Important Points - The French Revolution | Social Studies (SST) Class 9 PDF Download

The French Revolution

• In 1789, in the wake of early morning, the city of Paris was in a state of alarm. Rumours spread that the King would open fire upon the citizens. 
• People started gathering and they started breaking a number of government buildings in search of arms. 
• The commander of the Bastille was killed in the armed fight and the prisoners were released. 
• People hated the Bastille as it stood for the despotic power of the king. People protested against the high price of bread. A new chain of events began which led to the execution of the King in France.

French Society During the Late Eighteenth Century

Composition of French Society

1st Estate: Clergy

2nd Estate: Nobility

3rd Estate: Big businessmen, merchants, court officials, peasants, artisans, landless laborers, servants, etc.

• Some within the Third Estate were rich and some were poor.
• The burden of financing activities of the state through taxes was borne by the Third Estate alone.

The Struggle to Survive

• Population growth in France from 1715 to 1789, from 23 million to 28 million.
• Increased demand for food grains due to population growth.
• Production of grains couldn't match demand, leading to a rapid rise in bread prices, the staple diet of the majority.
• Workers employed in workshops experienced stagnant wages while prices rose, widening the gap between the rich and poor.
• Subsistence crisis occurred frequently during the Old Regime, exacerbated by factors like drought or hail reducing harvests.

The struggle of people for survival

A Growing Middle Class Envisages an End to Privileges

This estate was educated and believed that no group in society should be privileged by birth. These ideas were put forward by philosophers such as Locke English philosopher and Rousseau French philosopher. The American constitution and its guarantee of individual rights were an important example of the political theories of France. These ideas were discussed intensively in salons and coffee houses and spread among people through books and newspapers. These were even read aloud.

John Locke

The Outbreak of the Revolution

The French Revolution went through various stages. When Louis XVI became king of France in 1774, he inherited a treasury which was empty. There was growing discontent within the society of the Old Regime.

• 1789 - Convocation of Estates General. The Third Estate Forms National Assembly, the Bastille is stormed, peasant revolts in the countryside.
• 1791 - A constitution is framed to limit the powers of the king and to guarantee basic right to all human beings.
• 1792-93 -France becomes a republic. Jacobin Republic overthrown, a Directory rules France.
• 1793-94 - Reign of terror.
• 1795 -A new Convention appointed a five-man Directorate to run the state from 26 October, 1795.
• 1799 - The Revolution ends with the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Reign of terror:

• The period from 1793 to 1794 is known as the Reign of Terror, characterized by severe control and punishment under Robespierre's leadership.
• Enemies of the republic, including ex-nobles, clergy, and dissenters, were arrested, tried by revolutionary tribunals, and executed by guillotine if found guilty.
• Robespierre's government implemented laws to control wages, prices, and food distribution, including rationing meat and bread and enforcing the use of whole wheat bread.
• Equality was enforced through language changes, with traditional titles replaced by "Citizen" for all French men and women.
• Churches were closed down, and their buildings repurposed.
• Robespierre's policies led to demands for moderation even from his supporters, eventually resulting in his conviction, arrest, and execution by guillotine in July 1794.

Timeline: The French Revolution

• 1770's-1780's - Economic decline; French Government in deep debt.
• 1788-1789 - Bad harvest, high prices, food riots.
• 1789, May 5 - Estates-General convened, demands reforms.
• 1789, July 14 - National Assembly formed, Bastille stormed on July 14, French Revolution starts.
• 1789, August 4 - Night of August 4 ends the rights of the aristocracy.
• 1789, August 26 - Declaration of the Rights of Man.
• 1790 - Civil Constitution of the Clergy nationalizes the Church.
• 1792 - Constitution of 1791 converts absolute monarchy into a constitutional monarchy with limited powers.
• 1792 - Austria and Prussia attacked revolutionary France.
• 1793 - Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were executed.
• 1792-1794 - The Reign of Terror starts. Austria, Britain, the Netherlands, Prussia and Spain are at war with France. — Robespierre’s Committee of Public Safety repels back foreign invaders. Executes many “enemies of the people” in France itself.
• 1794 - Robespierre is executed, France is governed by a Directory (a committee of five men).
• 1799 - Napoleon Bonaparte becomes the leader.
• 1815 - Napoleon was defeated in the battle of waterloo.

Did Women have a Revolution?

• Women were active participants in the French Revolution, hoping for improvements in their lives.
• Most women of the third estate worked various jobs and lacked access to education or job training.
• Women formed their own political clubs and newspapers, with about sixty clubs emerging across France.
• The Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women was the most notable, advocating for equal political rights for women.
• Women were disappointed by the Constitution of 1791, which reduced them to passive citizens, leading to demands for voting rights and political representation.
• Early revolutionary laws improved women's lives, including compulsory schooling for girls and legal reforms related to marriage and divorce.
• The struggle for the vote culminated in 1946 when women in France finally gained the right to vote.

