| French Revolution Workbook |
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| www.studenthandouts.com > World History > French Revolution > French Revolution Miscellany |
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This "French Revolution: World History Student Workbook" is designed for students learning at the junior and senior high school levels. This workbook's 24 pages are packed with informative, easy-to-read text, questions following each section, quizzes in the middle and at the end, and so much more. There are well over a dozen contemporary illustrations. Students are asked to analyze contemporary political cartoons. Questions range from basic recall to critical thinking. There is even a crossword puzzle. This workbook is designed to appeal to all students studying the French Revolution, whether the student is a struggling reader or operating at the college-prep level. The topic is covered in-depth, well beyond what is offered by standard textbooks. Click here to print. The answer key is below. |
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Answer Key: Page 2: Imagine that you live in a society where some people pay all of the taxes, and some people are exempt from taxation. How would you enjoy living in such a society? Answers will vary. Which estate paid all of the taxes in France? Third Estate. Page 3: Students complete the chart; entries may vary. Click here for a PDF of the answers for this chart. Page 4: Student interpretations of the political cartoon will vary. Page 5: Do you believe that a supreme being places people in positions of power? Explain your answer, giving at least one example. Answers will vary. Compare France in the early 1700s with this country today. Who makes our laws? Who appoints our judges? Who controls our military? Who is responsible for declaring war? Answers will vary based on student location. For example, in the United States, the legislature writes legislation which is signed into law by the president. Federal judges are nominated by the president and confirmed by the legislature. The president is in charge of the military. The legislature has the power to declare war; for over half a century, the legislature has effectively permitted war by approving military spending despite not formally declaring war. Page 6: Imagine that you are a bourgeois merchant living in Paris circa 1780. Make an argument for (a) why you should be exempt from taxation like the nobles, or (b) why the nobles should pay the same taxes that you pay. This is a subjective question, so answers will vary. Define the term deficit spending in your own words. Phrasing will vary. Deficit spending occurs when a government spends more money than it receives in revenue, typically through borrowing. This practice is often used to stimulate economic growth during downturns or fund major programs, but it can also lead to increased national debt over time. Page 7: Why did Enlightenment thinkers question the divine right of kings? Phrasing will vary. Enlightenment thinkers questioned the divine right of kings because they believed in reason, individual rights, and government by consent. They argued that power should come from the people, not from God, and that rulers should be held accountable to laws and the will of their citizens. Illustrate your understanding of the difference between long- and short-term causes. Select an event from recent history, or from your own life. Describe this event and both its long- and short-term causes. Answers will vary. Page 8: Define cahiers. Phrasing will vary. Cahiers, short for cahiers de doléances, were notebooks of grievances compiled by the French people in 1789 before the meeting of the Estates-General. They recorded complaints and suggestions for reform from each estate, reflecting widespread dissatisfaction with taxation, inequality, and royal policies in pre-revolutionary France. With which group do you agree--with the First Estate and Second Estate, which supported voting by estate, or with the Third Estate, which supported voting by population? Explain your answer. This is a subjective question, so answers will vary. Page 9: Does the text of this document call for the overthrow of the French monarch? Explain your answer using quotes from the text. Answers will vary. Based on your knowledge of how the National Assembly was formed, do you believe that the above political cartoon is annaccurate portrayal of its first official meeting on June 30, 1789? Explain your answer. Answers will vary. Pages 10-11 Halfway-Point Quiz: 1. What was the Old Regime? The Old Regime was the political and social system in France before the French Revolution, characterized by absolute monarchy and a rigid social structure divided into three estates. It favored the nobility and clergy, leaving most burdens on the common people. 2. How does an absolute monarchy operate? An absolute monarchy operates under the control of a single ruler, usually a king or queen, who holds complete authority over the government and is not limited by laws or a constitution. Power is inherited and often justified by divine right. 3. Describe the size, privileges, exemptions, and burdens of the three estates. The First Estate (clergy) and Second Estate (nobility) were small in number and held privileges, including tax exemptions. The Third Estate, made up of the majority (peasants, workers, and bourgeoisie), bore heavy taxes and had few rights or political influence. 4. What is deficit spending? Deficit spending is when a government spends more money than it brings in through revenue, often borrowing to cover the difference. It can lead to national debt and was a major financial issue for France before the Revolution. 5. Describe the type of thinking used by the philosophes. The philosophes used reason, logic, and scientific thinking to examine society, government, and human rights. They challenged tradition and promoted ideas like liberty, progress, and equality, laying intellectual foundations for revolution and reform. 6. What were the underlying (long-term) causes of the French Revolution? Long-term causes included social inequality, the rigid estate system, Enlightenment ideas challenging absolute monarchy, and widespread resentment of the privileges of the nobility and clergy. Economic hardships and unfair taxation also contributed to rising unrest. 7. What were the immediate (short-term) causes of the French Revolution? Short-term causes included France’s financial crisis, food shortages, rising bread prices, and the failure of reform efforts. The calling of the Estates-General in 1789 and conflicts over representation sparked revolutionary action. 