BILLABONG EPS INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Grade 7
History work sheet: French Revolution
Resource sheet: France before the Revolution
French revolution key words
There were big changes in France between 1789 and 1815. In 1879, Louis XVI was in charge of France
but by 1815 the country had experienced a revolution and became a republic. A republic is a country
that is run by a government and does not have a king or queen. Below is a set of new words which you
will come across in studying about the French Revolution.
Keyword
Monarch
Republic
Absolute monarch
ancient regime
Revolution
Guillotine
Estate
Exiled
Parliament
Execution
Definition
a king or queen
a country without a king or queen
a person who believes they are chosen by God to
be King or queen
an old fashioned system of government
a big change
a machine that was used to cut off people’s heads
in France during the time of the revolution
a group of people in France
Being forced to live in another country
a group of people who runs the country
to kill somebody legally
In 1789 France was ruled by a King called Louis XVI. Louis XVI was an absolute monarch. This means that
he believed that God chose him to be the King of France and so he ran the country by himself. Louis XVI
was married to an Austrian woman called Marie Antoinette. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were not
very popular monarchs. Many people felt that they spent too much and were not running the country
properly.
Below are some examples of how the people felt about Louis XVI:a) Louis XVI spends too much money. He is making France bankrupt (broke).
b) Louis XVI always wants to help people and loves his wife and children very much.
c) Louis XVI is not very smart. He does not really know how to run the country. He would rather
make clocks.
d) Louis XVI listens to his wife too much, she is not the King!
e) Louis XVI is very greedy. He eats two whole chickens for breakfast and drinks champagne whilst
the people of France are starving.
f) Louis XVI dresses like a beggar and walks with a stoop. He is an embarrassing leader. He makes
France look very weak.
g) Louis XVI listens to people’s problems and becomes upset but he does not know how to solve
them.
Activity sheet one– France before the Revolution
Louis XVI’s personality
The French people wanted a good and strong King. The statements on the resource sheet ‘How was
France ruled before 1789?’ tell us that some French people did not see Louis XVI as being a good king.
Use the information from the statements on the resource sheet ‘How France was ruled before 1789?’ to
complete the chart below. You are looking for good and bad points about Louis XVI. One good and one
bad point in each column has been completed for you.
Good points about Louis XVI
King Louis XVI loves his wife and children so much
Bad points about Louis XVI
Louis XVI is bankrupting France.
Activity sheet two – France before the Revolution
The Three Estates
The French people were not just unhappy with King Louis XVI. Many were also unhappy with the class
system in France. This class system was called the ‘Estate system’ and had three classes with Louis XVI at
the top
The Estate system
First Estate
130 000 clergy
Owned 10% of the land
Paid no taxes
Second Estate
400 000 nobles
Owned 35% of French land
Paid no taxes
Third Estate
Most of the French population
Middle classes , peasants and farmers
They had no say in running the country
They had to pay all the taxes
Use the information above to complete the tasks below on the space provided.
1. Who do you think was at the top of the ‘Estate system’?
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2.
Write a sentence explaining which ‘Estate’ you think was treated the worst and why?
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