2.  Story related with Bastille Prison- 1789 July 14
 Causes for the outbreak of the French Revolution
1. Political Causes
a. Absolute Monarchy
b. Financial Crisis due to wars
c. Interference of Queen in administration
d. Corrupt and Cruel Administration
2. Social Causes (Social condition in 18th century)
a. Inequality in Society
b. Privileges based on birth

3. 3. Economical causes
a. Financial Crisis
b. High Tax
c. Subsistence Crisis
4. Rise of Middleclass People
5. Role of Philosophers
a. Rousseau
b. Voltaire
c. Montesquieu
d. John Lock
 Short Notes- Absolute Monarchy and
Constitutional Monarchy, Livre, Clergy, Tithe,
Taille, Subsistence Crisis

4.  The Outbreak of the Revolution
1. major events
2. National Assembly
3. Tennis Court Oath
4. Time Line
 France- from A.M to C.M
 The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizens
 Political Symbols
 France from Constitutional Monarchy to Republic
1. Reign of Terror
2. A Directory rules in France
 The Role of Woman in French Revolution

5.  Impacts of the French Revolution
1. Abolition of Slavery
2. Contribution to the World
 Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte
 Short Notes

6.  The French Revolution had broke out in
the year 1789.
 Various factors contributed for the outbreak of the
French revolution like
1. Political Causes
2. Social causes
3. Economical causes
4. Rise of Middle Class People
5. Role of Philosophers.

7. Political Causes
(a) Absolute Monarchy
 In absolute Monarchy king is the supreme power
 In 1774, King Louis XVI from bourbon dynasty
ascended the throne of France at the age of 20.
 His regime was inefficient and unpopular
 He believed in the Divine Rights of King
 It means the right to rule comes from God and
Kings are answerable to God Only.
 The will of King was the Law of the Land

9. (b) Financial Crisis due to the wars.
 France had engaged lot of wars in long period of
time.
 Under Louis XVI France assisted the American
colonies in their war against Britain.
 France had provided the Americans Naval Forces
and Soldiers.
 As a result the treasury became empty after this
wars.

10. (C ) Queen’s Interference in administration
 Louis XVI has married Queen Mary Antoinette an
Austrian princes.
 She led a luxurious life without knowing the
miserable conditions of the poor people.
 The public money lavishly spent by the queen
 The queen interfered in state appointments in order
to promote her favorites.
(d)Cruel and Corrupt Administration
 The prisoners were treated with extreme severity
 Many of the prisoners died because of tortures.
 Breaking the bones was the common punishments
 Nobles were appointed as judges and they imposed
heavy fines

12. Social Causes (Social Condition in 18th century)
(a ) Inequality in Society
The French society had mainly divided into
three Estates
CLERGY (First Estate)
NOBILITY (Second Estate)
Third Estate
1. Big Business men, merchants, Judges and
Lawyers
2. Peasants and Artisans
3. Small Peasants, landless labour, Servants

13. First Estate: Clergy
 It included the Archbishops, Bishops and Priests.
 They enjoyed many privileges
 They were exempted from taxes
 One fifth of the land was owned by the church
Second Estate: Noble Class
 They enjoyed all important positions in the French
administration.
 They led very luxury life and they were exempted
from taxes
 They enjoyed feudal privileges and they were
collected dues from peasants.

14. Third Estate : Underprivileged Section
 Three different categories of people.
 The largest section of the Third Estate consisted
of the peasants almost 90 percent of the
population.
 The burden of the tax fell chiefly on the Third
estate
 They cultivated the land owned by Churches,
Nobles and Richer section in the third estate.

15. Arch Bishop

16. Bishops

17. Noble Class people

18. Third Estates

19. (b) Privileges Based on Birth
• The first two estates enjoyed lot of privileges in
the society.
• They were exempted from the tax system
• The burden of the taxes carried by the third
estates especially peasants.
• They were forced to work in the houses and
fields of the noble class, army and construction
of the roads etc…

20. Economic Causes
( a) Financial Crisis
 As a result of the long years of the war had drained
the financial resources of France.
 Lenders who gave the state credit, now began to
charge 10 per cent interest on loans.
 These factors led a huge financial crisis in France
(b) High tax System
 For to overcome the financial crisis and meet the
expenses like- maintaining court, maintain army
and running government office and university the
state decided to increase the tax system.

