Class 9 SST History Chapter 1 The French Revolution Notes and NCERT Solutions

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Class 9, The French Revolution

Solutions of CBSE (NCERT) History Textbook

Chapter Exercise Questions

Q.1: Describe the circumstances leading to outbreak of revolutionary protest in France.

Solution: On the eve of the French Revolution, that is in 1789 A.D. France presented a dismal look. Following were the conditions on the eve of the French Revolution. In other words we can say that following were the chief causes of the French Revolution:

(a) Social Causes - On the eve of the revolution, the French society was ridden with several inequalities. The clergy and the nobles led a life of luxury and enjoyed numerous privileges. On the other hand, the peasants and workers lived a wretched life. They groaned under heavy taxes and forced labour. The middle-class comprising of lawyers, doctors, teachers, etc also suffered humiliation at the hands of the clergy and the nobles. This state of social inequality was the chief cause of the French Revolution.

(b) Political Causes - Emperor Louis XVI of France was an empty headed despot. He and his queen, Marie Antoinette, squandered money on their luxurious living and wasteful festivities. The high posts were often auctioned, so inefficiency reigned supreme. The whole administration was corrupt and each department had its own laws. In the absence of any uniform system there was confusion all around. The people were tired of such a rotten system of administration and wanted a change.

(c) Economic Causes - France had been continually involved in wars which had broken her economy. The luxurious life led by the French King Louis XVI and his queen had made the matter still worse. The people groaned under heavy taxes. The system was so faulty that only a fraction of the taxes could be realized as the people were too poor to pay the taxes while nobles and the clergy who could pay, were completely exempted from all the taxes. The economy became so bad that the French Government had almost reached a state of bankruptcy. Thus the shattered economy of France proved a major cause of the Revolution.        

(d) Immediate Cause - Forced by financial bankruptcy, Emperor Louis XVI was compelled to call a meeting of the Estates General in 1789 A.D. after a lapse of 175 years. It generated much excitement as the members of the Third Estate were determined to put forth their problems. But when the first two Estates i.e. the Clergy and the Nobility refused to have a common meeting with the Third Estate, the people lost their temper. They had already suffered much in the severe famine in 1788 - 1789. In this way the calling of the Estates General in 1789 A.D. proved to be the immediate cause of the French Revolution.   

Q.2: Which groups of French society benefitted from the revolution? Which groups were forced to relinquish power? Which sections of society would have been disappointed with the outcome of the revolution?

Solution: Groups of French society which benefitted from the revolution - All the groups of French society which formerly formed a part of the Third Estate were benefitted from the revolution. These groups included the peasants, workers, petty-officers, lawyers, teachers, doctors and traders. Formerly they had to pay all the taxes and they were humiliated both by the Clergy and the Nobles at every point but after the revolution they began to be treated equal with the upper sections of the society.

Groups of French society which were forced to relinquish power - People belonging to the upper classes - the First Estate and the Second Estate, which enjoyed all the privileges has to relinquish power. Such people were the Clergy and the Nobles. The special privileges of these higher sections were abolished as a result of the French Revolution. Now the French society was organized on the basis of social equality.

Sections of society which would have been disappointed with the outcome of the revolution - Naturally the erstwhile privileged classes i.e. the Clergy and the Nobles would have been disappointed with the outcome of the revolution because everybody is disappointed when privileges are taken away from them.  

Q.3: Describe the legacy of the French Revolution for the people of the world during the 19^th and the 20^th centuries.

Solution: The French Revolution was one of the most significant events in the World History. It gave to the world the three main ideals of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. Its main achievements and effects on the modern world were as follows: 

• The French Revolution put an end to the arbitrary rule and developed the idea of People’s Republic in Europe and subsequently in other parts of the world.
• It inspired the people throughout the world with the ideals of freedom and liberty which subsequently formed the basis of the national sovereignty.
• The French Revolution preached the concept of equal rights for all the citizens, which subsequently became the concept of equality before law for all people.
• It spread the idea of human fraternity which is one of the chief attributes for promoting the ideals of love, unity and co-operation among the different sections of the society. 
• The French Revolution gave the term ‘Nation’ its modern meaning and promoted the concept of ‘nationalist’ which inspired the people in Poland, Germany, Netherlands and Italy to establish Nation-States in their countries.
• The French Revolution had a great salutary effect on the ruling monarchs who took several measures to ensure people’s welfare introducing many reforms.  

