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.

   For the first stage of the Revolution, which choice names a long-term cause and the trigger, Ari asks?

   • The Bastille was the trigger, and debt was one of its effects in 1789
   • Debt was long-term; the call of the Estates-General in 1788 was the trigger
   • The Declaration of the Rights of Man was a long-term cause, since it states grievances
   • Bread prices were the trigger, since they stood at the highest of the century in 1789
3. 2.

   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
   • It was caused by the Declaration of the Rights of Man, which came later in August
   • It caused the debt crisis, since the king then needed money for repairs to the fortress
   • The Bastille came in July 1789, after the debt crisis, so it was one event in a process
4. 3.

   Cards A and B both give causes. Which statement fits both, Esme asks?

   • The call of 1788 ended the debt crisis, so the Revolution did not need to follow
   • The privileges of the nobles alone forced the king to call the Estates-General
   • The Third Estate ordered the call for the Estates-General in 1788
   • Debts pushed the king to act, and tax objections pushed the call
5. 4.

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

   • What happened in 1789 and in what order
   • Whether the nobles' privileges were fair
   • Why the government had run short of money
   • What Louis XVI wanted the Estates-General to do
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 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 Bastille came first, so it could have caused the declaration of the Third Estate
   • 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 met each 20 years or so, so 1788 was a normal call
   • It had not met since 1714, so 75 years had passed and the call was fairly routine
   • It had not met since 1614, so about 175 years had passed and the call was unusual
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?

   • In July the Bastille fell, and the royal family moved to Paris on October 5 and 6
   • The royal family moved to Paris in July, when the Bastille was taken
   • The royal family was in Paris by May 5, when the Estates-General opened at Versailles near Paris
   • The move happened in August, when the Declaration was issued
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 the sole cause, and everything else followed from it.'
   • 'The king's lack of money was caused by the Third Estate, which refused to pay.'
   • 'The king ran out of money in 1789, when the Bastille was taken.'
   • 'Debt and noble privilege were long-term causes, and bankruptcy led to the call.'
10. 9.

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

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

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

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