The chapter “French Revolution Class 9 Notes ” marks the beginning of modern history in Class 9 Social Science. It explores the social, political, and economic conditions in 18th-century France that led to the revolution, highlighting the end of absolute monarchy and the rise of democratic ideals. This chapter helps students understand the foundation of liberty, equality, and fraternity in shaping modern political systems.
French Revolution Class 9 Notes
The French Revolution began in 1789 and ended in 1799 with the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. The fundamental goals of the French Revolution were to bring about equality, freedom, and democratic rights for all people.
On the morning of 14 July 1789, the city of Paris was in a state of alarm. The city of Paris was in fear in the early morning. There was a rumour that the King would start shooting at the people. As people gathered, they started destroying government buildings in search of weapons. People also protested against the high price of bread. A new chain of revelaution began which led to the execution of the king in France.
French Society During the Late Eighteenth Century
The French Society was divided into three estates –
The Clergy was the First Estate, Nobility the Second, and Commoners the Third Estate.
- Clergy – The clergy owned a large share of land and enjoyed many privileges.
- Nobility – The Nobles had monopoly on all the government posts, did not pay any taxes. They did not do any productive works.
- Commoners – Third estate was made up of commoners including businesspeople, merchants, court officials, lawyers, minor peasants, artisans, labourers without access to property, servants, etc. Estate consists of two groups: urban and rural, which together make up more than 98% of France’s population.
The Struggle to Survive
France’s population increased from 23 million to 28 million between 1715 and 1789. The price of bread increased dramatically as a result of the inability of the production of food grains to keep up with the demand.
Growing Middle Class Envisages an End to Privileges
They were all educated people who thought that no group in society should have advantages due to birth. A person’s social standing should be determined by his or her merit. Philosophers like John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau advanced these concepts, which envisioned a society built on liberty and fair laws and opportunities for all.
The ideas of these philosophers were discussed intensively in salons and coffee-houses and spread among people through books and newspapers.
The Outbreak of the Revolution
Louis XVI became the king of France in 1774, In 1789, food shortages and economic crises led to the outbreak of the French Revolution., On 5 May 1789, Louis XVI called together an assembly of the Estates General to pass proposals for new taxes but it was unsucessfull and it evolved into a protest against the government of France.
Chronological order of French Revolution –
- 1774: Louis XVI becomes king
- 5 May 1789: Estates-General is called
- 20 June 1789: Tennis Court Oath
- 14 July 1789: Storming of the Bastille
- 1791: Constitution drafted; France becomes a constitutional monarchy
- 1792: France declared a republic
- 1793–1794: Reign of Terror
- 1799: Napoleon becomes First Consul; Revolution ends
France Abolishes Monarchy and Becomes a Republic
The National Convention was established during the Insurrection of August 10, 1792, and was tasked with drafting a new constitution. It was elected by all eligible male voters. The Convention assumed de facto control of France on September 20 and announced a republican system of government the next day.
Women Revolution –
- Women had an active participation in French Revolution from beginning.
- Most third estate women worked to support themselves and earned less than men
- Women earned less money than men.
- Most women did not have access to education or job training.
- They demanded the right to vote, to be elected to the Assembly and to hold political office.
- They demanded equal compensation for comparable work.
- Women created their own political clubs and journals to discuss and communicate their ideas.
- The women struggle to have the same political rights as men.
- Women in France were eventually granted the right to vote in 1946.
The Abolition of Slavery –
- Slaves were transported triangularly between Europe, Africa, and America.
- The slave trade began in the seventeenth century
- During the 1700s, there was little criticism of slavery in France, and no laws were passed to stop it.
- The National Convention abolished slavery in French overseas colonies during the French Revolution.
- Napoleon Bonaparte reintroduced slavery ten years later, reversing earlier reforms.
- Slavery was permanently abolished in all French colonies by the Second Republic in 1848.
The Revolution and Everyday Life
- The years 1789 in France saw many such changes in the lives of men, women and children.
- One important law that came into effect soon after the storming of the Bastille in the summer of 1789 was the abolition of censorship.
- Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen proclaimed freedom of speech and expression to be a natural right.
- Freedom of press meant opposing views of events could be expressed.
- Newspapers, pamphlets, books and printed pictures flooded the towns of France from where they travelled rapidly into the countryside.
- Freedom of the press also meant that opposing views of events could be expressed.
- Plays, songs and festive processions attracted large numbers of people.
Conclusion
Napoleon Bonaparte proclaimed himself Emperor of France in 1804 and enacted numerous laws, including those that protected private property and used the decimal system to create a unified system of weights and measures. In 1815, Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo. The main legacies of the French Revolution were the concepts of liberty and democratic rights. People who had been colonised revised the concept of freedom to establish an independent nation-state.
What is French Revolution notes class 9?
The French Revolution, which began in 1789 and came to a conclusion with Napoleon Bonaparte’s rise to power in the late 1790s, was a turning point in world history. French voters fundamentally changed their country’s political landscape during this time, collapsing centuries-old structures like the monarchy and the feudal system.
What are the three important ideas of the French Revolution class 9?
French Revolution having three important ideas Liberty, equality, and fraternity.
What were the five main causes of the French Revolution?
The Estate System, Absolutism, concepts from the Enlightenment, food shortages, and the American Revolution can be boiled down to five key causes. The French Estate System was essentially a caste system that classified and ranked individuals according to their level of wealth and status.
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