The French Revolution: causes, stages and results

Grade 10 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Cards A to C, summaries in our words, written today from the Liberty, Equality, Fraternity site (George Mason University and CUNY) and the Palace of Versailles. Card A: Long wars in the 1700s left the French government spending more than it raised, and it usually borrowed. Many people saw the privileges of the nobles as unfair. Card B: In 1787 the government proposed tax reforms, and objections called for the Estates-General, which had not met since 1614. Facing bankruptcy, Louis XVI called it in 1788. Card C: The Estates-General opened at Versailles on May 5, 1789, with about 1,200 deputies. On June 17 deputies of the Third Estate declared that they alone represented the nation. On July 14 a Paris crowd took the Bastille, while bread prices stood at the highest of the century. On August 26 the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was issued. On October 5 and 6 a crowd brought the royal family to Paris.

2. 1.

   A student says the fall of the Bastille caused the French Revolution. What do cards A to C show, Bo asks?

   • It caused the Revolution, since it was the most famous event of 1789 and the one people remember
   • The Bastille came in July 1789, after the debt crisis, so it was one event in a process
   • It caused the debt crisis, since the king then needed money for repairs to the fortress
   • It was caused by the Declaration of the Rights of Man, which came later in August
3. 2.

   Card C is a summary written today. What is it better evidence for than card A, Jun asks?

   • Whether the nobles' privileges were fair
   • What Louis XVI wanted the Estates-General to do
   • Why the government had run short of money
   • What happened in 1789 and in what order
4. 3.

   A student wants to know what the Declaration of the Rights of Man said. How far does card C help, Kira asks?

   • It gives the full text, since it names the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
   • It does not help, since a summary cannot name a date for a document
   • It shows what the Declaration said about the nobles, since privileges came up in card A
   • It gives the date, August 26, 1789, but not the text, so the student needs the document
5. 4.

   A student says high bread prices explain the crowd that moved the royal family in October. What does card C allow, Luz asks?

   • The card states that the crowd marched in October because bread prices were so high that year
   • Prices were high in 1789 and a crowd marched in October: a link is possible but unstated
   • The card rules the link out, since bread prices are listed beside the Bastille in July
   • The card shows the royal family was moved to Paris to buy bread
6. 5.

   A student says the Third Estate's declaration of June 17 was caused by the Bastille on July 14. What do the dates show, Milo asks?

   • The Bastille came first, so it could have caused the declaration of the Third Estate
   • The dates show nothing about cause, since both events happened in the same year, 1789
   • The declaration came four weeks earlier, so the Bastille cannot have caused it
   • The two events came on the same day, so it is impossible to say which was the cause
7. 6.

   A student says the Estates-General met regularly, so calling it in 1788 was routine. What do the cards show, Noah asks?

   • It was called for the first time ever in 1788
   • It had not met since 1614, so about 175 years had passed and the call was unusual
   • It had not met since 1714, so 75 years had passed and the call was fairly routine
   • It met each 20 years or so, so 1788 was a normal call
8. 7.

   A student says the king was a prisoner in Paris by July 1789. What do the dates in card C allow, Pia asks?

   • The royal family was in Paris by May 5, when the Estates-General opened at Versailles near Paris
   • In July the Bastille fell, and the royal family moved to Paris on October 5 and 6
   • The move happened in August, when the Declaration was issued
   • The royal family moved to Paris in July, when the Bastille was taken
9. 8.

   A student writes: 'The Revolution began because the king ran out of money.' Which revision stays within the cards, Ren asks?

   • 'The king's lack of money was caused by the Third Estate, which refused to pay.'
   • 'Debt and noble privilege were long-term causes, and bankruptcy led to the call.'
   • 'The king's lack of money was the sole cause, and everything else followed from it.'
   • 'The king ran out of money in 1789, when the Bastille was taken.'
10. 9.

    A student writes: 'The Declaration of the Rights of Man ended the nobles' privileges.' What do the cards allow, Tala asks?

    • Card C names the Declaration and its date but not what it did to privileges
    • The claim is ruled out, since the privileges are listed as a cause in card A
    • The claim is supported, since the Declaration was issued after the Bastille
    • The claim is supported, since card A says many people saw the privileges as unfair
11. 10.

    A student writes: 'Crowds in Paris acted three times in 1789.' What does card C show, Zee asks?

    • One: the Bastille, since the other events were decided by the Estates-General
    • Two: the Bastille on July 14 and the royal family's move on October 5 and 6
    • Four: the opening of the Estates-General, the Bastille, the Declaration and the move
    • Three: the Bastille, the Declaration of the Rights of Man, and the royal family's move