1. Describe the circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest
in France
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?
3. Describe the legacy of the French Revolution for the peoples of the world
during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
4. Draw up a list of democratic rights we enjoy today whose origins could be
traced to the French Revolution.
5. Would you agree with the view that the message of universal rights was
beset with contradictions? Explain.
6. How would you explain the rise of Napoleon?
Answers
answer
Solution:2
In the eighteenth century, the French society was divided into three estates, namely,
(i) The Clergy;
(ii) The Nobility and
(iii) Peasants , Officials and Businessmen
The population of France rose greatly in the 1780s. This led to a rapid increase in the demand for food grains. Production of grains could not keep pace with the demand. So the price of bread which was the staple diet of the majority rose rapidly. Wages did not keep pace with the rise in prices. So the gap between the poor and the rich widened. Added to this long years of war had drained the financial resources of France.
To meet its regular expenses, King Louis XVI had to increase the taxes. Only members of the third estate had to pay taxes.
.
Solution:2
The wealthier middle class people who were educated benefited from the Revolution. The fall of the Jacobin government allowed them to seize power. A new constitution was introduced which denied the vote to non-propertied sections of society.
The Clergy were forced relinquish power. The Assembly passed a decree abolishing the feudal system of obligations and taxes. So, members of the clergy too were forced to give up their privileges. Tithes were abolished and lands owned by the Church were confiscated.
Women were disappointed with the outcome of the revolution as it reduced them to be passive citizens. Their demand for the right to vote, to be elected to the Assembly and to hold political office did not materialise.
Solution:3
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. Colonised people reworked the idea of freedom from bondage into their movements to create a sovereign nation state. Tipu Sultan and Rammohan Roy are two examples of individuals who responded to the ideas coming from revolutionary France.
Solution:4
The Constitution of 1791 began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.
The origin of many of the rights we enjoy today could be traced to the Declaration of the Rights of Man, constituted after the French Revolution.
The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen
1. Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. (Right to equality)
2. Every citizen may speak, write and print freely; he must take responsibility for the
abuse of such liberty in cases determined by the law. Liberty consists of the power to
do whatever is not injurious to others. (Freedom of speech, expression and thought)
3. The source of all sovereignty resides in the nation; no group or individual may exercise authority that does not come from the people.(Right to vote and be elected for political offices.)
Solution:5
The message of Universal Rights was beset with contradictions. The revolutionary journalist Jean-Paul Marat felt that the Declaration of Rights was biased. Jean-Paul Marat felt that the Constitution drafted by the National Assembly had given the task of representing the people to the rich. He felt that the poor were suppressed and the wealthy influenced the law. He felt that the Constitution was available only for the rich and the poor were deprived of their rights.
Camille Desmoulins wrote that some people believed that Liberty was like a child, which needs to go through a phase of being disciplined before it attains maturity.
Solution6
The fall of the Jacobin government allowed the wealthier middle classes to seize power. A new constitution was introduced which denied the vote to non-propertied sections of society. It provided for two elected legislative councils. These then appointed a Directory, an executive made up of five members. However, the Directors often clashed with the legislative councils, who then sought to dismiss them.
Answer:
Idk because I didn't rea