Q.4: Draw up a list of democratic rights we enjoy today whose origin could be treated to the French Revolution.

Solution: We in India enjoy the following Fundamental Rights.

• Right to Equality
• Right to Freedom.
• Cultural and Educational Right
• Right to Religious Freedom
• Right against Exploitation
• Right to Constitutional Remedies.

If we closely study the impact of the French Revolution, we can easily find that many of them have their origin in the French Revolution.

1. Right to Equality - The Right to Equality has its origin in the French Revolution. Equality was one of the main principles of the French Revolution, which led to special rights and privileges of the common classes and established political, economic and social equality.
2. Right to Liberty or Freedom - The origin of this right can also be traced to the French Revolution. The Declaration of Rights of Man laid emphasis on the personal liberty and right of the common peoples.
3. Inspiring the Spirit of Democracy - The French Revolution inspired the spirit of democracy which ensured all other rights which we enjoy today. It stressed on the principle that the government should not be only for the people but also by the people.
4. Encouraging the Spirit of Fraternity - By breaking all shackles of high and low the French Revolution helped in the growth of the spirit of Fraternity and Social Welfare.

Directly or indirectly the origin of all Fundamental Rights can be traced to the French Revolution.  

Q.5: Would you agree with the view that the message of universal rights was beset with contradictions. Explain.   

Solution: There are two opinions on this point whether the message of universal rights was beset with concentrations or not. Most of the authors feel that the message of universal rights, as explained in the last question was quite clear and there should be no contradiction to such principles. The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen was perhaps the first attempt in the world to draw an outline of the universal rights on such a wider scale. It was a laudable attempt. It laid emphasis on the three fundamental principles of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. Such principles have been adopted by all the democratic countries. Contradictions, if any, are only vague and need not be taken so seriously. Some criticize only for the sake of criticism and so they should be ignored. The French Revolutionaries must be congratulated for heralding the great principles of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. 

Q.6: Explain the rise of Napoleon. Or
  Mention some role (importance) of Napoleon in the history of France.      

Arc de Triomphe, Paris

Solution: Napoleon, born in 1769 A.D. in Ajacio, the capital of Corsica, was emperor of the French, who consolidated and institutionalized many reforms of the French Revolution. One of the greatest military commanders of all time, he conquered the larger part of Europe and did much to modernize the nations he ruled.

Napoleon was a man of miraculous talents. He was educated in military schools of Brienne and Paris. He joined the army and because of his exemplary heroism, immense courage and ability, in 1796 he was made commander of the French Army in Italy.

Also in 1796 he married Joséphine de Beauharnais, the widow of an aristocrat guillotined in the Revolution and the mother of two children.

Napoleon won many battles for the revolutionary France and raised his nation’s prestige. He defeated Britain in 1793 A.D., Sardinia in 1796 A.D. He defeated four Austrian generals in succession, each with superior numbers, and forced Austria and its allies to make peace.

Napoleon was a driven man, never secure, never satisfied. He played an important role in the history of France, Europe and the world. His life was work-centered; he could bear amusements or vacations only briefly. He had intense loyalties—to his family and old associates. Nothing and no one, however, were allowed to interfere with his work. Napoleon was a great writer and orator.

Napoleon was not only a great conqueror, but also an able administrator who believed in ruling by mandate of the people. He followed the policy of religious toleration and granted religious freedom to all. He set up a classless society by abolishing feudalism and serfdom and regenerated France on the basis of the principle of equality.

