The French Revolution Class 9 History Chapter 1 Extra Questions are available here. These extra questions has been prepared by the subject experts of our website CBSE Wale.
The French Revolution Class 9 History Chapter 1 Extra Questions
Question 1: What events occurred on the morning of 14 July 1789 in Paris?
Answer: The city was in a state of alarm as the king commanded troops to move in.
Question 2: What were the rumours circulating among the citizens?
Answer: Rumours spread that the king would order the army to open fire upon the citizens.
Question 3: What was the response of the citizens to the rumours?
Answer: Around 7,000 men and women gathered in front of the town hall and decided to form a peoples’ militia.
Question 4: How did the citizens attempt to arm themselves?
Answer: They broke into government buildings in search of arms.
Question 5: What action did a group of several hundred people take in the city?
Answer: They marched towards the eastern part of the city and stormed the fortress-prison, the Bastille.
Question 6: What was the purpose of storming the Bastille?
Answer: They hoped to find hoarded ammunition.
Question 7: What was the outcome of the armed fight at the Bastille?
Answer: The commander of the Bastille was killed and the prisoners were released, although there were only seven of them.
Question 8: Why was the Bastille despised by the people?
Answer: It symbolised the despotic power of the king.
Question 9: What happened to the Bastille after it was stormed?
Answer: The fortress was demolished, and its stone fragments were sold in the markets as souvenirs of its destruction.
Question 10: What occurred in the days following the storming of the Bastille?
Answer: There was more rioting both in Paris and the countryside.
Question 11: What was the main cause of protest for most people during this time?
Answer: Most people were protesting against the high price of bread.
Question 12: How did historians later view this period?
Answer: Historians saw it as the beginning of a chain of events that ultimately led to the execution of the king in France.
Question 13: Was the execution of the king expected by most people at the time?
Answer: No, most people at the time did not expect this outcome.
Question 14: Who ascended the throne of France in 1774, and what were the circumstances?
Answer: Louis XVI of the Bourbon family became king at 20 years old, finding an empty treasury due to years of war and the cost of maintaining an extravagant court at Versailles.
Question 15: How did France contribute to the American Revolutionary War under Louis XVI?
Answer: France assisted the thirteen American colonies in gaining independence from Britain, which added significantly to France’s debt.
Question 16: What were the financial challenges faced by France during Louis XVI’s reign?
Answer: The cost of wars, including the American Revolutionary War, coupled with maintaining an extravagant court and increasing debt led to financial strain. Lenders began charging high interest rates on loans, forcing the government to spend more on interest payments, leading to increased taxes.
Question 17: What was the structure of French society in the eighteenth century?
Answer: French society was divided into three estates, with only members of the third estate paying taxes. This structure was part of the feudal system dating back to the Middle Ages.
Question 18: What term is commonly used to describe French society and institutions before 1789?
Answer: The term “Old Regime” is usually used to describe French society and institutions before 1789.
Question 19: What percentage of the population were peasants, and what was their land ownership status?
Answer: Peasants comprised about 90% of the population, but only a small number owned the land they cultivated.
Question 20: Who owned the majority of the land in France during this time?
Answer: About 60% of the land was owned by nobles, the Church, and other wealthier members of the third estate.
Question 21: What privileges did the clergy and nobility enjoy by birth?
Answer: The clergy and nobility were exempt from paying taxes to the state. The nobles also had feudal privileges, including feudal dues extracted from peasants.
Question 22: What obligations did peasants have towards the nobles?
Answer: Peasants were obligated to render various services to the nobles, including working in their houses and fields, serving in the army, or participating in building roads.
Question 23: What taxes did the Church impose on peasants?
Answer: The Church levied taxes called tithes on peasants.
Question 24: What taxes were imposed on members of the third estate by the state?
Answer: Members of the third estate had to pay a direct tax called taille, as well as several indirect taxes on everyday items like salt or tobacco.
