French Revolution – Long Answer Questions
Medium Level (Application & Explanation)
Q1. How did population growth and price rise create a subsistence crisis before 1789? Explain with effects on the Third Estate.
Answer:
- Between 1715-1789, population rose from 23 million to 28 million.
- Demand for food increased sharply.
- Prices of bread went up. Wages did not rise at the same speed.
- The Third Estate faced hunger and debt.
- This situation is called a subsistence crisis.
- Poor people blamed the system and the king’s government.
- This economic stress pushed people toward protest and revolt.
Q2. Explain the three-estate social structure of France and why it caused anger among commoners.
Answer:
- French society had three estates.
- The First Estate (clergy) and Second Estate (nobility) enjoyed privileges.
- They paid few taxes or were exempt.
- The Third Estate (90% of population) paid most taxes.
- They did the work and produced wealth, yet had least power.
- This unfair burden created deep resentment.
- It became a major cause of the French Revolution.
Q3. Why did Louis XVI call the Estates General in 1789? Why did the Third Estate walk out, and what happened next?
Answer:
- In 1774, Louis XVI inherited an empty treasury and heavy debt.
- Wars, including support for the American Revolution, increased loans.
- To raise taxes, he called the Estates General on May 5, 1789.
- Voting was by estate, not by head, which favored the privileged.
- The Third Estate walked out in protest.
- On June 20, 1789, they declared the National Assembly.
- They vowed to write a constitution to limit royal power.
Q4. Describe the 1791 Constitution. How did it change the political system in France?
Answer:
- In 1791, the National Assembly completed a constitution.
- It created a constitutional monarchy.
- Powers were divided among legislature, executive, and judiciary.
- The king’s powers were limited by law.
- The aim was to prevent abuse of power.
- It brought the idea of rule of law and separation of powers.
- It moved France away from absolute monarchy.
Q5. Why did the National Assembly abolish feudal privileges on August 4, 1789? What were its immediate effects?
Answer:
- The Assembly wanted to end feudal injustice.
- They abolished feudal dues and tithes.
- The clergy and nobility lost many privileges.
- Peasants were freed from old obligations.
- This shifted power and wealth toward the commoners.
- It reduced the economic grip of lords and the Church.
- It was a key step toward equality and reform.
High Complexity (Analysis & Scenario-Based)
Q6. Imagine you are a Parisian worker on July 14, 1789. Why would you join the storming of the Bastille? What impact did it create?
Answer:
- The Bastille was seen as a symbol of tyranny.
- People feared a royal crackdown on the new Assembly.
- As a worker, I faced high bread prices and job insecurity.
- Storming the Bastille showed people’s power and unity.
- It sent a warning to the king and the privileged.
- The event marked the start of the French Revolution.
- It inspired more uprisings and spread revolutionary fervor.
Q7. The Enlightenment inspired the middle class. If you were a merchant influenced by Locke and Rousseau, what reforms would you demand and why?
Answer:
- I would demand equality before law and an end to birth-based privilege.
- I would ask for merit-based appointments and opportunities.
- I would support a constitution that limits royal power.
- I would want fair taxation for all estates.
- I would seek rights and representation for the Third Estate.
- Ideas of John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau justify these changes.
- They promote rights, reason, and reform in government.
Q8. Why did the Revolution turn radical in 1792–1793? Analyze causes and outcomes linked to the Reign of Terror.
Answer:
- In April 1792, France declared war on Prussia and Austria.
- Fear of foreign invasion and internal traitors grew.
- The monarchy was abolished on September 21, 1792.
- Louis XVI was executed on January 21, 1793 as a traitor.
- Robespierre’s rule (1793–1794) began the Reign of Terror.
- Many opponents were executed to “save the Revolution.”
- It ended in July 1794 with Robespierre’s fall, showing the danger of extremes.
Q9. Women formed clubs and demanded rights in the early 1800s. As a club leader, argue your case and explain why rights remained delayed.
Answer:
- We stand for liberty, equality, and fraternity for women too.
- We demand political rights and a voice in law-making.
- Women also worked, protested, and sacrificed for the Revolution.
- But patriarchal attitudes stayed strong in society and politics.
- Major changes focused on war, stability, and power struggles.
- So our rights stayed limited for a long time.
- Our clubs kept the conversation alive and inspired future reforms.
Q10. The Directory was unstable. How did that help Napoleon rise? Did he spread or restrict revolutionary ideals?
Answer:
- After 1794, the Directory gave power to the wealthy middle classes.
- Politics stayed unstable, creating space for a strong leader.
- Napoleon rose and crowned himself Emperor in 1804.
- He spread ideas of reform and modern administration across Europe.
- But he also used warfare and centralized control.
- Slavery, abolished in 1794, was reinstated in 1804 under him.
- Still, the ideals of liberty, equality, fraternity inspired Europe and figures like Tipu Sultan and Rammohan Roy.