Extra 20 important long question and answer of chapter-1 "The French Revolution" for Class 9 CBSE History:-
Q: Describe the social conditions in France leading up to the Revolution.
A:
French society was divided into three estates, with the First (clergy) and Second (nobility) enjoying privileges while the Third Estate (commoners) bore the burden of taxes.
The Third Estate, comprising peasants, artisans, and merchants, faced economic hardship and social inequality.
Feudal dues and taxes like the "
taille
" and "tithes" heavily burdened the peasantry.
The privileged estates were exempt from most taxes, creating resentment.
Enlightenment ideas of equality and liberty challenged the existing social order.
The growing middle class within the third estate, desired greater political power.
Q: Explain the economic factors that contributed to the French Revolution.
A:
Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France.
The extravagant lifestyle of the monarchy, particularly Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, worsened the financial crisis.
A series of poor harvests led to food shortages and rising bread prices.
The unequal tax system placed a disproportionate burden on the Third Estate.
Economic policies failed to address the growing poverty and unemployment.
The nations
financial
problems, made it so the king was forced to call the estates general.
Q: What were the key events of the French Revolution from 1789 to 1792?
A:
The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, symbolized the beginning of the Revolution.
The formation of the National Assembly and the Tennis Court Oath marked the Third Estate's determination to create a new constitution.
The "Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen" proclaimed fundamental rights and liberties.
The women's march on Versailles forced the royal family to move to Paris.
The National Assembly abolished feudal privileges and confiscated church lands.
The king's failed attempt to flee the country, increased revolutionary
fervour
.
Q: Discuss the "Reign of Terror" under Robespierre.
A:
The "Reign of Terror" (1793-1794) was a period of extreme violence and executions.
Maximilien Robespierre and the Jacobins sought to eliminate any opposition to the Revolution.
The Committee of Public Safety used the guillotine to execute thousands of suspected enemies.
Robespierre's radical policies and paranoia led to his own downfall and execution.
The period showed the dangers of revolutionary excess.
The law of suspects allowed for very fast trials, and executions.
Q: What was the significance of the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen"?
A:
It proclaimed the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity.
It asserted the sovereignty of the people and the rule of law.
It guaranteed fundamental rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and assembly.
It challenged the traditional hierarchical social order.
It served as a model for later declarations of human rights.
It helped to create a new idea of what it meant to be a citizen.
Q: Explain the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.
A:
Napoleon rose to prominence during the French Revolutionary Wars.
His military victories and political acumen made him a popular figure.
He seized power in a coup d'état in 1799, becoming First Consul.
He established a centralized government and implemented reforms, including the Napoleonic Code.
He crowned himself Emperor of France in 1804.
His military campaigns spread
French
revolutionary ideas across
Europe
.
Q: Describe the impact of the French Revolution on France and Europe.
A:
It ended the French monarchy and established a republic.
It spread the ideas of liberty, equality, and nationalism across Europe.
It led to the rise of Napoleon and the Napoleonic Wars.
It challenged the traditional social and political order.
It inspired movements for democratic reforms and national independence.
It influenced legal systems through the Napoleonic code.
Q: What role did women play in the French Revolution?
A:
Women participated in protests and demonstrations, such as the march on Versailles.
They formed political clubs and societies to advocate for their rights.
They demanded equal rights and improved living conditions.
Some women, like
Olympia
de Gouges, wrote influential political pamphlets.
Their involvement highlighted the limitations of the Revolution's ideals of equality.
Though they participated, they were still denied many rights.
Q: Explain the importance of the storming of the Bastille.
A:
It symbolized the overthrow of royal authority.
It marked the beginning of the French Revolution.
It demonstrated the power of popular uprising.
It led to the dismantling of the Bastille, a symbol of oppression.
It inspired revolutionary movements across Europe.
It forced the king to recognize the national assembly.
Q: What were the key principles of the Napoleonic Code?
A:
Equality before the law.
Freedom of religion.
Right to property.
Abolition of feudal privileges.
Standardization of laws.
It provided a legal framework for much of continental Europe.
Q: Discuss the influence of Enlightenment thinkers on the French Revolution.
A:
Thinkers like Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Voltaire promoted ideas of liberty, equality, and popular sovereignty.
Rousseau's "Social Contract" emphasized the importance of the general will.
Montesquieu's "Spirit of the Laws" advocated for the separation of powers.
Voltaire's writings criticized religious intolerance and advocated for freedom of speech.
These ideas helped to undermine the legitimacy of the absolute monarchy.
Enlightenment ideas provided the
intellectual
framework for the revolution.
Q: Explain the causes and effects of the "Subsistence Crisis".
A:
Causes included poor harvests, rising food prices, and economic inequality.
It led to widespread hunger, poverty, and social unrest.
It contributed to the growing discontent with the monarchy.
It
fuelled
popular uprisings and protests.
It
exacerbated
the already existing problems within the third estate.
The crisis helped to radicalize the population.
Q: What was the role of the Jacobin Club in the French Revolution?
A:
It was a radical political club that played a key role in the Reign of Terror.
Led by Robespierre, it sought to establish a republic based on virtue and terror.
It implemented policies to suppress counter-revolutionaries.
It promoted radical social and economic reforms.
The club's actions led to a period of extreme violence.
The
Jacobins
where very
influential
in the national convention.
Q: Describe the changes in the political system of France during the revolution.
A:
The absolute monarchy was replaced by a constitutional monarchy and then a republic.
The Estates-General was replaced by the National Assembly and then the National Convention.
Power shifted from the aristocracy to the common people.
The concept of citizenship and political participation expanded.
Political clubs and factions played a significant role in shaping the revolution.
France went through many different forms of government during the revolution.
Q: Explain the significance of the Tennis Court Oath.
A:
It was a pledge by the Third Estate to create a new constitution.
It demonstrated the Third Estate's determination to assert its authority.
It marked a crucial step towards the formation of the National Assembly.
It challenged the king's absolute power.
It unified the members of the third estate in their goals.
This event is seen as a key moment in the start of the
french
revolution.
Q: What where the effects of the
French
revolution on the catholic church?
A:
The churches
lands
where confiscated.
The power of the church was greatly reduced.
The civil constitution of the clergy, made priest become state officials.
Tithes where abolished.
This created a divide in the
French
population, between those who supported, and opposed the changes.
The revolution weakened the churches traditional hold on
French
society.
Q: Describe the importance of the Marseillaise.
A:
It became the national anthem of France.
It was a song of patriotism and revolution.
It inspired
French
soldiers
during the revolutionary wars.
It became a symbol of the
French
republic.
It represented the revolutionary spirit of the
French
people.
It helped to
unit
the
French
people.
Q: What was the role of the Sans-culottes?
A:
They were the
working class
people of
Paris
.
They where
strong supporters of the
Jacobins
.
They played a key role in many of the revolutions most radical events.
They demanded price controls, and political equality.
They where
a major force in the
Parisian
streets.
They helped to push the revolution towards a more radical direction.
Q: Explain the reasons behind the execution of Louis XVI.
A:
He was seen as a symbol of the old regime.
His attempts to flee the country, where seen as an act of treason.
The radical
Jacobins
wanted to ensure that the monarchy could not be restored.
He was found guilty of treason by the national convention.
His execution was seen as a necessity, for the establishment of the republic.
It was a symbolic break with the past.
Q: What where the lasting legacies of the
French
revolution?
A:
It promoted the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity.
It led to the spread of nationalism, and democratic ideas.
It influenced legal systems, through the
Napoleonic
code.
It showed that popular revolutions could over throw monarchies.
It transformed
European
political thought.
It helped to create the modern concept of the nation state.