Question 25: Who primarily bore the burden of financing the state’s activities through taxes?
Answer: The burden of financing the state’s activities through taxes was borne by the third estate alone.
Question 26: How did the population of France change between 1715 and 1789?
Answer: The population of France increased from about 23 million to 28 million during that period.
Question 27: What effect did the population growth have on food demand?
Answer: The rapid increase in population led to a higher demand for food grains.
Question 28: How did the increase in food demand affect the price of bread?
Answer: The price of bread, the staple diet for most people, rose rapidly due to the imbalance between demand and production.
Question 29: What was the typical employment situation for most workers?
Answer: Most workers were employed as labourers in workshops, where their wages were fixed by the workshop owners.
Question 30: What factors exacerbated the economic hardships faced by the poor?
Answer: Wages did not keep pace with rising prices, leading to a widening gap between the poor and the rich. Additionally, events such as drought or hail reducing the harvest worsened the situation.
Question 31: What is a subsistence crisis?
Answer: A subsistence crisis is an extreme situation where the basic means of livelihood are endangered.
Question 32: How would you define a subsistence crisis?
Answer: A subsistence crisis occurs when the fundamental resources necessary for survival are at risk or insufficient to sustain a population.
Question 33: Can you explain the concept of a subsistence crisis?
Answer: A subsistence crisis represents a dire situation where people struggle to obtain the basic necessities for survival, such as food, water, and shelter, potentially leading to widespread suffering and deprivation.
Question 34: What historical actions have peasants and workers taken in response to issues like taxes and food scarcity?
Answer: Peasants and workers have participated in revolts against increasing taxes and food scarcity in the past.
Question 35: Why were these revolts unable to bring about significant change in the social and economic order?
Answer: These revolts lacked the means and programs to carry out full-scale measures necessary for significant social and economic change.
Question 36: Who was responsible for bringing about significant changes in the social and economic order?
Answer: Groups within the third estate who had become prosperous and had access to education and new ideas were responsible for bringing about significant changes in the social and economic order.
Question 37: What social groups emerged in the eighteenth century, and how did they acquire wealth?
Answer: The middle class emerged, earning wealth through overseas trade and manufacturing goods like textiles, which were either exported or bought by the wealthy.
Question 38: Who were included in the third estate besides merchants and manufacturers?
Answer: The third estate included professionals such as lawyers or administrative officials who were educated and believed in merit-based social positions.
Question 39: What ideas did philosophers like John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau advocate for?
Answer: They advocated for a society based on freedom, equal laws, and opportunities for all. Locke sought to refute the divine and absolute right of the monarch, while Rousseau proposed a government based on a social contract between people and their representatives.
Question 40: What was Montesquieu’s proposal regarding the division of power within the government?
Answer: Montesquieu proposed a division of power within the government between the legislative, the executive, and the judiciary, as outlined in his work “The Spirit of the Laws.”
Question 41: How did the ideas of political thinkers in France draw inspiration from the American constitution?
Answer: The American constitution, with its guarantee of individual rights, served as an important example for political thinkers in France after the thirteen colonies declared their independence from Britain.
Question 42: How were the ideas of philosophers like John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau disseminated among the people?
Answer: The ideas of philosophers were discussed intensively in salons and coffee-houses and spread through books and newspapers, often read aloud for those who couldn’t read and write.
Question 43: What effect did the news of Louis XVI’s plan to impose further taxes have on the public?
Answer: The news generated anger and protest against the system of privileges.
Question 44: How were books and newspapers utilised to spread philosophical ideas?
Answer: Books and newspapers served as mediums for spreading philosophical ideas, often being read aloud in groups to reach those who couldn’t read and write.
Question 45: What were some common venues for discussing philosophical ideas during this time?
Answer: Salons and coffee-houses were common venues for the intensive discussion of philosophical ideas.
Question 46: What process did Louis XVI have to follow to increase taxes in France during the Old Regime?
Answer: Louis XVI had to call a meeting of the Estates General, a political body representing the three estates, which would then pass his proposals for new taxes.
Question 47: What was the Estates General, and how did it function?
Answer: The Estates General was a political body to which the three estates of France sent their representatives. It had the authority to pass proposals for new taxes, but only the monarch could decide when to call a meeting of this body.
Question 48: When was the last time the Estates General had been called before Louis XVI’s reign?
Answer: The last time the Estates General was called was in 1614.
Question 49: What was the role of the monarch in convening the Estates General?
Answer: The monarch alone had the authority to decide when to call a meeting of the Estates General.
Question 50: When did Louis XVI convene the Estates General, and what was its purpose?
Answer: Louis XVI convened the Estates General on 5 May 1789 to pass proposals for new taxes.
Question 51: How was the assembly of the Estates General organised?
Answer: The assembly took place in a resplendent hall in Versailles. The first and second estates sent 300 representatives each, seated facing each other, while the 600 members of the third estate had to stand at the back.
Question 52: Who comprised the third estate’s representatives, and who were excluded from the assembly?
Answer: The third estate was represented by its more prosperous and educated members, while peasants, artisans, and women were denied entry to the assembly.
Question 53: How did those excluded from the assembly express their grievances?
Answer: Those excluded from the assembly expressed their grievances and demands through some 40,000 letters which the representatives had brought with them.
Question 54: How was voting conducted in the Estates General in the past, and what demand did members of the third estate make regarding voting rights?
Answer: In the past, voting in the Estates General was conducted with each estate having one vote. However, members of the third estate demanded that voting be conducted by the assembly as a whole, where each member would have one vote.
Question 55: What democratic principle did the demand for equal voting rights align with, and who advocated for it?
Answer: The demand for equal voting rights aligned with the democratic principle put forward by philosophers like Rousseau in his book “The Social Contract.”
Question 56: How did Louis XVI respond to the demand for equal voting rights, and what was the consequence?
Answer: Louis XVI rejected the proposal for equal voting rights. In response, members of the third estate walked out of the assembly in protest.
Question 57: Who did the representatives of the third estate consider themselves to represent, and what action did they take on 20 June?
Answer: The representatives of the third estate viewed themselves as spokesmen for the entire French nation. On 20 June, they assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court in the grounds of Versailles.
Question 58: What declaration did the representatives of the third estate make on 20 June, and what pledge did they take?
Answer: They declared themselves a National Assembly and swore not to disperse until they had drafted a constitution for France that would limit the powers of the monarch.
Question 59: Who were the leaders of the representatives of the third estate during this time?
Answer: They were led by Mirabeau and Abbé Sieyès. Mirabeau, born into a noble family, was convinced of the need to abolish feudal privilege. He was known for delivering powerful speeches and publishing a journal advocating for change.
Question 60: What role did Mirabeau play in advocating for change?
Answer: Mirabeau, despite being born into a noble family, advocated for the abolition of feudal privilege. He delivered powerful speeches and published a journal to mobilise support for change.
Question 61: What was happening in France while the National Assembly drafted a constitution at Versailles?
Answer: While the National Assembly drafted a constitution at Versailles, the rest of France was experiencing turmoil, exacerbated by a severe winter leading to a bad harvest and a rise in the price of bread.
Question 62: How did the price of bread impact the population, and what actions did they take?
Answer: The rise in the price of bread led to anger among the population, particularly women, who stormed into bakeries after waiting in long queues, accusing bakers of hoarding supplies.
Question 63: What action did King Louis XVI take in response to the unrest in Paris?
Answer: King Louis XVI ordered troops to move into Paris in response to the unrest.
Question 64: What significant event occurred on 14 July, and what was its outcome?
Answer: On 14 July, an agitated crowd stormed and destroyed the Bastille, a symbol of royal authority, in Paris.
Question 65: What rumours circulated in the countryside during this time, and what actions did they lead to?
Answer: Rumours spread that lords of the manor had hired bands of brigands to destroy ripe crops. Peasants, caught in a frenzy of fear, seized hoes and pitchforks and attacked chateaux, looting hoarded grain and burning down documents containing records of manorial dues.
Question 66: How did the peasants respond to the rumours, and what were the consequences?
Answer: Peasants in several districts responded by seizing hoes and pitchforks and attacking chateaux. They looted hoarded grain and burnt down documents. As a result, many nobles fled from their homes, with some migrating to neighbouring countries.
Question 67: What were the actions of the peasants in response to the rumours?
Answer: Peasants seized hoes and pitchforks and attacked chateaux, looting hoarded grain and burning down documents.
Question 68: What was the impact of the peasants’ actions on the nobles?
Answer: Many nobles fled from their homes, with some migrating to neighbouring countries, in response to the actions of the peasants.
Question 69: What actions did Louis XVI take in response to the revolt of his subjects?
Answer: Faced with the power of his revolting subjects, Louis XVI finally recognized the National Assembly and accepted the principle that his powers would be checked by a constitution.
Question 70: What significant decree did the National Assembly pass on the night of 4 August 1789?
Answer: On the night of 4 August 1789, the Assembly passed a decree abolishing the feudal system of obligations and taxes.
Question 71: What were some of the changes brought about by the decree of 4 August 1789?
Answer: The decree abolished the feudal system of obligations and taxes, forced the clergy to give up their privileges, abolished tithes, and confiscated lands owned by the Church.
Question 72: What were the consequences of the decree for the government?
Answer: As a result of the decree, the government acquired assets worth at least 2 billion livres through the confiscation of Church lands.
Question 73: When was the draft of the constitution completed, and what was its main objective?
Answer: The draft of the constitution was completed in 1791 by the National Assembly. Its main objective was to limit the powers of the monarch.
Question 74: How did the constitution aim to achieve its main objective?
Answer: The constitution aimed to limit the powers of the monarch by separating and assigning powers to different institutions, including the legislature, executive, and judiciary.
Question 75: What form of government did the constitution establish for France?
Answer: The constitution established France as a constitutional monarchy.
Question 76: What significant change did the constitution bring about in the distribution of power?
Answer: Instead of concentrating powers in the hands of one person, the constitution separated and assigned powers to different institutions, including the legislature, executive, and judiciary.
Question 77: How was the power to make laws vested according to the Constitution of 1791, and how was the National Assembly elected?
Answer: According to the Constitution of 1791, the power to make laws was vested in the indirectly elected National Assembly. Citizens voted for a group of electors, who then chose the Assembly.
Question 78: Who were granted the status of active citizens under the Constitution of 1791, and what criteria did they have to meet?
Answer: Only men above 25 years of age who paid taxes equal to at least 3 days of a labourer’s wage were granted the status of active citizens, entitled to vote.
Question 79: How were men classified if they didn’t meet the criteria to be active citizens, and what about women?
Answer: Men who didn’t meet the criteria to be active citizens and all women were classified as passive citizens.
Question 80: What was the requirement for a man to qualify as an elector and a member of the Assembly according to the Constitution of 1791?
Answer: To qualify as an elector and then as a member of the Assembly, a man had to belong to the highest bracket of taxpayers.
Question 81: What was the state of France in the years following the signing of the Constitution by Louis XVI?
Answer: France remained tense, with Louis XVI engaging in secret negotiations with the King of Prussia, and neighbouring rulers expressing concern and planning to send troops to quell the events unfolding since the summer of 1789.
Question 82: What decision did the National Assembly make in April 1792, and what was its consequence?
Answer: In April 1792, the National Assembly voted to declare war against Prussia and Austria. This decision led to thousands of volunteers from the provinces joining the army, seeing it as a war of the people against kings and aristocracies across Europe.
Question 83: What patriotic song emerged during this time, and who composed it?
Answer: The patriotic song “La Marseillaise” emerged during this time, composed by the poet Roget de L’Isle.
Question 84: How did “La Marseillaise” become the national anthem of France?
Answer: “La Marseillaise” became the national anthem of France after it was sung for the first time by volunteers from Marseilles as they marched into Paris.
Question 85: What impact did the revolutionary wars have on the people, particularly women?
Answer: The revolutionary wars resulted in losses and economic difficulties for the people. With men away fighting at the front, women were left to manage earning a living and caring for their families.
Question 86: What dissatisfaction arose regarding the Constitution of 1791?
Answer: Large sections of the population were dissatisfied because the Constitution of 1791 granted political rights only to the richer sections of society.
Question 87: What role did political clubs play during this period of the revolution?
Answer: Political clubs became important gathering places for people to discuss government policies and plan their own forms of action.
Question 88: Which political club was the most successful, and how did it get its name?
Answer: The Jacobin club was the most successful, named after the former convent of St. Jacob in Paris.
Question 89: What was the role of women during this period, and how did they organise?
Answer: Women, who had been active throughout the period, formed their own clubs to participate in discussions and actions related to the revolution.
Question 90: Who were the members of the Jacobin club, and what social backgrounds did they come from?
Answer: The members of the Jacobin club mainly belonged to the less prosperous sections of society, including small shopkeepers, artisans like shoemakers, pastry cooks, watch-makers, printers, servants, and daily-wage workers.
Question 91: Who was the leader of the Jacobin club, and what was a significant symbolic action taken by its members?
Answer: The leader of the Jacobin club was Maximilian Robespierre. A significant symbolic action taken by its members was deciding to wear long striped trousers, similar to those worn by dock workers, to set themselves apart from the fashionable sections of society, especially nobles who wore knee breeches.
Question 92: What term was used to refer to the Jacobins who adopted the long striped trousers, and what did it signify?
Answer: The Jacobins who adopted the long striped trousers came to be known as the sans-culottes, meaning ‘those without knee breeches’. It symbolised the end of the power wielded by those who wore knee breeches.
Question 93: What additional symbol did the sans-culottes men wear, and why weren’t women allowed to wear it?
Answer: The sans-culottes men wore the red cap that symbolized liberty. However, women were not allowed to wear it.
Question 94: What event occurred in the summer of 1792, and what was its significance?
Answer: In the summer of 1792, the Jacobins planned an insurrection of Parisians who were angered by the short supplies and high prices of food. They stormed the Palace of the Tuileries on August 10, massacred the king’s guards, and held the king himself as a hostage for several hours.
Question 95: What decision did the Assembly make following the events of August 10, 1792?
Answer: Following the events of August 10, 1792, the Assembly voted to imprison the royal family.
Question 96: What change occurred regarding voting rights after the imprisonment of the royal family?
Answer: After the imprisonment of the royal family, elections were held, and all men of 21 years and above, regardless of wealth, gained the right to vote.
Question 97: What was the significance of the August 10 event in terms of voting rights?
Answer: The August 10 event led to a significant expansion of voting rights, granting all men of 21 years and above, regardless of wealth, the right to vote.
Question 98: What was the name of the newly elected assembly, and what significant action did it take on 21 September 1792?
Answer: The newly elected assembly was called the Convention. On 21 September 1792, it abolished the monarchy and declared France a republic.
Question 99: What is a republic, and how does it differ from a monarchy?
Answer: A republic is a form of government where the people elect the government, including the head of the government. Unlike a monarchy, there is no hereditary monarchy in a republic.
Question 100: What was the fate of Louis XVI, and why was he sentenced to death?
Answer: Louis XVI was sentenced to death by a court on the charge of treason. He was executed publicly at the Place de la Concorde on 21 January 1793.
Question 101: What happened to Queen Marie Antoinette, and when did it occur?
Answer: Queen Marie Antoinette met with the same fate as Louis XVI and was executed shortly after his public execution on 21 January 1793.
Question 102: What period is referred to as the Reign of Terror, and who was responsible for it?
Answer: The period from 1793 to 1794 is referred to as the Reign of Terror, and it was orchestrated by Robespierre.
Question 103: What was Robespierre’s policy during the Reign of Terror?
Answer: Robespierre followed a policy of severe control and punishment, targeting anyone he perceived as an enemy of the republic, including ex-nobles, clergy, members of other political parties, and even dissenting members of his own party.
Question 104: What was the fate of those deemed guilty during the Reign of Terror?
Answer: Those deemed guilty during the Reign of Terror were arrested, imprisoned, and tried by a revolutionary tribunal. If found guilty, they were executed by the guillotine.
Question 105: What is the guillotine, and who invented it?
Answer: The guillotine is a device consisting of two poles and a blade used for beheading people. It was named after Dr. Guillotin, who invented it.
Question 106: What economic measures did Robespierre’s government implement during his rule?
Answer: Robespierre’s government issued laws placing a maximum ceiling on wages and prices, rationed meat and bread, and forced peasants to transport their grain to cities to sell at government-fixed prices.
Question 107: What changes were made to food consumption during Robespierre’s rule?
Answer: During Robespierre’s rule, the use of more expensive white flour was forbidden, and all citizens were required to eat “pain d’égalité” (equality bread), made of wholewheat.
Question 108: How did Robespierre’s government seek to enforce equality in speech and address?
Answer: Robespierre’s government enforced equality in speech and address by replacing traditional titles like Monsieur (Sir) and Madame (Madam) with Citoyen and Citoyenne (Citizen) for all French men and women, respectively.
Question 109: What changes were made to churches during Robespierre’s rule?
Answer: Churches were shut down, and their buildings were converted into barracks or offices during Robespierre’s rule.
Question 110: What led to Robespierre’s downfall, and what was the outcome?
Answer: Robespierre’s relentless pursuit of his policies led even his supporters to demand moderation. Eventually, he was convicted by a court in July 1794, arrested, and the next day, he was executed by the guillotine.
Question 111: How did Robespierre’s supporters react to his policies over time?
Answer: Over time, even Robespierre’s supporters began to demand moderation due to the relentless pursuit of his policies.
Question 112: What was the final fate of Robespierre, and how did it occur?
Answer: Robespierre was convicted by a court in July 1794, arrested, and the next day, he was executed by the guillotine.
Question 113: What occurred after the fall of the Jacobin government, and who seized power?
Answer: After the fall of the Jacobin government, the wealthier middle classes seized power in France.
Question 114: What changes were introduced with the new constitution, and who was denied the right to vote?
Answer: The new constitution denied the vote to non-propertied sections of society and introduced two elected legislative councils.
Question 115: What was the purpose of establishing the Directory, and how was it composed?
Answer: The Directory, composed of five members, was established as an executive to serve as a safeguard against the concentration of power in a one-man executive, as had been the case under the Jacobins.
Question 116: What political instability arose during the period of the Directory?
Answer: The Directors often clashed with the legislative councils, leading to political instability. The legislative councils sought to dismiss the Directors, exacerbating the instability.
Question 117: What historical figure rose to power following the period of the Directory, and how did this occur?
Answer: Following the political instability of the Directory, Napoleon Bonaparte, a military dictator, rose to power in France.
Question 118: How were women involved in the events that brought about changes in French society?
Answer: Women were active participants from the beginning in the events that led to significant changes in French society, hoping their involvement would pressure the revolutionary government to improve their lives.
Question 119: What were the primary occupations of most women from the third estate?