21.  The churches had collected the taxes from the
peasants called- Tithes
 All the members of the third estate had to pay
the tax to the state.
 These included two types of tax- Direct and
Indirect tax
 The Direct tax, called- Taille
 The indirect tax imposed for the use of salt and
tobacco.
 The burden of the tax system mainly carried by
the peasant community

22. (C ) Subsistence Crisis
 The population of France increased from 1715 to
1789 (23 million to 28million)
 It increased the demand of the food grains
 As a result of the bad harvest the prices of the
bread also increased.
 But the labourers in the workshops has got very
less and fixed wages.
 The gap between the rich and poor had increased.
 All these factors led a subsistence crisis in France

23. Bad The poorest can
harvest no longer buy
bread
Disease
epidemics
Food riots, scarcity of grain, increased number of deaths, rising
food prices, weaker bodies

24. Rising The poorest can
Bad Scarcity
Food no longer buy
harvest of Grains
Prices bread
Disease
epidemics
Increased Weaker Food
Number of Bodies Riots
Deaths
Food riots, scarcity of grain, increased number of deaths, rising
food prices, weaker bodies

25. Rise of Middle Class People
• The peasants and workers were participated in revolts
against the increasing in taxes and food scarcity.
• But they were failed to carry long term measures to
change in the social and economic order.
• The 18th century, witnessed the emergence of new
social groups called middle class
• They earned the wealth from overseas trade and from
the manufacture of goods like woolen and silk
textiles.
• They were also included in the profession like lawyers
and administrative officials.
• All of these were educated and believed no group in
the society should be privileged by birth, rather the
social position of a person depends on his merit.

26. Role of Philosophers
• The philosophers had dreamed a society based on
freedom and equal laws and equal opportunities
to all the people.
• They were put forward this idea towards the
people through their writings.
• The ideas of the philosophers were discussed
intensively in salons and coffee houses and spread
among the people through books and newspapers.
• These were frequently read aloud in groups for
the benefit of those who could not read and write
• The some of the important philosophers of that
period are following.

27.  John Lock : Book- (Two Treatises of
Government), he has refused the doctrine of the
divine and absolute right of monarch.
 Jean Jacques Rousseau: Book- (Social Contract),
he has proposed a form of government based on a
social contract between the people and their
representatives. His important contribution to the
world was the idea of Equality, Liberty and
Fraternity
 Montesquieu: Book (The Spirit of the Law), he has
proposed a division of power within the government
between the Legislature, Executive and Judiciary.

28. This model of government was put into force in
the USA, after the 13 colonies declared
independence from Britain.
The American constitution and its guarantee of
individual rights was an important example for
political thinkers in France.

32.  Louis XVI, called an assembly of the Estates General on
5 May 1789.
 The aim of the meeting was to pass the proposals of new
taxes.
 From First and Second Estate 300 representatives each,
who were seated in rows facing each other on two sides
and 600 members from third estate had to stand at the
back.
 The third estate was represented by the prosperous and
educated middle class and they were carried 40,000
letters related with the grievances and demands of the
peasants and women because they were denied the
entry

33.  The voting in the Estates General was based on
each estate had one vote.
 But third estate demanded that voting now
conducted by the assembly as whole, where each
member would have one vote.
 This Democratic idea was put forwarded by
Rousseau.
 But Louis XVI rejected this proposal , the members
of the third estate walked out of the assembly
 On June 20, 1789 they were assembled in the hall
of an indoor tennis court in the grounds of
Versailles.
 They declared, National Assembly should prepare a
constitution for France that would limit the power
of the monarch
 They were led by Mirabeau and Abbe Sieyes

37.  When the national assembly held at the Tennis
Court, Mirabeau and Abbe Sieyes gave the
leadership for the Third estate.
 Mirabeau- born in a Noble family and he stood
for the abolition of the feudal privilege. He
brought out a journal and delivered powerful
speeches to the crowds assembled at Versailles.
 Abbe Sieyes- Originally a priest, wrote an
influential pamphlet called ‘What is the Third
Estate’

38.  National Assembly has prepared a constitution.
 Louis XVI finally accepted the demand of the
National Assembly and his power from now on be
checked by a constitution.
 On August 4,1789e- the assembly passed a decree
abolishing the feudal system and taxes.
 The Clergy too were forced to give up their
privileges.
 Tithes were abolished and the lands owned by
the Church were confiscated
 As a result government acquired assets worth 2
billion livres.

39. Features of the Constitution prepared
by the National Assembly in 1791.
(Or)
To prepare a note about the political
system of France after the adoption of
Constitution
(Or)
To Prepare a note about how the
France shifted from Absolute
Monarchy to Constitutional Monarchy

40.  The National Assembly completed the draft of
the Constitution in 1791.
 Its main object was to limit the power of the
Monarch.
 The power separated and assigned to different
institutions- the Legislature, Executive and
Judiciary.
 The citizens voted for a group of electors and
they had to choose the National Assembly.
 Only Men 25 years of age, who paid taxes equal
to at least three days of a labourer’s wage were
given the status of active citizens, they were
only enjoyed voting right.
 The remaining men and all women were classed
as passive citizens.

