Causes Of The French Revolution

Question 1

What is a Revolution?

Answer 1

It’s an immediate act by the people around one cantered objective.

Question 2

Sate the Economic causes for the FR

Answer 2

a) Financial Bankruptcy
b) Social Inequality
c) Taxation Policy
d) Subsistence Crisis

Question 3

Financial causes

Answer 3

• Empty treasury- Upon accession Louis XVI found an empty treasury.
• Long years of war drained the financial resources of France.
• +It was expensive to maintain the oh so extravagant palace of Versailles.
• American War of Independence - it added a billion livres to debt on top of the two billion France already owed

Question 4

Social inequality

Answer 4

1st Estate (Clergy)
Land owners exempted from paying taxes

2nd Estate (Nobality)
Land owners who enjoyed feudal privileges [extracted the dues from peasants] and didn't pay taxes either 

3rd Estate (Peasants, big businessman, merchants, lawyers, artisans, landless labourers, servants, court officials)
90% of the population
Largely landless
Burdened with taxes
Render services to the Lord - to work in his house + fields - to serve in the army, participate in building roads

Question 5

Taxation Policy / Policy of the Church

Answer 5

Church Imposed = Tithes [1/10th of agricultural produce]

State Imposed = Taille [Everyday consumption like tobacco, salt] the direct tax

Question 6

What is subsistence crisis?

Answer 6

An extreme situation where the basic means of livelihood are endangered.

Question 7

What leads to subsistence crisis?

Answer 7

1.Rise in population
2.Production of grains not kept in pace with the demands
3.Price of bread rose rapidly
4.Wages of workers was kept the same(rise in prices)
5.Gap b/w rich and poor widened
6.Things became worse due to drought
This intern lead to bread riots and food shortage

Question 8

What was the role of the middle class in the French Revolt?

Answer 8

Middle class as an agent of social and political change 
Emergence of middle class
Their belief
Role of philosophers
Spread of ideas

Question 9

Middle class as an agent of social and political change

Answer 9

Past - peasants + workers took part in revolts against increasing taxes and food scarcity.
- lacked means and programmes to carry out full scale measure to actually bring abt a change in the social and economic order

Now - left to the more prosperous members of the 3rd Estate who had access to education and new ideas

Question 10

Emergence of Middle Class

Answer 10

18th CE emergence of social groups (termed middle class)
The earned their wealth thru oversea trade and manufacturing of goods like woollen and silk textiles bought by the richer members of the society

Question 11

Their belief

Answer 11

The all were well educated and believed that no group in society should be privileged by birth
Social status should be based on merit not by birth
Equal opportunities for all

Question 12

Role of philosophers

Answer 12

John Locke
He sought to refute(disapproved) the doctrine of the divine and absolute rights of the monarch. [the fact that the monarch derives the right to rule from the will of God and hence can’t be subjected to any earthly authority]

Jean Jacque Rousseau
He carried the same idea forward, proposing a form of government based on a social contract b/w ppl and their representatives.

Montesquieu
Proposed a division in power within the government b/w the legislative, judiciary, executive. This model of government was put into force in the USA after the 13 colonies declared their independence from Britain.
The American constitution and it guarantee of individual rights was an example for political thinkers in France.

Question 13

Spread of ideas

Answer 13

They were discussed intensively in salons and coffee houses.
These ideas spread among people thru books and newspapers.
They were read aloud in groups for people who couldn’t read and write.

EXTRA NOTE: The news that Louis XVI planned to impose further taxes angered the people and generated protests against the system of privileges.

Question 14

Write a short note on the outbreak of the revolution.

Answer 14

The people revolted against the cruel regime of monarchy. The revolution put forward the ideas of Liberty, Fraternity, and Equality.
The event which sparked the beginning of the French Revolution was the storming of the fortress prison-Bastille on the 14th July 1789 in Paris by the people’s militia. The fortress was demolished and it’s broken bricks sold in the market to anyone who wished to keep a souvenir.

Question 15

Meeting of the Estate General

Answer 15

5th May 1789 in a hall in Versailles
1st and 2nd Estates send 300 representatives each
3rd Estate sent the more prosperous and educated members of the society. All the 600 members were asked to stand in the back. Peasants, artisans and women were not allowed.

Question 16

Voting in the Estate General

Answer 16

Louis XVI basic agenda was to get the proposal for the increase in taxes to be passed.
Therefore he proposed to use the old principle that each Estate as a whole got only one vote.
But the 3rd Estate was completely against this and demanded that each individual got one vote and not the whole Estate.

Question 17

Formation of the National Assembly

Answer 17

Louis XVI rejected their ideas and went forward with the proposal to increase taxes. Enraged the entire 3rd Estate walked right out of the meeting hall.
On the 20th of June - the 3rd Estate formed the National Assembly in the hall of an indoor tennis court in the Palace of Versailles and pledged to not leave until they had drafted a constitution to limit the powers of the Monarch. The N.A was led by Mirabeau(a noble) and Abbé Sieyès (a Priest)
Mirabeau delivered powerful speeches to the crowds assembles at Versailles.
Abbé Sieyès wrote an influential pamphlet called “What is the Third Estate?”