19th and 20th
French Rev
Name: _______________________________
Document Based Question (DBQ) #1:
CAUSES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
Directions: This task is designed to test you ability to work with historic documents. As you analyze the documents, take
into account both the source of the document and the author’s point of view. Both of these may greatly affect how you use
them.
First, Read each document in the packet attached carefully and answer the questions that go along with it. Then, create a
thesis statement (main idea) that answers the question below. You must have 3 main points included in your thesis statement
to receive full credit.
PROMPT: What are the 3 MAIN causes of the French Revolution?
Doc
1:
List 3 observations this traveler made about the life of the peasant in France between 1787 and 1789.
Doc
2:
What conclusions can you draw about the relationship between the percentage of the population in each
estate and the percentage of land owned by that estate?
What unfair conditions existed in pre-revolutionary France?
Doc
3
What three changes did the 3rd Estate demand be made in the French Government?
Doc
4
What was the result of the middle class’s knowledge of the ideas of the Enlightenment?
Doc
5
What did Lord Acton believe caused the French Revolution?
Doc
6
What does Comte D’Antraigues see as the rightful role of the 3rd Estate in France?
Doc
7
Doc
8
What is the cartoonist saying about the relationship among the 3 estates in France?
According to this document, what are the natural rights of man?
Intro Paragraph:
The introduction to your DBQ should ALWAYS be in the following format.
Please write an introductory paragraph below using the format I give you.
Think of a Funnel!
Sentence 1: Grand Statement about the topic/time period.
 This will “open up” and set the scene for your reader.
Sentence 2: Narrow the topic a bit.
 Include a statement that gets readers closer to the topic of your DBQ.
Sentence 3: Thesis statement.
 This should clearly state your opinion/arguement on the prompt.
• You want to come across as being sophisticated
• IF YOU WANT TO CHALLENGE YOURSELF:
– Try to include the word ‘although’ or ‘however’
– In doing that, you have to recognize the antithesis and then demonstrate it is not correct
Sentence 4: Plan of Attack
 List the 3 main areas you will use as the “evidence” in your body paragraphs.
Using the format above, please write an intro paragraph to the DBQ prompt on the front page.
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DOCUMENTS: