Use of long trousers as revolutionary dress was against what?

Correct answer: Nobles' knee-breeches

The governing concept is the use of clothing as a visible marker of class and political identity. Aristocratic men commonly wore short knee-breeches, whereas the urban commoners associated with the sans-culottes wore long trousers. Choosing long trousers was therefore more than a matter of comfort: it publicly rejected the appearance and status symbols of the privileged classes. Option A is correct because the trousers were defined in contrast to nobles' breeches. Option B concerns footwear, not the relevant class distinction; option C is a weapon; and option D is unrelated to clothing or social identity. The dress symbolised equality and opposition to aristocratic privilege.