The French Revolution Class 9th History Lesson 1

NOTES PREPARED BY 
ADIL AHMAD,M.A,M.Phill
TEACHER SCHOOL 
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT 
JAMMU AND KASHMIR

 Chapter 1

The French Revolution

Q1.Describe the circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in France.

Ans. The circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in France were:

i. Social Inequality: -

French society in the eighteenth century was divided  into three estates namely The Clergy, The nobility and third estates. First two estates, that is, the clergy and the nobility enjoyed certain privileges by birth. They were exempt from paying taxes. The Third estate comprises of businessmen, merchants, Peasants and artisans, labours had to pay taxes to the state.

ii. Political Causes:- 

Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France: France had a debt of more than 2 billion livres. To meet its regular expenses, such as the cost of maintaining an army, the court, running government offices or universities, the state was forced to increase taxes which angered the people.

iii. Economic Problems:-

The population of France also increased from 23

 million in 1715 to 28 million in 1789. Food grains were now in great ,demand. The price of bread shot up. Wages did not keep pace with rising 

prices. This led to subsistence crisis.

iv. Strong Middle Class:-

A new middle class emerged educated and

wealthy during the eighteenth century. They believed that no group in society should be given privileges by birth. Ideas of equality and freedom

were put forward by philosophers. The ideas of these philosophers were discussed intensively in salons and coffee houses and spread among people.

v. Immediate Causes: -

assembly of Estates General to pass proposals for new taxes.
Third761
estates protested against this proposal but as each estate have one vote,
the king rejected this appeal. They walked out of the assembly

Q2. 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 out come  of the revolution?

Ans. It was the richer members of the third estate who mostly benefited from the French Revolution. The clergy and the nobility were
relinquish (surrender) their power.
The poor class of third estate and women would have been disappointed with the outcome of the
revolution as the promise of equality, discussed
during the revolution was not given. The poorer classes had no right to vote.

Q3. Describe the legacy of the French Revolution for the peoples of the the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. world during

Ans. The Ideas of liberty and democratic rights were the most important legacy of the French Revolution. These spread from France to the rest of Europe during the nineteenth century, where feudal systems were abolished. It inspired the Germans, Italians, and Australians to overthrow
their oppressive regimes. The French Revolution inspired the struggling nations of Asia and Africa who were groaning under the oppression of European colonialism. Tipu Sultan and Raja Ram Mohan Roy are two examples of individuals who responded to ideas coming from French revolution.

Q4.Draw up a list of democratic rights we enjoy today whose origins could be traced to the French Revolution.

Ans. We can trace the origin of the following democratic rights we enjoy today to the French revolution:

i. Right to Equality before law

ii. Freedom of Speech and expression

iii. Right against exploitation

iv. Right to justice

Q5. Would you agree with the view that the message of universal rights was beset with contradictions? Explain.

Ans. Yes, the message of universal right
was beset with contradictions:

Law is the expression of the general will. All citizens have the right to participate in its formation thin this line, it is stated personally or through their representatives. - at every citizen has the right to participate in the law however only men above 25 years of age who paid taxes equal to at least 3 days of a labourer's wage were given voting right. The remaining men and all women were classed as passive citizens and were deprived of voting right .
Hence the message of universal rights was not very clear. The Constitution is only available for the rich. Women were totally neglected in decision making.

Q6. How would you explain the rise of Napoleon?

Ans. After Robespierre's rule came to an end a directory was formed to avoid concentration of power in one individual. Members of the  directory often fought among themselves leading to total chaos and political instability. This created a political vacuum in France. This was a conducive situation and Napoleon Bonaparte took the reign of power as a dictator. Napoleon saw his role as a moderniser of Europe. He introduced many laws such as the protection of private property and a system of weights and measures provided by the decimal system.