Class 9 History Chapter 1: The French Revolution

Class 9 History Chapter 1: The French Revolution

Q: Who was the ruler of France when the French Revolution broke out?
- A: Louis XVI of the Bourbon family was the ruler of France.
Q: Into how many estates was French society divided during the Old Regime?
- A: It was divided into three estates: the First Estate (Clergy), the Second Estate (Nobility), and the Third Estate (commoners).
Q: Which estate was burdened with paying all the taxes to the state?
- A: Only the members of the Third Estate paid taxes.
Q: What was 'Tithe'?
- A: It was a tax levied by the church, comprising one-tenth of the agricultural produce.
Q: What was 'Taille'?
- A: It was a direct tax paid directly to the state by the members of the Third Estate.
Q: What is meant by a 'Subsistence Crisis'?
- A: It is an extreme situation where the basic means of livelihood are endangered, which occurred frequently in France during the Old Regime.

Q: Who wrote the influential book 'The Social Contract'?
- A: The Swiss-French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Q: Who authored 'Two Treatises of Government'?
- A: The English philosopher John Locke, who sought to refute the doctrine of the divine and absolute right of the monarch.
Q: Who proposed a division of power within the government (Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary)?
- A: Montesquieu in his book The Spirit of the Laws.

Q: What was the Estates General?
- A: It was a political body to which the three estates sent their representatives to discuss new taxes.
Q: When did the French Revolution officially begin?
- A: It began on July 14, 1789, with the storming of the Bastille.
Q: What did the Bastille prison symbolize?
- A: It stood for the despotic power of the King and was hated by all.
Q: Who led the representatives of the Third Estate when they declared themselves a National Assembly?
- A: They were led by Mirabeau (a noble) and Abbé Sieyès (a priest).
Q: When did France become a constitutional monarchy?
- A: In 1791, when the National Assembly completed the draft of the constitution to limit the powers of the monarch.

Q: What was the 'Marseillaise'?
- A: It was a patriotic song composed by Roget de L'Isle, sung by volunteers from Marseilles, which is now the national anthem of France.
Q: Who were the Jacobins?
- A: A radical political club consisting mainly of the less prosperous sections of society (like shopkeepers, artisans, and daily-wage workers).
Q: Who was the leader of the Jacobin club?
- A: Maximilian Robespierre.
Q: What were the members of the Jacobin club commonly known as?
- A: They were known as the sans-culottes, meaning "those without knee breeches."
Q: What period in French history is referred to as the 'Reign of Terror'?
- A: The period from 1793 to 1794, under the rule of Robespierre, due to his policy of severe control and punishment.
Q: What was the Guillotine?
- A: A device consisting of two poles and a blade with which a person is beheaded, named after its inventor, Dr. Guillotin.

Q: What was the most famous women's political club in France?
- A: The Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women.
Q: Who was Olympe de Gouges?
- A: A politically active woman who wrote a Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Citizen to protest against women's exclusion from basic rights.
Q: What was the triangular slave trade?
- A: A trade network between Europe, Africa, and the Americas to supply labor for Caribbean plantations.
Q: In which year was slavery finally abolished in the French colonies?
- A: Slavery was completely abolished in 1848.
Q: Who crowned himself Emperor of France in 1804?
- A: Napoleon Bonaparte.
Q: In which battle was Napoleon finally defeated?
- A: He was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

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