Class 9 History Ch.1 The French Revolution Extra Questions

Q. Who were the active citizens?

A. Active citizens were the men who were above 25 years of age and paid taxes equal to at 3 days of a labourer's wage. These citizens had the right to vote.

Q. Who were the passive citizens?

A. Passive citizens were the men and all women who were not entitled to vote.

Q. What were the taxes paid by the 3rd estate members of French society.

A. The taxes paid by the 3rd estate members were-

i) Tithes- It was a tax levied by the church comprising of one-tenth of the agricultural produce.

ii) Taille- It was a tax to be paid directly to the state.

iii) Gobelle- It was an indirect tax on essential commodities like salt and tobacco consumption.

Q. What was the Estates General?

A. The Estates General was a political body to which the 3 estates sent their representatives. This was the body which had the power to pass or reject the proposals for new taxes made by the monarch.

Q. What was the importance of the declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen under the constitution of 1791 of France?

A. The Rights of Man and Citizen established rights such as the right to life, freedom of speech, freedom of opinion, equality before law as natural and inalienable rights i.e. these rights belonged to each human being by birth and could not be taken away. It was the duty of the state to protect each citizen's natural rights.

Q. What were the causes of empty treasury at the time of Louis XVI?

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

ii) There was the cost of maintaining an extravagant court at the immense palace of Versailles.

iii) France's involvement in the American war of independence against Britain had added more than a billion livres to a debt which had already risen to 2 billion livres.

Q. What led to the emergence of the middle class in the 18th century?

A. i) The middle class earned wealth by an expanding overseas trade and manufacture of goods like woolen and silk textiles.

ii) The middle class got access to education and new ideas put forwrd by philosophers.

iii) These ideas were discussed intensively in salons and coffee houses and spread among people through books and newspapers.

iv) This is how the middle class emerged.

Q. Write a short note on the fall of Bastille.

A. i) On the morning of 14 July 1789, Paris was in a state of alarm.

ii) The king had commanded troops to move into the city. Rumours spread that he would soon order them to fire upon the citizens.

iii) Some 7000 people formed a people's militia and broke into government buildings in search of arms.

iv) A group of several hundred people stormed the fortress-prison Bastille where they hoped to find hoarded ammunition.

v) In the armed fight that followed, the commander of Bastille was killed and the 7 prisoners released.

vi) The Bastille was hated by all as it stood for the despotic power of the king. It was demolished and its fragments were sold as souvenirs.

Q. Describe the main features of the constitution of 1791 drafted by the National Assembly.

A. i) The constitution separated powers and assigned them to different institutions- legislature, executive and judiciary.

ii) It made France a constitutional monarchy.

iii) It vested the powers to make laws in the National Assembly wich was indirectly elected.

iv) Active citizens chose a group of electors who in turn chose the Assembly. Passive citizens had no voting rights.

Q. Write a short note on the Jacobins club.

A. i) The Jacobins club was the most successful political club in France, which got its name from the former convent of St. Jacob in Paris.

ii) The members of this club were mainly artisans, watch makers, printers etc.

iii) Their leader was Maximilian Robespierre. 

iv) They were also known as sans culottes because of their unique style of clothing.

v) In summer of 1792, they planned an insurrection of a large number of Parisians who were angered by short food supplies and high prices.

vi) On 10 August 1792, they stormed the palace of Tuileries, massacred the king's guards and held him hostage for several hours.

Q. What do you understand by 'Old regime'?

A. 'Old regime' refers to the society and institutions of France before 1789.

Q. Write a short note on the slave trade.

A. i) The slave trade began in the 17th century between Europe, Africa and Americas.

ii) French merchants sailed from ports like Bordeaux or Nantes to the African coast where they bought slaves from the local chieftains.

iii) These slaves were transported across the Atlantic to Caribbean colonies like Martinique, Guadeloupe and San Domingo and sold to plantation owners.

iv) These were important suppliers of tobacco, sugar, coffee and indigo, but the reluctance of Europeans to go and work there caused shortage of labour on the plantations.

v) The slave trade fulfilled this demand for labour.

vi) The exploitation of these slaves made it possible to meet the growing demand in Europe for sugar, coffee and indigo.

Q, What was the significance of ‘The Tennis Court Oath’ in the French Revolution?

A.・After the failure of the Assembly of Estates (held on 5 May 1789), the representatives of the 3rd estate assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court in the grounds of Versailles on 20 June. They were led by Mirabeau and Abbe Sieyes. 

・They declared themselves a National Assembly and swore not to disperse until they had drafted a constitution for France that would limit the powers of the monarch.

・Louis XVI accorded recognition to the National Assembly and accepted the principle that his powers would from now on be checked by a constitution.

・On 4 August 1789, the Assembly passed a decree abolishing the feudal system of obligation 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. The government acquired assets worth at least 2 billion livres.

・The National Assembly completed the draft of the constitution in 1791. Its main object was to limit the powers of the monarch. These powers were now separated and assigned to different institutions- the legislature, executive and judiciary. This made France a constitutional monarchy.

Q. Who was Robespierre? Why is his reign referred as ‘‘The Reign of Terror’’?

A. Maximilian Robespierre was the leader of the Jacobins Club or the 'sans-culottes. His reign, 1793-1794, is referred to as the reign of terror because:

・Robespierre followed a policy of severe control and punishment. 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. If the court found them 'guilty' they were guillotined.

・Robespierre pursued his policies so relentlessly that even his supporters began to demand moderation.

・Finally, he was convicted by a court in July 1794, arrested and on the next day sent to the guillotine.

Q. What were the changes introduced by Napoleon Bonaparte in France?

A. Changes introduced by Napoleon were-

・Laws ensuring protection of private property

・Unifrorm system of weights and measures provided by the decimal system

・Reintroduction of slavery