41.  To qualify as an elector a man had to belong to the
highest bracket of taxpayers.
 The Constitution began with a Declaration of Rights
of Man and Citizen.
 Rights such as the right to life, freedom of speech,
freedom of opinion, equality before law were
established as ‘natural and inalienable rights’
 The duty of the state is to protect each citizen’s
natural rights.

42. Judiciary Executive Legislature
Control
National
King Assembly (745
VETO
Judge members)
Control VOTE
Electors (50,000
V Ministers men)
O
T
E VOTE
Active Citizens: entitled to vote. About 4 million of
a population of 28 million
Passive Citizens (No voting right, About 3 million)
Women, Children and Youth below 25

43.  He was a revolutionary journalist.
 He commented in his news paper L’Ami du
peuple (The friend of the people) on the
constitution prepared by the National Assembly.
 The task of representing the people has been
given to the rich
 The lot of poor and oppressed will never be
improved by peaceful means alone.
 Here we have absolute proof of how wealth
influences the law.

45.  Men are born and remain free and equal in rights
 The aim of every political association is the
preservation of the natural and inalienable rights
of man; these are liberty, property, security.
 Liberty consists of the power to do whatever not
injurious to others.
 The law has the right to forbid only actions that
are injurious to society.
 No man may be accused, arrested or detained,
except in cases determined by law.

47.  The majority of men and women in the 18th
century could not read or write.
 So images were used instead of printed words for
to communicate important ideas.
 Le Barbier uses many such symbols to convey the
content of the Declaration of Rights.

48. Chains were used to fetter slaves. A broken chain
stands for the act of becoming free.

49. One rod can be easily broken, but not an entire
bundle. Strength lies in unity

50. The all seeing eye stands for knowledge. The rays
of the sun will drive away the clouds of ignorance

51. Symbol of Royal power

52. Symbol of Eternity. A ring has neither beginning nor end

53. Cap worn by a slave upon becoming free

54. The National Colours of France

55. Personification of the Law

56. The law is the same for all, and all are equal before it.

57.  The King Louis XVI had signed the Constitution but
he secretly entered an agreement with Prussia
 The rulers of the neighboring countries decided to
put down the revolutions in France.
 But National Assembly voted in April 1792 and had
declared war against Austria and Prussia.
 Thousands of volunteers had joined in the army,
they considered that this war of the people against
the King and aristocracies in all over Europe.
 This revolutionary wars brought losses and
economic difficulties to the people.

58.  Politicalclubs were formed to convince the people
about government policies and actions.
 One of the important political club was Jacobin
Club
 On August 10 1792, they stormed the palace of the
Toiletries, massacred the King’s guard and held king
himself as hostage for several hours, later Assembly
voted to imprison the Royal family
 Elections were held and all the men above the age
of 21, regardless of wealth, got the right to vote.
 This newly elected assembly was called the
Convention
 On 1792, September 21st it abolished the
monarchy and declared France a Republic
 On 1793, January 21st Louis XVI was executed
publically at Concorde. The Queen Mary Antoinette
met with the same fate shortly later

60.  Along with the patriotic song the people sung
the song Marseillaise composed by the poet
Robert de Isle.
 It was sung for the first time when they
marched from Marseillaise to Paris and got
its name
 Later it had become the national anthem of
France

61.  The most important political club formed in
France during the time of revolution was Jacobin
Club, which got its name from the former
convent of St.Jacob in Paris.
 The members mainly from the less prosperous
section of society like small shopkeepers,
artisans such as shoemakers, pastry cooks, watch
makers, printers as well as servants and workers.
 The leader was Maximilian Robespierre.
 They decided to wear the long striped trousers
similar to the dock workers
 This was to set apart from the fashionable
section of society, especially nobles, who wore
knee breeches

62.  The Jacobin Clubs came to be known as the
Sans- culotte, its means ‘those without knee
breeches.
 The men wore a red cap that symbolized liberty.
 Women were not allowed to do so.

63.  Robespierre followed the policy of severe control
and punishment.
 The ex- nobles and clergy, members of other
political party and members of his own party
those who are not agreed his method were
considered as enemies and they were arrested
and imprisoned.
 If the court found them guilty they were
guillotined.
 Meat and bread were rationed
 Peasants were forced to sell their product at a
fixed price only to the government

64.  The use of white flour was forbidden and all
citizens were to eat the pain d’egalite
(equality bread), made of whole wheat.
 Instead of traditional Monsieur (Sir) and
Madame (Madam) all French men and women
henceforth Citoyen and Citoyenne means
Citizen.
 Churches were shut down and buildings
converted in to barracks or offices.
 Finally, he was convicted by a court in July
1794 arrested and on the next day sent to the
guillotine

65.  Is a device consisting of two poles and a
blade with which a person is beheaded.
 It was named after Dr.Guillotin who invented
it.

