The name sans culottes showed distance from which noble clothing?

Correct answer: Knee-length breeches (culottes)

‘Sans-culottes’ literally means ‘without culottes’. Culottes were knee-length breeches associated with the French nobility. Revolutionary common people wore long trousers, so rejecting culottes symbolised their opposition to aristocratic privilege and support for equality. The red cap was also a revolutionary symbol, but it did not give the group its name. Exam tip: remember that ‘sans’ means ‘without’.