Class 9 History Chapter 1 Question Answers - The French Revolution

Q.1. When did the French Revolution begin?

Or

When was the Bastille Prison stormed?
Ans. It began on 14th July 1789 with the storming of the Bastille prison just outside Paris. This event came to symbolise the start of popular uprising against royal authority and became a turning point in the Revolution.

Q.2. Louis XVI belonged to which dynasty?

Or

Which ruler came to power in France in 1774?
Ans. Louis XVI belonged to the Bourbon dynasty. He became king of France in 1774.

Q.3. Who belonged to the third estate?

Or 

Which estate of the French society paid all taxes?
Ans. The third estate comprised all the people of France except the clergy (first estate) and the nobility (second estate). It included peasants, artisans, shopkeepers and the bourgeoisie; this estate bore the main burden of taxation.

Q.4. The new Constitution of France drafted in 1791 immediately after the revolution made France what kind of state?
Ans. It made France a constitutional monarchy, in which the powers of the king were severely limited and placed under laws made by an elected assembly.

Q.5. Who was the leader of the Jacobin club?
Ans. The leader of the Jacobin club was Maximilien Robespierre. He became a central figure in the radical phase of the Revolution.

Q.6. Who was the author of the pamphlet called 'What is the Third Estate'?
Ans. Abbe Sieyes, originally a priest, wrote the influential pamphlet 'What is the Third Estate?', arguing that the Third Estate constituted the true nation.

Q.7. Who was the editor of the paper called "L'ami du peuple" (The friend of the people)?
Ans. The revolutionary journalist Jean-Paul Marat was the editor of L'ami du peuple. He used the paper to express radical opinions and to stir public opinion.

Q.8. What was the charge on which King Louis XVI was sentenced to death?
Ans. Louis XVI was tried and sentenced to death on the charge of treason. He was executed publicly on 21st January 1793 at the Place de la Concorde after the National Convention found him guilty of conspiring against the liberty of the nation.

Q.9. What was the name of the assembly which was called in France in 1792?

Or 

Which new Assembly was formed by Jacobins?

Or

Who abolished the monarchy in France and declared it a republic, and when?
Ans. On 21st September 1792, the Convention, the newly elected assembly, abolished the monarchy and declared France a republic.

Q.10. A triangular slave trade was held between which areas of the world during the 18th century?

Or 

Between which three continents triangular slave trade was held?
Ans. A triangular slave trade was held between Europe, Africa and the Americas. European ships carried manufactured goods to Africa, exchanged them for enslaved people who were taken to the Americas, and plantation products (such as sugar and tobacco) were then shipped back to Europe.

Q.11. When did Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of France?

Or

When did Napoleon Bonaparte become Emperor of France?
Ans. He crowned himself Emperor of the French in 1804; the coronation took place on 2nd December 1804 at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Q.12. When and where was Napoleon Bonaparte finally defeated?

Or

In which famous war was Napoleon Bonaparte defeated?
Ans. Napoleon was finally defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, on 18th June 1815, by an allied army commanded by the Duke of Wellington and Marshal Blücher.

Q.13. Name the French port cities related to the slave trade.

Or

Name the French ports through which the slave trade was done.
Ans. Bordeaux and Nantes were the principal French ports from which merchants sailed to the African coast to buy enslaved people for sale in the Americas.

Q.14. Who seized power after the fall of the Jacobin government?
Ans. The fall of the Jacobin government allowed the wealthier middle classes to seize power through an executive body called the Directory, which governed France from 1795.

Q.15. Who did lead the representatives of the third estate in Versailles on 20th June 1789?
Ans. The representatives of the Third Estate were led by Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, Comte de Mirabeau, and Abbe Sieyes during the events at Versailles on 20th June 1789.

Q.16. Which social groups emerged in the 18th century?
Ans. The 18th century saw the growth of the middle class (often called the bourgeoisie). This group included merchants, professionals, lawyers and administrative officials who became increasingly influential in society.

Q.17. What was the name of the direct tax collected by the state from the peasants in 18th-century France?

Or

What was taille?
Ans. A direct tax called the taille was collected by the state from the peasants; it was one of the principal burdens on rural people.

Q.18. Name the French colonies in the Caribbean.
Ans. The main French colonies in the Caribbean were Martinique, Guadeloupe and Saint-Domingue (now Haiti).

Q.19. When was slavery finally abolished in the French colonies?
Ans. Slavery was finally abolished in the French colonies in 1848.

Q.20. Who wrote a 'Declaration of the Rights of Women and Citizens'?
Ans. Olympe de Gouges wrote the 'Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen' in 1791, demanding equal rights for women.

Q.21. When did the women in France get the right to vote?

Or

When did women in France finally get the right to vote in France?
Ans. Women in France gained the right to vote in 1946.

Q.22. Name the symbol of eternity in French society.
Ans. A snake biting its tail to form a ring, known as the Ouroboros, is used as a symbol of eternity in French iconography.

Snake biting its tail to form a ring: Symbol of Eternity. A ring has neither a beginning nor an end.

Q.23. Which section of French society was forced to give up its power after the French Revolution?
Ans. The first and second estates - the clergy and the nobility - were forced to give up their special privileges and much of their power after the French Revolution.

