The French Revolution Question Answer class IX CBSE Board

                  Class 9 Social Science 

                        History Chapter 1

                     The French Revolution

                        NCERT QUESTIONS

Question 1.

Describe the circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in France?

Answer:

The following circumstances led to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in France:

1  Louis XVI was an autocratic ruler who could not compromise with his luxurious life. He also lacked farsightedness.

2  When he ascended the throne the royal treasury was empty. Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France. 

3  Added to this was the cost of maintaining an extravagant court at the immense palace of Versailles.

4  Under Louis XVI France helped the thirteen American colonies to gain their independence from Britain the war added more than a billion livres to a dept. So the French government was obliged to spend an increasing percentage of its budget on interest payments alone.

5 The state finally increased taxes to meet its regular expenses such as the cost of maintaining an army, running government offices and universities.

6  The French society was divided into three estates but only members of the first two estates i.e,, the clergy and the nobles were exempted to pay taxes. They belonged to privileged class. Thus the burden of financing activities of the state through taxes was borne by the third estate only.

7 The middle class that emerged in the 18th century France was educated and enlightened. They refuted the theory of divine rights of the kings and absolute monarchy. They believed that a person’s social position must depend on his merit. 

8  The French administration was extremely corrupt. It did not give weightage to the French Common man.

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Question 2.

Which groups of French society benefited from the revolution? Which groups were forced to relinquish power? Which sections of society would have been disappointed with the outcome of the revolution?

Answer:

The wealthy class of the third estate which came to be known as the new middle class of France benefited the most from the revolution. This group comprised of big businessmen, petty officers, lawyers, teachers, doctors and traders. Previously, these people had to pay state taxes and they did not enjoy equal status. But after the revolution they began to be treated equally with the upper sections of the society.

With the abolition of feudal system of obligation and taxes, the clergy and the nobility came on the same level with the middle class. They were forced to give up their privileges. Their executive powers were also taken away from them.

The poorer sections of the society, i.e. small peasants, landless labourers, servants, daily wage earners would have been disappointed with the outcome of the revolution. Women also would have been highly discontented.

Question 3.

Describe the legacy of the French Revolution for the peoples of the world during the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries.

Answer:

The French Revolution proved to be the most important event in the history of the world.

The ideas of liberty and democratic rights were the most important legacy of the French Revolution. These ideas became an inspiring force for the political movements in the world in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity spread from France to the rest of Europe, where feudal system was finally abolished.

Colonised people reworked on the idea of freedom from bondage into their movements to Create a sovereign nation-state.

The idea of Nationalism that emerged after the French Revolution started becoming mass movements all over the world. Now people began to question the absolute power.

The impact of the French Revolution would be seen in India too. Tipu Sultan and Raja Rammohan Roy got deeply influenced by the ideas of the revolution.

 In the end, we can say that after the French Revolution people all over the world became aware of their rights.

Question 4.

Draw up a list of democratic rights we enjoy today whose origins could be traced to the French Revolution.

Answer:

Some of the democratic rights which we enjoy today can be traced to the French Revolution are as follows:

Right to equality including equality before the law, the prohibition of discrimination, and equality of opportunity in matters of employment.

Right to freedom of speech and expression including the right to practice any profession or occupation.

Right against exploitation.

Right to life.

Right to vote.

Question 5.

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

Answer:

The message of universal rights was definitely beset with contradictions. Many ideals of the “Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen” were not at all clear.

The French Revolution could not bring economic equality and it is the fact that unless there is economic equality, real equality cannot be received at any sphere. 

The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen laid stress on equality but large section of the society was denied to it. 

The right to vote and elect their representatives did not solve the poor man’s problem.

Women were still regarded as passive citizens. They did not have any political rights such as right to vote and hold political offices like men. Hence, their struggle for equal political rights continued.

France continued to hold and expand colonies. Thus, its image as a liberator could not last for a long time.

Slavery existed in France until the first half of the 19th century.

Question 6.

How would you explain the rise of Napoleon?

Answer:

The political instability of the Directory paved the way for the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.

 Napoleon had achieved glorious victories in wars. This made France realize that only a military dictator like Napoleon would restore a stable government.

In 1804, he crowned himself the emperor of France. He set out to conquer neighboring European countries, dispossessing dynasties and creating kingdoms where he placed members of his family. 