Women showing their role in the revolution

The Abolition of Slavery

• The Jacobin regime abolished slavery in French colonies, including Martinique, Guadeloupe, and San Domingo.
• European reluctance to work in colonies led to a triangular slave trade between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
• French merchants bought slaves from Africa and transported them to the Caribbean for plantation labor.
• Little criticism of slavery in France during the eighteenth century.
• The National Assembly debated extending rights to French subjects in colonies but didn't pass laws due to opposition from businessmen.
• The Convention in 1794 legislated to free all slaves in French overseas possessions, but Napoleon reintroduced slavery ten years later.
• Plantation owners viewed their freedom as including the right to enslave Africans for economic gain.
• Slavery was ultimately abolished in French colonies in 1848.

The Revolution and Everyday Life

Napoleon

In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France. He set out to conquer neighbouring European countries, dispossessing dynasties and creating kingdoms where he placed members of his family. He saw his role as a modernizer of Europe. He was finally defeated at Waterloo in 1815.

Important Terms

• Nation - People who share a language, culture, customs and history, a group united into a large political, economic and social unit that recognises no law or authority above its own, i.e., it is sovereign in nature.
• Nationalism - A feeling of intense loyalty and devotion to one’s country.
• Revolution: The term means a recognized momentous change in any situation. A revolution can result in the sudden overthrow of an established government or system by force and bloodshed, e.g. The French Revolution. It can also be a great change that comes slowly and peacefully, e.g., Industrial Revolution.
• First Estate - French society was divided into classes called Estates. The First Estate consisted of the Clergy which held a vast land, wealth and was exempt from taxation.
• Second Estate - It consisted of the aristocracy and controlled all the top positions in the government, parliament and in the army and navy. They were also exempt from taxation and led an extravagant life.
• Third Estate - The Third Estate encompassed 98% of the population, including town dwellers, wealthy upper middle class, lower middle class, craftsmen, shopkeepers, and peasants. Despite this, they lacked political power and social status, enduring heavy taxation. 
• The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen - In 1789, the French National Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, affirming equality and freedom for all citizens, with power residing in the people. It guaranteed basic rights like liberty, security, justice, fair taxation, and freedom of speech, religion, and thought. 
• Physiocrats - The French economists were called physiocrats. They believed that taxes should be imposed only with the consent of those on whom they are levied. Their beliefs undermined the feudal rights and privileges of the upper classes.
• Livre - Unit of currency used in France till 1794.
• Clergy - Group of persons invested with special functions in the Church.
• Tithe - A tax levied by the Church equal to one-tenth of the agricultural produce.
• Taille - Tax paid directly to the state.
• Chateau - Castle belonging to a king or nobleman.
• Manor - An estate consisting of the Lord’s lands and his mansion.
• Sceptre - Symbol of royal power.
• Negroes - A term used for the indigenous people of Africa, South of the Sahara. A derogatory term not now commonly used.

Important Dates

• 1774 - Louis XVI becomes King of France. Faces empty treasury and growing discontent within society of the Old Regime.
• 1789 - Third Estate forms National Assembly. The Bastille is stormed.
• 1791 - A constitution is framed to limit the powers of the king and to guarantee the basic rights to all the human beings.
• 1792-93 - France becomes a republic. The king is executed. Over throw of the Jacobin Republic, a Directory Rules France.
• 1804 - Napoleon becomes emperor of France.
• 1815 - Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo.
• 1848 - Slavery was abolished in all French colonies.
• 1946 - French women got the right to vote.

Important Personalities

• Maximilian Robespierre: Leader of the Jacobin club whose policies led to the Reign of Terror. In 1794, he was convicted and sent to the guillotine.
• Napoleon Bonaparte: The military dictator of France who conquered many European countries. He was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo.
• Olympe de Gouges: One of the most important politically active women revolutionary France. In 1791, she wrote a Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Citizen. Critical of the Jacobin government, she was charged with treason and executed.
  Fig: Olympe de Gouges
• Louis XVI: The King of France when the revolution occurred was a man of average intelligence who disliked any kind of brain work. He staunchly believed in the Divine Right of Kings and was completely unaware of the new ideas that were sweeping across his country and oblivious to the needs and fears of his subjects.  He was obsessed with his beautiful wife and wasted money on festivities. He drove France into useless wars bringing the country to the verge of bankruptcy.
• Montesquieu: A French thinker and author of the book ‘Spirit of Laws’. He believed that executive, legislative and judicial powers should not be concentrated in one person as it led to tyrannical rule. He stressed on the principle of separation of powers and individual liberty.
• Jean Jacques Rousseau: His writings played a significant role in bringing about the French Revolution and encouraged people to fight for their rights. He believed that government should be based on the consent of the governed. His most famous work ‘The Social Contract’ talks of a contract between the ruler and ruled where by the former would guarantee the freedom and happiness of his subjects.