The Outbreak of the Revolution

Removing feudal rights was a blow to old social inequality. Exam tip: write it as social change.

The march to Versailles began because women in Paris faced severe shortages and rising bread prices. However, it quickly became a political action as well as a protest about food. The marchers demanded that the king respond to the people's suffering and support the changes being made in the name of the nation. Their movement showed that ordinary people, especially women, could directly influence national politics.

The marchers went to Versailles, where the king and the National Assembly were located. Under intense public pressure, the king and his family were brought back to Paris, where they could be watched more closely by the people. Thus, the event connected an economic grievance with a major political result. Option A is correct; the other choices describe events that did not happen as a result of this march.

The Third Estate turned the old assembly into new national politics. Exam tip: understand the process in order.

The governing concept is chronological sequencing. The Estates-General met in May 1789, but representatives of the Third Estate soon declared themselves the National Assembly. On 20 June they made the Tennis Court Oath, promising not to separate until France had a constitution. On 14 July, Parisian people stormed the Bastille, making the crisis a mass popular uprising. Therefore, option A gives the correct progression from institutional meeting to political reorganisation, constitutional commitment, and armed popular action. Option B reverses the order of the opening events, option C places the October women’s march too early, and option D incorrectly mixes a later event with the 1614 date.

The voting method raised the question of representation and power. Exam tip: write the core cause of dispute.

The Bastille symbolised royal power so its fall was a major signal. Exam tip: remember the symbolic challenge.

The Third Estate wanted representation according to numbers. Exam tip: connect democratic spirit with voting.

The cahiers recorded people's grievances. Exam tip: connect them with representation and demands for reform.

People in Paris feared that troops deployed by the king might act against the people and the National Assembly. They therefore searched for arms and gunpowder for self-defence, so this was not merely an ordinary criminal act. Option B is wrong because the king did not distribute weapons among the citizens. Exam tip: interpret popular actions in the French Revolution in the context of fear of royal repression and political resistance.

The Third Estate was the largest and saw itself as the voice of the nation. Exam tip: write the logic of representation.

In the Tennis Court Oath members vowed not to disperse until a constitution was made. Exam tip: remember oath and constitution together.

Bastille struck royal power and 4 August struck feudal privileges. Exam tip: see urban and rural effects together.

Bastille in towns and anti-feudal action in villages appeared together. Exam tip: understand different regional forms moving in the same direction.

The bread problem became linked with both household life and politics. Exam tip: write the link between daily life and politics.

The governing concept is the symbolic and political significance of revolutionary action. On 14 July 1789, people in Paris stormed the Bastille, a fortress-prison associated with arbitrary royal authority. They sought arms and ammunition, but the event also showed that ordinary people could directly challenge the institutions of absolutism. The fall of the Bastille encouraged revolutionary movements elsewhere and became a lasting symbol of liberty and resistance. Option A is correct because it combines the concrete action with its wider political meaning. Option B is unrelated, option C gives the wrong event and date, and option D belongs to Napoleon’s later period, not the opening of the Revolution.

The voting dispute raised the question of nation and constitution. Exam tip: write the link from small dispute to larger idea.

During the Great Fear, many peasants believed that nobles might use force or that feudal demands would continue. They were angry about feudal rights, dues, rents, and obligations that burdened village life. Chateaux contained records and symbols connected with these privileges, so attacking them expressed opposition to the feudal system, not merely anger against individual buildings.

Option A is correct because it gives both the immediate feeling and its social cause. Peasants were not celebrating the king’s birthday, opening schools, or searching for ships. Their actions reflected long-standing resentment against unequal social relations and dues owed to lords. This episode helped weaken feudal authority and contributed to the later abolition of feudal privileges during the Revolution.

The Bastille was a fortress prison and a symbol of royal repression. Exam tip: write both fact and symbol.

The aim of a constitution was to limit absolute power. Exam tip: write the link between constitution and limited government.

Women played a role in both bread demand and political pressure. Exam tip: mention women's participation.