Q.24. Whom did Louis XVI get married to?
Ans. Louis XVI was married to Princess Marie Antoinette of Austria.

Q.25. Why was the Bastille hated by all?

Or

What did the fall of the Bastille signify?
Ans. The Bastille was hated because it symbolised the arbitrary and despotic power of the king. Its fall signified the end of royal repression and became a powerful symbol of popular resistance.

Q.26. Name the classes which formed the privileged estates.
Ans. The privileged estates were the clergy (first estate) and the nobility (second estate).

Q.27. When was monarchy abolished and France declared a republic?
Ans. On 21st September 1792, the monarchy was abolished and France was declared a republic.

Q.28. Name the authors of the following books. 
(i) The Social Contract 
(ii) The Spirit of Laws
Ans. 
(i) 'The Social Contract' was written by Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
(ii) 'The Spirit of Laws' was written by Montesquieu.

Q.29. Explain the terms Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity of the French Revolution.
Ans. The term Liberty means freedom from arbitrary rule; Equality means equal treatment before the law and equal rights for citizens; Fraternity means a spirit of brotherhood and mutual support among citizens.

Q.30. Name the European countries which share common boundaries with France.
Ans. The countries that share common boundaries with France are Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium.

Q.31. What was the most important legacy of the French Revolution?
Ans. The most important legacy was the spread of ideas of liberty, equality and democratic rights, which influenced political thought and movements across Europe and beyond.
Or

LEF (liberty, equality and fraternity)

Q.32. When was slavery finally abolished in France?
Ans. Slavery was finally abolished in 1848 in France.

Q.33. Name the important political clubs formed by women in France to fight for their political rights.
Ans. The important women's political clubs included the Society of Revolutionary Women and the Society of Republican Women, which organised to demand rights and influence public affairs.

Q.34. What was 'Directory'?
Ans. The Directory was an executive body of five members who governed France after the fall of Robespierre; they were appointed by two elected legislative councils.

Q.35. How Robespierre's end came?
Ans. Robespierre was arrested in July 1794, convicted by the Convention and sent to the guillotine the following day, marking the end of his rule during the Reign of Terror.

Q.36. What was Guillotine?
Ans. A guillotine was a device for beheading consisting of a heavy blade between two uprights. It was named after Dr. Guillotin, who proposed its use as a uniform and supposedly more humane method of execution.

Q.37. Who introduced 'Reign of terror' in France?
Ans. Robespierre, as a leading member of the Committee of Public Safety, played a central role in instituting the Reign of Terror, a period of severe political repression and executions.

Q.38. Who were 'Sans-Culottes'?
Ans. Sans-culottes were the common working people of Paris - artisans, labourers and shopkeepers - who rejected the dress of the aristocracy (knee-breeches) and wore long trousers; they supported radical revolutionary measures and symbolised popular power.

Q.39. What were political clubs?
Ans. Political clubs were organised groups where citizens met to discuss government policy and plan collective action. Women also formed such clubs to press for their rights.

Q.40. What was 'Marseillaise'?
Ans. It was a patriotic song sung by volunteers from Marseille as they marched into Paris; La Marseillaise later became the national anthem of France.

Q.41. Who could qualify as an Elector?

Or

Who were the electors?
Ans. To qualify as an elector and then as a member of the Assembly, a man had to belong to the highest bracket of taxpayers; voting rights were thus linked to property and wealth.

Q.42. When was the draft of the National Assembly's constitution completed, and what was its main objective?
Ans. The draft of the constitution was completed in 1791 and its main objective was to limit the powers of the monarch and establish a government based on laws made by an elected assembly.

Q.43. What was tithe?
Ans. Tithe was a tax levied by the Church, normally amounting to one-tenth of the agricultural produce, collected from farmers to support the clergy.

Q.44. What was a 'Manor'?
Ans. A manor was a landed estate consisting of the lord's lands, the village, and the lord's mansion, and it formed the basic unit of rural economy in the feudal system.

Q.45. What does 'Chateau' mean?
Ans. It refers to a castle or a stately country residence belonging to a nobleman or the king.

Q.46. What do you know about Abbe Sieyes?
Ans. Abbe Sieyes was originally a priest who became a political thinker. He wrote the influential pamphlet 'What Is the Third Estate?', arguing that the Third Estate represented the nation and deserved political rights.

Q.47. What was the Estates General?
Ans. The Estates General was a political assembly in which representatives of the three estates - clergy, nobility and the Third Estate - met to advise the king and discuss taxation and other matters.

Estates General

Q.48. How was the division of power suggested by philosopher Montesquieu?
Ans. Montesquieu proposed that state power should be divided among three branches - the legislative, the executive and the judiciary - to prevent the concentration of power and protect liberty.

Q.49. Why was Bastille Prison attacked?
Ans. The revolutionaries stormed the Bastille prison hoping to seize hoarded ammunition and weapons; the attack also had a strong symbolic value as a blow against royal oppression.

Q.50. What does 'subsistence crisis' mean?
Ans. It means an extreme situation in which the basic means of livelihood - such as food and essentials - are scarce or unavailable, endangering people's survival.