Napoleon was also a great enlightened monarch—a civil executive of enormous capacity who changed French institutions and tried to reform the institutions of Europe and give the Continent a common law.

Napoleon’s influence is evident in France even today. Reminders of him dot Paris—the most obvious being the Arc de Triomphe, the centerpiece of the city, which was built to commemorate his victories.

Extra Questions

Q.1: Identify Louis XVI, telling the part played by him in the French Revolution.

Solution: Louis XVI was a despotic ruler of France. He was a man of moderate intelligence and was obstinate. He was deposed during the French Revolution in 1789, and subsequently, executed in 1793 A.D.

Q.2: Identify Napoleon, telling the part played by him in the French Revolution. Or,
What was the role of Napoleon in the French Revolution? Limit your answer within 100 words.

Solution: Napoleon was a great French general, who won many battles for the revolutionary France and raised his nation’s prestige. There was a time when he had become a terror for all the European monarchs. But, in the end, his limited resources collapsed in the face of Fourth Coalition of the European nations. He was defeated in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 A.D. was sent as a prisoner to spend his last days at the small island of St. Helena where he died unsung in the year 1821 A.D. 

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Chapter-1 The French Revolution  Summary/ Notes

T h e F r e n c h R e v o l u t i o n

CAUSES FOR THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

1.     Political causes (or) Louis XVI and his problems

1. Louis XVI came to power in 1774 at the age of 20.
2. Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France. So the French treasury was empty.
3. LouisXVI helped the thirteen American colonies to gain theirindependence from the common enemy, Britain.
4. France had taken 3 billion Livres loan from moneylenders who began to charge 10% interest.
5. To meet its regular expenses, such as the cost of maintainingan army, the court, running government offices or universities, the ruler was forced to increase taxes.

2.     Social causes(or) Division in the French Society

1. French society in the eighteenth century was divided into three estates- Clergy, Nobility and Common People.(I, II and III Estates)
2. Clergy and Nobility were 10% of the population but possessed 60% of lands. III Estate was 90% of the population but possessed 40% of the lands.
3. Clergy and Nobility enjoyed many privileges based on birth. The church collected taxes from people.
4. They were exempted from paying taxes. Nobles collected feudal dues from III Estate people.
5. Peasants were obliged to render services to the Clergy and Nobility to work in their houses, fields, servein the army or to participate in building roads.

3.     Economic causes (or) The Struggle to Survive

1. The population of France rose from 23 million to 28 million in 1789.
2. This led to a rapid increase in the demand forfood grains.
3.  Production of grains was less because drought or hail reduced the harvest.
4. Most workers were employed as labourers in workshops. Owners of the workshopsdid not increase the wages of workers.
5. This led to a subsistence crisis (scarcity of food grains) which occurred frequently in France.

4.     Growth of Middle Class and influence from USA

1. The eighteenth century witnessed the emergence of social groups, termed the middle class, who earned their wealth through trade and professions.
2. They were influenced by declaration of independence of the USA.
3. They were also influenced by fundamental rights given to the citizens of the USA.
4. All of these were educated and believed that no group in society should be privileged by birth
5. They also believed that French society should be based on freedom, equality and equal opportunities for all.

5.     Role of Philosophers in the French Revolution

1.  John Locke, in his book the Two Treatises of Government, criticizedthe doctrine of the divine and absolute right of the monarch.
2. Jean Jacques Rousseau, in his book Social Contractproposed aform of government based on a social contract between peopleand their representatives.
3. Montesquieu in his bookThe Spirit of the Laws,proposed a division of power within the government betweenthe legislative, the executive and the judiciary.
4. The ideas of these philosophers were discussed intensively in salons and coffee-houses and spread among people through books andnewspapers. The news thatLouis XVI planned to impose further taxes generated anger and protest against the ruler and system.

Outbreak of the French revolution

1.       Louis XVI called a meeting of the Estates General to pass his proposals to increase taxes. The Estates General was a political body to which the three estates sent their representatives. The first and second estates sent 300 representatives each and III estate sent 600 representatives. III estate representatives demanded individual voting right but king refused to grant so they walked out.

