The French Revolution Social Science - The French Revolution

What was Estates General?

What did the red cap worn by Sans Culottees in France symbolise?

The first estate comprised of nobility.

In France, all citizens were allowed to vote:

1. True.
2. False.

The burden of financial activities of state during the old regime was borne by the church alone.

______ was the most successful political club.

Mention two characteristics of the middle class who emerged in the eighteenth century.

In the Constitution of 1791, the powers were divided among which three institutions?

How was the division of power suggested by philosopher Montesquieu?

What did the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen proclaim?

What was ‘Marseillaise’?

When had France become a Republic?

What laws were introduced by the revolutionary government to improve the lives of women in France?

“One of the most revolutionary social reforms of the Jacobin regime was the abolition of slavery in the French Colonies. Justify the statement.

What was the importance of the Tennis Court Swearing' in the French Revolution?

Explain the significance of the French Revolution in the history of France.

How can you say that Louis XVI was a despotic ruler?

France abolished monarchy and became a republic finally. How did it all happen? Describe in brief.

Who represented the National Assembly on 5th May 1789?

How was slavery finally abolished in France?
OR
Describe the triangular slave trade that was carried on in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. What steps were taken to end slavery in French colonies?

Why do you think that a growing middle class in France envisaged an end to the privileges?

Assertion (A) : The ideas of philosophers were discussed intensively in salons and coffee houses and spread among people through books and newspapers.

Reason (R) : These were frequently read aloud in groups for the benefit of those who could not read or write.

(a) Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true but Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).

(b) Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).

(c) Assertion (A) is true but Reason (R) is false.

(d) Assertion (A) is false but Reason (R) is true.

Assertion (A) : The Estates General was a political body.

Reason (R) : Only royal family members can participate in the body.

(a) Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true but Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).

(b) Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).

(c) Assertion (A) is true but Reason (R) is false.

(d) Assertion (A) is false but Reason (R) is true.

Assertion (A) : Peasants and workers participated in French Revolution.

Reason (R) : They wanted to protest against increasing taxes and food security.

(a) Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true but Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).

(b) Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).

(c) Assertion (A) is true but Reason (R) is false.

(d) Assertion (A) is false but Reason (R) is true.

Assertion (A) : Caught in a frenzy of fear, peasants in several districts seized hoes and pitchforks and attacked chateaux. They looted hoarded grain and burnt down documents containing records of manorial dues.

Reason (R) : In the countryside rumours spread from village to village that the price of the foodgrains are going to increase.

(a) Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true but Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).

(b) Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).

(c) Assertion (A) is true but Reason (R) is false.

(d) Assertion (A) is false but Reason (R) is true.

Assertion (A): On the morning of 14 July 1789, the city of Paris was in a state of alarm. The king had commanded troops to move into the city.

Reason (R): Rumours spread that he would soon order the army to open fire upon the citizens.

(a) Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true but Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).

(b) Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).

(c) Assertion (A) is true but Reason (R) is false.

(d) Assertion (A) is false but Reason (R) is true.

On the outline map of France, locate and label the following points.

1. Nantes.
2. Paris.
3. Marseilles.
4. Bordeaux.

On an outline map of France, locate and label the following:
Bordeaux, Nantes, Paris, Marseilles.

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow :

From the very beginning women were active participants in the events which brought about so many important changes in French society. They hoped that their involvement would pressurise the revolutionary government to introduce measures to improve their lives. Most women of the third estate had to work for a living. They worked as seamstresses or laundresses, sold flowers, fruits and vegetables at the market, or were employed as domestic servants in the houses of prosperous people. Most women did not have access to education or job training. Only daughters of nobles or wealthier members of the third estate could study at a convent, after which their families arranged a marriage for them. Working women had also to care for their families, that is, cook, fetch water, queue up for bread and look after the children. Their wages were lower than those of men.

(a) Name the most famous club started by women to voice their interests.

(b) What laws were introduced by the revolutionary government to help improve the lives of women? Mention any two laws.

(c) When did they finally get the right to vote ?

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow :

The Constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in the National Assembly, which was indirectly elected. That is, citizens voted for a group of electors, who in turn chose the Assembly. Not all citizens, however, had 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 taxpayers. The Constitution began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.

(a) What was the main objective of the National Assembly ?

(b) What was the important provision of the Constitution of 1791 ?

(c) Mention any two rights under ‘The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen’.

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow :

The period from 1793 to 1794 is referred to as the Reign of Terror. 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. The guillotine is a device consisting of two poles and a blade with which a person is beheaded.

(a) Who discovered the device of guillotine ?

(b) Which period is known as the “Reign of Terror”? Who were known as 'enemies' of the republic ?

(c) Why the period is known as the ‘Reign of Terror’ ?

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow :

In the summer of 1792 the Jacobins planned an insurrection of a large number of Parisians who were angered by the short supplies and high prices of food. On the morning of August 10 they stormed the Palace of the Tuileries, massacred the king’s guards and held the king himself as hostage for several hours. Later the Assembly voted to imprison the royal family. Elections were held. From now on all men of 21 years and above, regardless of wealth, got the right to vote. The newly elected assembly was called the Convention. On 21 September 1792 it abolished the monarchy and declared France a republic.

(a) Which is now the national anthem of France ?

(b) Who was the leader of Jacobins ?

(c) Name the assembly that abolished the monarchy. When did it abolished ?