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