Answer: Most women from the third estate had to work for a living, engaging in occupations such as seamstresses, laundresses, selling flowers, fruits, and vegetables at the market, or working as domestic servants in wealthy households.
Question 120: What were the educational and employment opportunities for women during this time?
Answer: Most women did not have access to education or job training. Only daughters of nobles or wealthier members of the third estate could study at a convent, after which their families arranged marriages for them.
Question 121: What were the additional responsibilities of working women, and how did their wages compare to men’s?
Answer: Working women not only had to work but also had to care for their families, including cooking, fetching water, queuing up for bread, and looking after children. Additionally, their wages were lower than those of men.
Question 122: How did women advocate for their interests during the French Revolution?
Answer: Women advocated for their interests by establishing their own political clubs and newspapers, with about sixty women’s clubs emerging in various French cities. The Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women was the most famous among them.
Question 123: What were some of the main demands of women’s clubs like the Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women?
Answer: One of the main demands of women’s clubs was that women enjoy the same political rights as men. They were disappointed by the Constitution of 1791, which reduced them to passive citizens, and they demanded the right to vote, to be elected to the Assembly, and to hold political office.
Question 124: Why did women feel it was necessary to have political rights equal to men?
Answer: Women felt it was necessary to have political rights equal to men because they believed that only then would their interests be represented in the new government.
Question 125: What impact did the Constitution of 1791 have on women’s political rights?
Answer: The Constitution of 1791 reduced women to passive citizens, which disappointed them and prompted their demand for equal political rights.
Question 126: What improvements were made in the lives of women by the revolutionary government in the early years of the French Revolution?
Answer: In the early years of the French Revolution, the revolutionary government introduced laws that significantly improved the lives of women. These included compulsory schooling for all girls, protection from forced marriage, legalisation of divorce accessible to both women and men, and opportunities for women to train for jobs, become artists, or run small businesses.
Question 127: What changes were made regarding education and marriage laws for women during the French Revolution?
Answer: The revolutionary government made schooling compulsory for all girls and changed marriage laws so that marriage became a voluntary contract entered into freely and registered under civil law, thus protecting women from forced marriages.
Question 128: What significant legal change regarding divorce was introduced during the French Revolution?
Answer: Divorce was made legal during the French Revolution, and both women and men were given the right to apply for it.
Question 129: How did the French Revolution expand opportunities for women in terms of employment and professions?
Answer: The French Revolution opened up opportunities for women to train for jobs, pursue careers as artists, or operate small businesses, thus expanding their economic independence and professional options.
Question 130: How did the French government respond to women’s struggle for equal political rights during the Reign of Terror?
Answer: During the Reign of Terror, the French government issued laws ordering the closure of women’s clubs and banning their political activities. Many prominent women were arrested, and some were executed as a result.
Question 131: What happened to women’s movements for voting rights and equal wages following the French Revolution?
Answer: Women’s movements for voting rights and equal wages continued for the next two hundred years in many countries worldwide.
Question 132: How was the fight for women’s suffrage carried out internationally during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?
Answer: The fight for women’s suffrage was carried out through an international suffrage movement during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Question 133: When did women in France finally win the right to vote, and how long did it take after the French Revolution?
Answer: Women in France finally won the right to vote in 1946, nearly one hundred and fifty years after the French Revolution.
Question 134: What was one of the most revolutionary social reforms of the Jacobin regime?
Answer: One of the most revolutionary social reforms of the Jacobin regime was the abolition of slavery in the French colonies.
Question 135: Why was there a shortage of labour on the plantations in the French colonies?
Answer: There was a shortage of labour on the plantations in the French colonies because Europeans were reluctant to go and work in distant and unfamiliar lands.
Question 136: Describe the triangular slave trade that occurred during the seventeenth century.
Answer: The triangular slave trade involved European merchants sailing from ports like Bordeaux or Nantes to the African coast, where they bought slaves from local chieftains. The slaves were then transported across the Atlantic to the Caribbean, where they were sold to plantation owners.