2. On 20 June they assembled in the hallof an indoor tennis court in the grounds of Versailles and declaredthemselves a National Assembly and swore not to disperse till theyhad drafted a constitution for France that would limit the powers ofthe monarch. Mirabeau,a noble and Abbé Sieyès,a priest joined with III estate representatives
3. While the National Assembly was busy at Versailles drafting a constitution, the rest of France was in tension.After spending hours in longqueues at the bakery, crowds of angry women stormed into theshops and looted the stock.
4.  At the same time, the king ordered troops to move into Paris. People of Paris organized a militia and broke many buildings in search of weapons. On 14 July, the agitated crowd stormed and destroyed the Bastille.
5. In the countryside rumours spread from village to village that thelords of the manorhad hired bands of brigands who were on theirway to destroy the ripe crops. Common people attacked nobles’ houses, looted hoarded grain and burnt down documents containing records of manorial dues. A large number of nobles were killed and many fled to other countries.

France Becomes a Constitutional Monarchy

1. Louis XVI finally recognisedthe National Assembly and accepted theconstitution. On the night of 4 August 1789, the Assembly passed adecree (law) abolishing the feudal taxes, privileges of Nobles and Clergy, Tithes and confiscation of church properties.
2. 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 separated and assigned to different institutions-the legislature, executive and judiciary. This made France a constitutional monarchy.
3. The Constitution of 1791 vested the power of making laws to theNational Assembly, which was indirectly elected by active citizens. Active citizens, who were above 25 years of age and paying taxes worth of 3 days wages of a worker were given voting right. They voted for a group of electors, who in turn chose the members of the National Assembly.
4. The Constitution began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. Rights such as the right to life, freedom of speech,freedom of opinion, equality before law, were established asnatural and inalienable rights. These rights were granted to only men.

France Abolishes Constitutional Monarchy and Becomes a Republic

1. Louis XVI had signed the Constitution but he entered into secret negotiations with the King of Prussia and Austria to put down the revolution. The NationalAssembly voted to declare war against Prussia and Austria.Thousands of volunteers joined the army and it was a war of the people against kings and aristocracies.
2. The revolutionary wars brought losses and economic difficulties to the people. As the Constitution of 1791 gave political rights only to the richer sections Common people established Political clubs. The most successful of these clubs was that of the Jacobins. . Their leader wasMaximilian Robespierre.
3.  The members of the Jacobin club belonged mainly to the less prosperous sections of society. They included small shopkeepers,artisans such as shoemakers, pastry cooks, watch-makers, printers,as well as servants and daily-wage workers. Jacobins start wearing long striped trousers so they came to be known as thesans-culottes, literally meaning those without knee breeches.
4. In the summer of 1792 the Jacobins planned an insurrection. Parisians who were angered by the short suppliesand high prices of food stormedthe Palace of the Tuileries, massacred the king`s guards and heldthe king himself as hostage for several hours. Later the Assemblyvoted to imprison the royal family.
5. Elections were held. The newly elected assembly called the Convention. On 21 September 1792 it abolished the monarchy and declared Francea republic.

 The Reign of Terror

1. The period from 1793 to 1794 is referred to as the Reign of Terror because Robespierre followed a policy of severe control andpunishment. Ex-nobles, clergy, members of other politicalparties, even members of his own party who did not agree with his methods were arrested, imprisoned and guillotined.

(The guillotine is a device consisting of two poles and a blade with which a person is beheaded. It was named after DrGuillotin who invented it).

2. Robespierre`s government issued laws placing a maximum ceiling on wages and prices. Meat and bread were rationed.
3. Peasantswere forced to transport their grain to the cities and sell it atprices fixed by the government. The use of more expensive whiteflour was forbidden; all citizens were required to eat the equality bread.
4. Equalitywas also sought to be practiced through forms of speech andaddress. Instead of the traditional Sir and Madameall French men and women were addressed as Citizen.
5. Churches were shut down and theirbuildings converted into barracks or offices. Finally Robespierre wasconvicted by a court in July 1794, arrested and on the next daysent to the guillotine.