66.  After the fall of the Jacobin clubs the wealthier
middle class captured the power.
 A new constitution introduced and it denied the
voting right of the non propertied section
 It provided for two elected legislative councils.
 Appointed a Directory an executive made up of
five members
 It was a safeguard against the concentration of
power in one man

67.  But the directors often clashed with
legislative councils
 The political instability of the Directory
paved the way for the rise of a Military
Dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte

68.  Women were actively participated in the revolution
because they were considered that their involvement
would pressurize the government to introduce some
measures to improve their lives.
 The third estate women worked as seamstresses,
sold flowers, fruits and vegetables at the market or
employed like a domestic servants.
 Most women did not have access to education or job
training the wealthier class women only got the right
for education
 Working women had to care for their family-
cooking, fetch water, queue up for bread and look
after their children.
 Their wages were lower than men

69.  The women started their own political clubs and
news papers
 Nearly 60 political clubs were formed- The
Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women
was the most famous of them.
 The main demand was to get the same political
rights as men.
 Women were disappointed that the constitution
of 1791 reduced them to passive citizen
 They demanded the right to vote, to be elected
to the Assembly and to hold political office.
 Early years of revolutionary government opened
some state schools and schooling was made
compulsory for all girls

70.  Marriage was made in to contract entered into
freely and registered under civil law and Divorce
made legal
 During the reign of terror the new government
issued the law for to close the women’s club and
banned their political activities
 Many prominent women were arrested and
executed.
 The fight for the vote was carried out through an
international suffrage movement during the 19th
and 20th century.
 Finally in 1946 the women in France won the right
to vote.

71.  Important politically active women in
revolutionary France
 She protested against the Declaration of Rights
of man and citizen and she wrote Declaration
of the Rights of Woman and Citizen, she
addressed the queen and the members of
national assembly.
 But Jacobin government forcibly closed the
women’s club and finally she was executed

72.  Woman is born in free and remains equal to
man in rights.
 The aim of the political institutions should be
the preservation of the natural and
inalienable rights of women.
 The source of sovereignty must be the union
of woman and man
 No woman is an exception, she is accused,
arrested, and detained in cases determined
by law

73.  One of the most revolutionary social reform of the
Jacobin regime was the abolition of slavery
 The colonies like Caribbean, Martinique, Guadeloupe
and San Domingo were the important suppliers of
commodities like tobacco, sugar, indigo and coffee.
 Because of the shortage of the slaves caused a
triangular slave trade between Europe, Africa and
America
 The slave trade started in the 17th century

74.  The French merchants bought the slaves from
local chieftains in Africa
 The slaves were packed tightly and were sold to
the plantation owners
 As a result of the availability of the slaves made
possible to meet the growing demand in
European markets like sugar, coffee and indigo
 The port cities like Bordeaux and Nantes owed
the economic prosperity trough the slave trade
 The national assembly held long debates about
whether the rights of man should be extended to
all the people included the Slaves but they didi
not pass any law because of the opposition from
business man their income was based on the
slave trade

75.  In 1794, the Convention passed a law to free
all slaves
 But ten years later Napoleon reintroduced the
slavery
 The slavery was finally abolished in 1848.

76.  During the Old Regime all written material and
cultural activities- books, newspapers, plays could
published only after they had been approved by the
censors of king
 But the Declaration of Rights of man and Citizen
proclaimed freedom of speech and expression to be
a natural right
 Newspapers, pamphlets, books and printed pictures
flooded all over the country
 The freedom of press helped to express the opposing
views
 Plays, songs and festive processions attracted large
numbers of the people
 This was the one way to understand the meaning of
liberty and justice

77.  In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself
Emperor of France
 He conquered the neighbouring countries and
placed the members of his family
 He considered that his role in France as a
moderniser
 He introduced many administrative reforms like
Protection of Private Property, Uniform weights
and measures
 Initially he was a liberator and brought freedom
to the people
 Finally, he was defeated at Waterloo in 1815

78.  Ideas of Liberty and democratic rights were
the most important legacy of French
Revolution
 It had spread from France to other European
countries
 Feudal system abolished
 Slavery abolished
 Tippu Sultan and Rajaram Mohan Roy are the
two examples who responded the ideas
coming from revolutionary France