Question 137: How did the exploitation of slave labour contribute to the economic prosperity of port cities like Bordeaux and Nantes?
Answer: The exploitation of slave labor in the French colonies contributed to the economic prosperity of port cities like Bordeaux and Nantes, as they owed their economic success to the flourishing slave trade.
Question 138: How was slavery viewed in France during the eighteenth century?
Answer: Throughout the eighteenth century, there was little criticism of slavery in France.
Question 139: What debates took place in the National Assembly regarding the extension of rights to French subjects in the colonies?
Answer: The National Assembly held long debates about whether the rights of man should be extended to all French subjects, including those in the colonies.
Question 140: Why did the National Assembly refrain from passing laws regarding slavery?
Answer: The National Assembly refrained from passing laws regarding slavery due to fears of opposition from businessmen whose incomes depended on the slave trade.
Question 141: When and by whom was legislation enacted to free all slaves in French overseas possessions?
Answer: It was the Convention in 1794 which legislated to free all slaves in the French overseas possessions.
Question 142: What happened ten years after the Convention’s legislation to free slaves, and when was slavery finally abolished in French colonies?
Answer: Ten years after the Convention’s legislation to free slaves, Napoleon reintroduced slavery. Slavery was finally abolished in French colonies in 1848.
Question 143: What changes occurred in France following the revolution of 1789?
Answer: Following the revolution of 1789, many changes occurred in the lives of men, women, and children in France.
Question 144: How did revolutionary governments in France aim to translate the ideals of liberty and equality into everyday practice?
Answer: Revolutionary governments in France aimed to translate the ideals of liberty and equality into everyday practice by passing laws that promoted freedom of speech, expression, and cultural activities.
Question 145: What was one significant law passed soon after the storming of the Bastille in 1789?
Answer: One significant law passed soon after the storming of the Bastille in 1789 was the abolition of censorship.
Question 146: How did the abolition of censorship impact written material and cultural activities in France?
Answer: The abolition of censorship meant that all written material and cultural activities, such as books, newspapers, and plays, could be published or performed without prior approval by royal censors. This led to a flood of newspapers, pamphlets, books, and printed pictures across France, which described and discussed the events and changes taking place in the country.
Question 147: What was the significance of freedom of the press in post-revolutionary France?
Answer: Freedom of the press allowed opposing views of events to be expressed, enabling different sides to convince others of their positions through printed media. It also provided a means for people to grasp and identify with ideas such as liberty and justice, which were discussed in texts that only a few educated individuals could read.
Question 148: When did Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of France, and what were his aims as Emperor?
Answer: Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of France in 1804. His aim as Emperor was to conquer neighbouring European countries, dispossess dynasties, and create kingdoms where he placed members of his family.
Question 149: What were some of the laws introduced by Napoleon Bonaparte during his reign?
Answer: Napoleon Bonaparte introduced many laws during his reign, including the protection of private property and a uniform system of weights and measures provided by the decimal system.
Question 150: How was Napoleon initially perceived by the people, and how did this perception change over time?
Answer: Initially, many people saw Napoleon as a liberator who would bring freedom for the people. However, over time, the Napoleonic armies came to be viewed everywhere as an invading force.
Question 151: When was Napoleon finally defeated, and what was the impact of his measures on Europe?
Answer: Napoleon was finally defeated at Waterloo in 1815. Many of his measures, which carried the revolutionary ideas of liberty and modern laws to other parts of Europe, had an impact on people long after Napoleon had left.
Question 152: What is considered the most important legacy of the French Revolution, and how did it spread beyond France?
Answer: The most important legacy of the French Revolution is considered to be the ideas of liberty and democratic rights. These ideas spread from France to the rest of Europe during the nineteenth century, leading to the abolition of feudal systems. Additionally, colonised peoples reworked the idea of freedom from bondage into their movements to create sovereign nation-states.