THE FRENCH REVOLUTION - Educomp Online

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Q42. It inspired the people throughout the world with the ideals of freedom and liberty. . In fact duringIndia’s struggle for freedom our national leaders looked up to the French people and took inspirationfrom their revolution3. The French Revolution preached the concept of equal rights to all the citizens which ultimatelybecame the guiding force of democracy all over the world.4. The French Revolution gave the term nation its modern meaning and promoted the concept ofnationalist and nationalism.5. The French Revolution had a great salutary effect on the ruling monarchs who took efforts to ensurepeoples welfare by introducing many reforms so that they do not loose their power to the people’srevolution.Draw a list of democratic rights we enjoy today whose origins can be traced to the French Revolution.1. The Right to Freedom or Liberty- The origin of the Right to Freedom can be traced to the Declarationof the Rights of man and citizens which laid emphasis on personal liberty as the Right of commonpeople.2. Right of Equality- Equality was one of the main principles of the French Revolution which led tospecial Rights of the common people and established political, economic and social equality.3. Inspiring the spirit of democracy- The French Revolution inspired the spirit of democracy whichensured all other rights that we enjoy today. It laid stress on the principle on the principle that thegovernment should not only be for the people but also by the people.4. End of slavery-Slavery is the inhuman practice in which humans were traded. They were tightlypacked in ships for 3 months voyage across Atlantic to the Caribbean. The convention of 1794 madethe slaves free even in the French overseas possessionsQ5Would you agree with the view that the message of Universal Rights was beset with contradictions? Explain.Yes, the study of the revolutions and the institutions established clearly suggests that the message ofUniversal Rights was beset with contradictions.1. Women were not given political rights as like men despite their active role and contribution to theFrench Revolution.2. Citizens were classified as active and passive based on the taxes paid by them that is their financialcondition.3. Equality and freedom were the central ideas for the revolutionaries and though slavery was abolishedin France, it was not applicable on the French colonies until 1848.4. The task of representing the people was given to the rich. To qualify as an elector and then asmember of the assembly, a man had to belong to the highest bracket of tax payers.Q6 Give an estimate of the work of the national assembly (1789-1791).1. Abolition of Rights to the privileged class. It put an end to feudalism and serfdom.2. Church was nationalized.3. Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizens which gave many Rights to ordinary citizens.4. It framed a new constitution in 1791 and adopted constitutional monarchy for France.5. Taxes were abolished.Q7What is Subsistence Crisis? Explain the causes that led to subsistence Crisis.Subsistence Crisis is an extreme situation where the basic means of livelihood are endangered.The causes of Subsistence Crisis are-1. The population of France rose from 23 million in 1715 to 25 million in 1789. This led to a rapidincrease in the demand for food grains.2
2. Production of grains could not keep pace with the demand. So the price of bread which was the staplediet of the majority rose rapidly.3. The labours got fixed wages which did not rise with the rise in prices.4. The gap between the rich and the poor widened.5. This led to subsistence crisis which occurred frequently in France of the old regime.Q8Explain Tithe and Taille.1. Tithe and Taille were a type of tax to be paid by the 3 rd Estate.2. Tithe was to be paid to the Church while Taille was paid to the King3. Tithe was paid in the form of one tenth of agricultural produce whereas Taille was levied on articles ofeveryday consumption such as salt, tobacco etc.4. The payment of Tithe and Taille did not benefit the third estate at all as neither the King nor theChurch used the tax money for the welfare of the people.5. The First and the second estate collected the taxes and benefitted from it.Q9Describe the role of the philosophers in the French Revolution. The role of the philosophers in the French Revolution is very important as they played a key role inarousing political aspirations in the minds of the French people. The ideas envisaging a society based on freedom and equal laws and opportunities for all etc were putforward by the philosophers.1. Rousseau- His ideas are propounded in his famous book “The Social Contract”. It invoked the Frenchpeople with the sentiments of freedom, equality and justice and proposed a form of governmentbased on a social contract between people and their representatives.2. Montesquieu- In his book “The Spirit of laws” he stressed upon the concept of the separation ofpowers of the executive, legislative and the judiciary as a pre requisite to eliminate corruption fromadministration.3. Voltaire- He was a revolutionary thinker and writer. He exposed the evils prevailing in the Churchand the administration.4. John Locke-In his book, Two Treatises of Government, he criticized the divine and absolute rights ofthe rulers.Q10What is the Old Regime? Describe the socio-economic condition of France in the old regime. The term old regime refers to the society and institutions of France before 1789.Socio Condition1. The French Society in the Old Regime was divided into 3 Estates.2. The First Estate consisted of the Clergy who collected the tax Tithe and the Second Estate consisted ofthe Nobility who collected Taille.3. The Third Estate consisted of the peasants, artisans, lawyers, and court officials etc who had toshoulder the entire burden of taxation.4. The nobility and the clergy enjoyed feudal privileges while the peasants were required to renderservices to them.Economic Condition1. The French treasury was empty due to long years of wars and the cost of maintaining the extravagantcourt at the palace of Versailles.2. France was under huge debt and the money lenders were charging 10% interest on loans.3. The extreme burden of taxation was on the Third Estate who had to pay both the taxes- Tithe andTaille.3
Page 1: Notes by Geeta KumarTHE FRENCH REVO
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