A Directory Rules France

1. The fall of the Jacobin government allowed the middle classes to seize power. A new constitution was introduced which denied the vote to non-tax paying men.
2. It provided for two elected legislative councils. These then appointed a Directory,an executive made up of five members. This was meant as a safeguardagainst the concentration of power in a one-man executive as under Robespierre.
3. The Directors often clashed with the legislativecouncils, who then sought to dismiss them. The political instabilityof the Directory paved the way for the rise of a military dictator,Napoleon Bonaparte.

Did Women have a Revolution?(OR) Role of women in French revolution

1. Most women did not have access to education orjob training. . They worked asseamstresses or laundresses, sold flowers, fruits and vegetables at themarket, or were employed as domestic servants in the houses ofprosperous people. Their wages were lower than those of men.
2. From the very beginning women were active participants in the events of revolution. They hoped that their involvement in revolution would provide equality and basic rights as men. But women were not provided basic rights and voting right in the new constitution.
3. In order to discuss and voice their interests women started their ownpolitical clubs and newspapers. About sixty women`s clubs came upin different French cities. The Society of Revolutionary andRepublican Women was the most famous of them. Their main demands were equal political rights, right to vote, right to be elected to the Assembly and to hold political office.
4. The revolutionary government introduced lawsthat helped improve the lives of women. Education was made compulsory for all girls. Their fathers could no longer force them into marriage against their will. Marriage was made into a contract entered into freely and registered under civil law. Divorce was made legal, and could be applied for by both women and men.
5. During the Reign of Terror, the new government issued laws orderingclosure of women`s clubs and banning their political activities. Manyprominent women were arrested and a number of them executed.It was finally in 1946 that women in France won the right to vote.

The Abolition of Slavery

1. The slave trade began in the seventeenth century. French merchants sailed to the African coast where they bought slaves from local chieftains. Slaves were branded, shackled and packed tightly into ships for the three-month long voyage across the Atlantic and sold to plantation owners in America. So this was known as a triangular slave trade between Europe, Africa and the Americas.
2. Throughout the eighteenth 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 slave traders who paid huge tax to the French government.
3. One of the most revolutionary social reforms of the Jacobin regimewas the abolition of slavery in the French colonies. Robespierrepassed a Convention according to which in 1794 all slaves were freed in the French colonies.
4. Ten years later, Napoleon reintroduced slavery.Slavery was finally abolished in French colonies in 1848.

Use of Revolutionary ideas in Everyday Life

1. The revolutionary governments took initiative to pass laws that would translate the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity into everyday practice. In 1789 the revolutionary government abolished censorship and introduced press freedom.
2. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen proclaimed freedom of speech and expression to be a natural right. Newspapers, pamphlets, books and pictures were printed in the towns of France and they travelled to the villages.
3. The revolution brought changes in dress they wear, food they eat and language they speak.

The rise of Napoleon

1. In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of France. He conquered many neighbouring countries and placed members of his family on the crownNapoleon was seen as a moderniser of Europe.
2.  He introduced manylaws such as the protection of private property and a uniform system ofweights and measures provided by the decimal system.
3. Initially, manysaw Napoleon as a liberator who would bring freedom for the people.But soon the Napoleonic armies came to be viewed everywhere as an invading force.
4. He was finally defeated at the battle of Waterloo in 1815. He was taken to St Helena where he died.

Legacy of the French Revolution

1. The ideas of liberty, equality & fraternity and the democratic rights were the most important legacy of the French Revolution.
2. These ideas spread from France to all the parts of Europe during the nineteenth century, where feudal systems, aristocracy and monarchy were opposed by the people. Even these ideas spread to India and used for freedom struggle.