HISTORY NOTES CLASS 9 - PAGE 2 - CHAPTER 1 - THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

          👈PREVIOUS PAGE        NEXT PAGE👉

Part 2: The Outbreak of the Revolution

• Process of Imposing Taxes

1. The monarch called a meeting of the Estates General, which would then pass the proposals for new taxes.
2. The Estates General was a political body of the representatives of the three estates.
3. The monarch decided when to call a meeting.
4. The last meeting was in 1614.

• May 5, 1789

1. Louis XVI called the meeting of the Estates General at the Hall in Versailles.
2. 300 representatives each of the 1st and 2nd Estates sat in rows facing each other.
3. 600 representatives of the 3rd Estate had to stand at the back.
4. Members of the 3rd Estate were prosperous and educated individuals.
5. The grievances and demands of the 3rd Estate were listed in 40,000 letters.
6. Previously, each Estate had one vote, but the 3rd Estate demanded that each member have one vote, as mentioned in "The Social Contract" by Rousseau.
7. The King rejected this demand, and the 3rd Estate walked out in protest.

• June 20, 1789

1. Representatives of the 3rd Estate, claiming to be the spokesmen for the whole French nation, assembled in the hall of the Indoor Tennis Court in the grounds of Versailles.
2. They declared themselves the National Assembly.
3. Their aim was to draft a constitution for France that would limit the powers of the monarch.
4. The movement was led by Mirabeau and Abbé Sieyès.

**Mirabeau**

* Mirabeau - born in a noble family - convinced to do away with a society of feudal privilege - brought out a journal and delivered powerful speeches at public gatherings.

**Abbé Sieyès**

* Abbé Sieyès - a priest - wrote a pamphlet, "What is the Third Estate?"

• Economic Crisis and Public Unrest

1. A severe winter and bad harvest led to food shortages.
2. Bakers hoarded supplies, causing the price of bread to rise.
3. Crowds of angry women stormed into the shops in search of bread.
4. The King ordered troops to move into Paris.
5. On July 14, an agitated crowd stormed and destroyed the Bastille.

• The Great Fear in the Countryside

1. In the countryside, rumors spread - the lords of manor had hired bands of brigands who were on their way to destroy the ripe crops.
2. Peasants, in fear, attacked châteaux - looted, hoarded grains, and burnt down documents containing records of manorial dues.
3. Nobles fled, and many migrated to neighboring countries.

Louis XVI accorded recognition to the National Assembly. On the night of August 4, 1789, the Assembly passed a decree abolishing the feudal system of obligations and taxes. As a result, the government acquired assets worth at least 2 billion livres.

     👈PREVIOUS PAGE        NEXT PAGE👉

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW👇👇👇👇

 FACEBOOK PAGE--TOPPER'S ACADEMY - BOKARO   

This educational website will be the most useful when used by students along with our YouTube channel. FOR GETTING FREE VIDEOS AND UPDATES AND STUDY MATERIALS CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW AND DO SUBCRIBE THE YOUTUBE CHANNEL AND JOIN THE TELEGRAM CHANNEL....

YOUTUBE CHANNEL LINK BELOW 👇👇👇👇

TOPAC ONLINE    ⇇⇇⇇⇇ CLICK HERE