8. Explain the debate over voting which occurred in the Estates-General. In the Estates-General, the First and Second Estates wanted each estate to have one vote, preserving their dominance. The Third Estate demanded voting by head, which would give them a majority, as they represented most of the population. 9. What was the Tennis Court Oath? The Tennis Court Oath was a pledge made in June 1789 by members of the Third Estate who vowed not to disband until they created a new constitution for France. It marked the first act of defiance against the king. 10. At this point in the French Revolution, do you believe that it was possible for France to establish a constitutional monarchy? Why or why not? Answers will vary. Page 12: Although people tend to think of revolutions as violent eruptions that do not last very long, the historical reality is that revolutions can take several years before they are complete. Why do you think that the French Revolution lasted for a decade? Answers will vary. Why did Parisians storm the Bastille? News of the king's plan to use military force against the National Assembly reached Paris. Page 13: Nobles who fled France became known as what? Émigrés. Why were the French people distrustful of the monarchy? The Parisian Commune feared that Louis XVI would invite foreign troops into France to put down the rebellion. Why was the phrase "let them eat cake" ascribed to Marie Antoinette? What would such a phrase have meant, being said to starving peasants? Neither Marie Antoinette nor Louis XVI understood the depth of dissatisfaction felt by the majority of the French people. Page 14: Imagine that you are a peasant living in France in 1790. How might you react to the abolition of special privileges for nobles and the clergy? How might your reaction change if you were a noble? Answers will vary. Page 15: How does this document compare to the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution? Answers will vary. Name two women who fought for the rights of women during the French Revolution. Olympe de Gouges and Jeanne Roland. Describe the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. The Civil Constitution of the Clergy, passed in 1790 during the French Revolution, reorganized the Catholic Church in France under state control. It required clergy to swear loyalty to the state, reduced the Pope's authority, and made bishops and priests elected officials, causing deep division among French Catholics. Page 16: France was divided into how many new departments? 83. Name both a democratic feature and an undemocratic feature of the Constitution of 1791. Answers will vary. Page 17: What were the leading political parties in revolutionary France? Girondists and Jacobins. Name the three principal leaders of the Jacobin political party. Marat, Danton, and Robespierre. Page 18: Why was Marie-Thérèse allowed to leave France, while Louis-Charles was left to die in government custody? Marie-Thérèse could never become queen of France due to Salic law, which did not allow females to succeed to the throne. Who assassinated Jean-Paul Marat? Charlotte Corday. Page 19: Who wrote the "Marseillaise"? Rouget de Lisle. How many people met death on the guillotine during the Reign of Terror? Approximately 15,000 people. Page 20: What two leaders of the Committee of Public Safety were guillotined? Georges and Maximilien Robespierre. Page 21: Describe the government of the Directory. Answers will vary. How were the French able to increase their feelings of patriotism during the revolutionary period? United through struggle and military successes. Pages 22-23 End-of-Booklet Quiz: 1. What Paris building was stormed on July 14, 1789? Bastille. 2. What human rights were established in France by the Declaration of the Rights of Man? The Declaration of the Rights of Man, adopted in 1789, established rights such as liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression. It guaranteed freedom of speech, equality before the law, and protection against arbitrary arrest, laying the foundation for democratic principles in France. 3. How did Olympe de Gouges fight for women's rights? Olympe de Gouges fought for women's rights by writing the "Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen" in 1791. She challenged the exclusion of women from political life, demanded gender equality, and advocated for women's education, legal rights, and participation in government. 4. What were émigrés, and why did French revolutionaries view them as a threat? Émigrés were nobles, clergy, and others who fled France during the Revolution to escape violence and preserve their status. Revolutionaries viewed them as a threat because they sought foreign support to restore the monarchy and undo revolutionary changes, potentially inciting counterrevolution and foreign invasion. 5. Name and describe the two political parties that competed for power in revolutionary France. The two main political parties in revolutionary France were the Girondins and the Jacobins. The Girondins were moderate republicans who favored limited reforms, while the Jacobins were radical revolutionaries who supported drastic changes and centralized power. The Jacobins, led by Robespierre, eventually dominated during the Reign of Terror. 6. What was the Committee of Public Safety? The Committee of Public Safety was a powerful governing body during the French Revolution, created in 1793 to protect the republic from internal and external threats. Led by Robespierre, it oversaw the Reign of Terror, implementing strict policies and mass executions to suppress opposition and preserve revolutionary ideals. 7. Describe the Reign of Terror and explain how it eventually came to an end. The Reign of Terror (1793-1794) was a period of intense violence during the French Revolution, led by Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety. Thousands were executed as enemies of the revolution. It ended when Robespierre was arrested and executed, leading to a more moderate phase of the Revolution. 8. Were the "excesses" of the French Revolution justified? Why or why not? Answers will vary. 9. Looking back at the first half of 1789, could the French Revolution have been avoided? If so, how? Answers will vary. 10. Describe the government established under the Directory. The Directory, established in 1795, was a five-member executive body that ruled France after the fall of the Committee of Public Safety. It operated alongside a two-house legislature, aiming to restore stability. However, it was plagued by corruption, inefficiency, and relied heavily on military support to maintain control. |
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