Napoleon viewed himself as a moderniser of Europe.

He introduced many laws such as the protection of private property and a uniform system of weight and measures provided by the decimal system. But his rise to power did not last for a long time. He was finally defeated at Waterloo in 1815.

                     EXTRA QUESTIONS

Q1    What was the role of the philosopher in the French Revolution? 

Ans.   Ideas of having a society based on freedom and equal laws and opportunities for all were put forward by the French philosophers. 

I) John Locke :  Locke wrote, ' Two Treatises of Government'. In this book, he criticised the divine and the absolute rights of the rulers. 

II)  John Jacques Rousseau:  Rousseau had written his viewpoint  in his book, 'The Social Contract - between people and their representatives. 

III)  Montesquieu :  His ideas were proposed in his book, 'The spirit of law'  . According to him there should be a division of power between the three organs -   the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. 

Q2  What do you know about triangular lave de? What legislative measures were taken to end slavery in French colonies?

Reluctance of Europeans to go and work in distant and unfamilia lands meant a shortage of labour on the plantations. So this was met by a triangular slave trade between Europe, Africa and the Americas. The exploitation of slave labour made it possible to meet the growing demand in European markets for sugar, coffee and indigo. 

Legislative Measures: 

(i) Throughout the 18th century there was little criticism of slavery in France.

(ii) 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.

(iii) It was finally the convention which in 1794 legislated to free all slaves in the French overseas possessions. 

(iv) This however turned out to be a short-term measure; ten years later, Napolean reintroduced slavery. 

(v) Plantation owners understood their freedom as including the right to enslave African Negroes in pursuit of their economic interests. 

(vi) Slavery was finally abolished in French colonies in 1848.

Q3  Explain the "Reign of Terror" in brief. 

Answer:

The following points explain the Reign of Terror:

(a) The period from 1793 to 1794 is called the Reign of Terror because Robespierre followed a policy of severe control and punishment. Ex- nobles, clergy, members of other political parties and even the members of his own party, who did not agree with his methods, were arrested, imprisoned and guillotined. 

(b) Laws were issued by Robespierre's government lows were issued by placing a maximum ceiling of wages and prices. Meat and bread were rationed.

(c) Peasants were forced to transport their grain to the cities and sell it at prices fixed by the government. The use of more expensive white flour was forbidden; all citizens were required to eat the equality bread.

(d) Equality was also sought to be practised through forms of speech and address. Instead of the traditional Sir and Madam, French men and women were addressed as citizen.

 (e) Churches were shut down and their buildings converted into barracks or offices. 

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

Q4 How did the women suffer in France during the Old Regime?

Answer:

 (a) During the Old Regime, most women worked to earn a living. They worked as seamstresses or laundresses or domestic servants in the houses of rich people. Many sold fruits, flowers and vegetables at the market to earn money.

(b) Most of them were not educated or trained to do any job. Only the daughters of rich people could study.

(c) Working women had to take care of their families too. They had to fetch water, queue up for bread, cook and look after the children. 

Q. 5.  Which laws were made to improve the status of women in the French society? 

Ans.  In the beginning, the revolutionary government introduced laws to improve the lives of women. 

i)  Schooling was made  compulsory for all girls. 

ii) Their fathers could no longer force them to marriage against their will. 

iii)  Divorce was made legal and could be applied by both men and women. 

iv)  Women could now be trained for jobs, could become artists or run small businesses. 

Q6  What was a ' Directory'?  Why was it removed from France? 

Answer.  I) After the fall of Jacobin, a new  Constitution was formed which denied the right to vote to non-propertied men. 

II) The Constitution provided two elected legislative councils, who appointed a Directory, an executive made up of five members.

III) However, the directors often clashed with legislative Councils and were finally dismissed. 

     With this political instability emerged in France which gave rise to a military dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte. 

Q7  Write some of the main features of the French Constitution of 1791.

Answer:

The main features of the French Constitution of 1791 were :

1 The constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in the National Assembly, which was indirectly elected. Its main objective was to limit the powers of the monarch.

2 The citizens of France voted for a group of electors, who in turn chose the Assembly. Only men above 25 years of age who paid taxes were entitled to vote.

3 The constitution began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and citizens.

4 The constitution declared that it was the duty of the state to protect each citizen’s natural rights.