were formed within this committee for its better functioning.
Question 14. What is ‘Thermidorian Reaction’?
Answer:
‘Thermidorian Reaction’:-
The reaction which took place in France after the death of Robespierre, the leader of the Reign of Terror, is known as the ‘Thermidorian Reaction’. By this time the terrorists were put to death and the Reign of Terror and Paris Commune were dissolved. All the subordinate machinery of the Reign of Terror was abolished. The prisoners whose guilt was in doubt were released and the National Guards was reorganized. All this stemmed from the reaction of the middle class.
Question 15. What was Tipu Sultan’s relation with the on with the Jacobin club?
Answer:
Tipu Sultan’s Relation With The On With The Jacobin Club:-
The Jacobin club, the largest and most powerful political club of the French Revolution, had an Indian ruler, Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore, among its associates. He was the founder-member of the Jacobin club in India. He actively supported the proposal of the French soldiers at Seringapatam to set up a Jacobin club in 1797 and when it was established, he ordered a salute of 2300 cannons and 500 rockets to celebrate the occasion.
Question 16. What was the Brunswick Manifesto?
Answer:
Brunswick Manifesto:-
King Louis XVI tried to restore the monarchy in France with foreign help. When the Parisian mob attacked the Tuileries Palace and humiliated the king, the king tried to flee to Duke of Brunswick, the general appointed by Austria along with his wife. In August 1792, the Austro-Prussian government issued a manifesto and warned France that any injury or insult to any member of the royal family would be severely dealt with. This is known as the Brunswick Manifesto.
Question 17. What was the Directory? Why was it dismissed?
Answer:
Directory:-
After the fall of the Jacobins, a new Constitution was formed which denied the right to vote to citizens without property. It provided two Legislative Councils which appointed a Directory with five members. However, the Directors often clashed with the Legislative Councils and were finally dismissed. Political instability resulted which led to the rise of a military dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte.
Question 18. What laws were made to improve the status of women in French society?
Answer: The revolutionary government in France introduced some laws to improve the lives of women in France.
[1] Schooling was made compulsory for all girls.
[2] Women could be trained for jobs, could run small business, or become artists.
[3] Fathers could no longer force their daughters to marry against their will.
[4] Divorce was made legal and could be applied for by both men and women.
Question 19. Who was the king and queen of France when the French Revolution broke out?
Answer: When the French Revolution broke out the king of France was Louis XVI and the queen was Marie Antoinette.
Question 20. What is the guillotine?
Answer:
Guillotine:-
Guillotine is a device for beheading a person, widely used during the French revolution. It was invented by Dr. Joseph Ignace Guillotin. With the help of this machine, many people were beheaded during the Reign of Terror.
Question 21. How were the passive citizens deprived of their voting rights?
Answer:
Passive Citizens Deprived Of Their Voting Rights:-
The Constituent Assembly divided the citizens into two categories-Active and Passive. The Active citizens who held property above a certain prescribed limit got the right to elect their representative but the passive citizens were deprived of their voting rights.
Question 22. Mention two liberal measures were undertaken during the Reign of Terror.
Answer:
Liberal Measures Were Undertaken During The Reign Of Terror:-
Two liberal measures undertaken during the Reign of Terror were:
[1] The tax rate was enhanced for the moneyed class but reduced in case of the middle class
[2] The minimum wages of laborers were fixed in order that they might not be exploited.
Question 23. How did feudalism come to an end in France?
Answer:
Feudalism Come To An End In France:-
Due to rural unrest, on August 4, 1789, the nobility and the clergy voluntarily renounced the privileges enjoyed by them for a long time. With this feudalism came to an end in France. The National Constituent Assembly announced, “the National Assembly abolishes the feudal system entirely”.
Question 24. How did the Constitution of 1791 collapse?
Answer:
Constitution Of 1791 Collapse:-
The Jacobins successfully organized a revolt against the king and queen of France who took shelter in the nearby Assembly for fear of their life. The Jacobins forced the Assembly to suspend the monarchy. The king was imprisoned and the constitution of 1791 collapsed.
Question 25. Mention the importance of the Reign of Terror.
Answer:
Importance Of The Reign Of Terror:
[1] The Reign of Terror was necessary in order to suppress the rebellion of the royalists.
[2] During the Reign of Terror, the French government was successful in conducting foreign affairs.