French Revolution: 17 MCQs with answers

The storming of the Bastille

The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, is widely regarded as the start of the French Revolution.

Commoners, including peasants, workers, and bourgeoisie

The Third Estate comprised the vast majority of the population, excluding the clergy (First Estate) and nobility (Second Estate).

Louis XVI

Louis XVI reigned from 1774 until his execution in 1793, during the revolutionary period.

A meeting of the three estates to advise the king

The Estates General was a representative assembly of the clergy, nobility, and commoners, last convened in 1789.

The monarchy was abolished and a republic was established

The Revolution led to the overthrow of the monarchy in 1792 and the establishment of the French Republic.

It symbolized the fall of royal tyranny and the rise of popular revolt

The Bastille was a royal fortress and prison; its fall on July 14, 1789, became a powerful symbol of the Revolution.

True

The Revolution began in 1789 with the Estates General and the storming of the Bastille.

False

The Reign of Terror was marked by mass executions and political repression, not peace.

To demand a constitution and not disband until it was written

The Third Estate deputies swore the Tennis Court Oath in June 1789, pledging to draft a constitution for France.

It proclaimed liberty, equality, and fraternity

Adopted in 1789, the Declaration asserted natural rights and became a foundational document of the Revolution.

A period of mass executions of perceived enemies of the Revolution

The Reign of Terror (1793–94) was a period of extreme violence led by Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety.

The Jacobins

The Jacobins, a radical revolutionary group, played a key role in the trial and execution of Louis XVI in January 1793.

Financial crisis due to war spending and poor harvests

France faced severe economic troubles, including debt from the Seven Years' War and American Revolution, and food shortages, leading to unrest.

They were radical urban workers who pushed for more extreme measures

The sans-culottes were working-class Parisians who played a key role in radicalizing the Revolution.

The August Decrees

The August Decrees of 1789 abolished feudal privileges and tithes, marking a major reform.

A leading Jacobin and architect of the Reign of Terror

Maximilien Robespierre was a radical Jacobin who dominated the Committee of Public Safety during the Terror.

The Jacobin Club

The Jacobin Club was a radical political club that played a major role in the Revolution.