important questions of french revolution class 9th
Answers
Answer:
Question 1.
Who was the ruler of France during the revolution?
Answer:
Louis XVI of the Bourbon family was the ruler of France.
Question 2.
Name the three ‘Estates’ into which the French society was divided before the Revolution.
Answer:
The First Estate — Clergy
The Second Estate — Nobility
The Third Estate — Common people.
Question 3.
When did the French Revolution occur?
Answer:
14th July, 1789.
Question 4.
What was tithes?
Answer:
It was a tax levied by the church, comprising one-tenth of the agricultural produce.
Question 5.
What was taille?
Answer:
It was a direct tax to be paid to the State.
Question 6.
Who formed the National Assembly in France in 1789?
Answer:
Third Estate
Question 7.
To whom was the taxes called Tithes payable by the peasants in the eighteenth century France?
Answer:
Church.
Question 8.
Which class of society in France was behind the French Revolution?
Answer:
Middle class.
Question 9.
What was the slogan of the French revolutionaries?
Answer:
Liberty, Fraternity and Equality.
Question 10.
On what charges was Louis XVI of France sentenced to death?
Answer:
Treason.
Question 11.
What was feudal system?
Answer:
It was a system under which land was granted to landlords in return for military or labour services.
Question 12.
Which philosopher had forwarded the principle of voting by the assembly as a whole, where each member should have one vote, during the rule of louis XVI?
Answer:
Rousseau.
Question 13.
In which book did Rousseau mention the idea of one person, one vote?
Answer:
The Social Contract.
Question 14.
Give the titles of the books written by :
(a) Rousseau
(b) Charles Montesquieu
Answer:
(a) The Social Contract,
(b) The Spirit of the Laws.
Question 15.
What was the theme of the book ‘The Spirit of the Laws’ written by Montesquieu?
Answer:
Montesquieu proposed a division of power within the government between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.
Question 16.
Which book has proposed a division of power within government?
Answer:
‘The Spirit of the Laws’.
Question 17.
Who proposed a division of power within government?
Answer:
Montesquieu.
Answer:
2. Explain any five features of the Constitution of 1791 framed by the National Assembly in France.
Or
Highlight any five features of the constitution of 1791 in France.
Answer:
Features of the Constitution of 1791 :
It declared France a constitutional monarchy.
Powers of the king separated and assigned to the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.
Laws to be made by the National Assembly.
Only men above 25 years of age, who paid taxes equal to at least 3 days of a labourer’s wage, were entitled to vote.
Many rights were given to the people.
To qualify as an elector and as member of the Assembly, a man had to belong to highest bracket of taxpayers.
3. Who was Robespierre? Describe any four steps taken by him to bring equality.
Answer:
Maximilian Robespierre was the leader of Jacobin Club.
The period from 1793 to 1794 is referred to as the Reign of Terror. Robespierre followed a policy of severe control and punishment.
All those whom he saw as being ‘enemies’ of the republic-ex-nobles and clergy, members of other political parties, even members of his own party who did not agree with his methods were arrested, imprisoned and then tried by a revolutionary tribunal. If the court found them ‘guilty1 they were guillotined.
Robespierre’s government issued laws placing a maximum ceiling on wages and prices. Meat and bread were rationed. Peasants were forced to transport their grain to the cities and sell it at prices fixed by the government.
Churches were shut down and their buildings converted into barracks or offices.
4. What was the role of Jacobins during the French Revolution?
Or
Explain the role of Jacobins in the French Revolution.
Answer:
(i) Middle Class: The members of the Jacobins club belonged mainly to the less prosperous sections of society. They included small shopkeepers, artisans such as shoemakers, pastry cooks, watch-makers, printers, as well as servants and daily-wage workers. Their leader was Maximilian Robespierre.
(ii) Different Clothes: A large group among the Jacobins decided to start wearing long striped trousers similar to those worn by dock workers. This was to set themselves apart from the fashionable sections of society, especially nobles, who wore knees breeches. It was a way of proclaiming the end of the power wielded by the wearers of knee breeches. These Jacobins came to be known as the sansculottes, literally meaning — those without knee breeches. Sansculottes men wore in addition the red cap that symbolised liberty.
(iii) Carrying the Revolution: They were the people who believed that the revolution had to be carried further, as the Constitution of 1791 gave political rights only to the richer sections of society.
(iv) Storming the King’s Palace: In the summer of 1792 the Jacobins planned an insurrection of a large number of Parisians who were angered by the short supplies and high prices of food. On the morning of August 10 they stormed the Palace of the Tuileries, massacred the king’s guards and held the king himself as hostage for several hours. Later the Assembly voted to imprison the royal family.
(v) France became a Republic: Elections were held. From now on all men of 21 years and above, regardless of wealth, got the right to vote. The newly elected assembly was called the Convention. On 21 September, 1792 it abolished the monarchy and declared France a republic.
4. Describe the conditions of women during the period of French Revolution.
Answer:
Conditions of women during the period of French Revolution are :
From the very beginning women were active participants in the events which brought sfbout major changes in the French Society.
Most women of the Third Estate had to work for a living as seamstresses or laundresses. They even sold flowers, fruits and vegetables at the market.
They were employed as domestic servants in the house of prosperous people.
They started their own political clubs and newspapers in order to voice their interests.
They demanded the right to vote to be elected to the Assembly and hold political office.
They did not have access to education or job training. Only daughter wealthier members of the Third Estate could stay at convent.
Working women had also to take care of their families. Their wages were lower than those of men.