B.A. ENGLISH SEMESTER -I ALLIED - SOCIAL HISTORY OF ENGLAND (26BENA1) - UNIT III

 

 

B.A.  ENGLISH

SEMESTER  I

 

Allied Course – Social History of England (26BENA1)

CORE COURSE

  UNIT III — REVOLUTIONS 

Detailed Notes • MCQs • Short & Long Answers • Essays

◆   ◆   ◆

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

About This Unit.......................................................................................................................................... 3

1.  Impact of the Industrial Revolution on English Society..................................................................... 4

2.  Impact of the Agrarian Revolution on English Society..................................................................... 10

3.  Impact of the French Revolution on English Society........................................................................ 16

 

  About This Unit  @@K0@@ 

Unit III of the Allied Course "Social History of England" deals with three great revolutions that transformed English society: the Industrial Revolution, the Agrarian Revolution and the French Revolution. For each topic you will find detailed notes, multiple-choice questions with an answer key, ten two-mark questions, three paragraph questions and one essay question with a full model answer. Together the three topics show how changes in industry, in farming and in political ideas reshaped the life, classes and thought of the English people.

 

  Impact of the Industrial Revolution on English Society  @@K1@@ 

 c. 1760–1840 | The change from an agricultural, handicraft economy to machine industry and the factory system.

Detailed Notes

■  Meaning and Background

The Industrial Revolution was the great change, beginning in England about 1760, by which the country was transformed from an agricultural and handicraft economy into one dominated by machinery, factories and large-scale manufacture. England was the first nation to industrialise and so became known as "the workshop of the world." A number of conditions made this possible: a series of remarkable inventions, plentiful supplies of coal and iron, capital gathered from trade and empire, a growing population to provide workers and buyers, wide colonial markets and raw materials, and a settled and stable government.

■  The Great Inventions

The Revolution was driven by a stream of inventions, especially in the textile industry. Hargreaves’ spinning jenny, Arkwright’s water frame and Crompton’s mule transformed spinning, and Cartwright’s power loom transformed weaving. Above all, James Watt’s improved steam engine provided a powerful new source of energy that could drive machinery anywhere. Advances in iron-smelting, and later the coming of the railways with Stephenson’s locomotives, completed the transformation of industry and transport.

■  The Factory System and Urban Growth

The most important social result was the rise of the factory system. Manufacture moved out of the cottage and the home—the old "domestic system"—and into large factories built around the new machines. Workers had to gather where the factories were, and so great industrial towns and cities such as Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds grew up with astonishing speed. Crowds of people left the countryside for the towns, and England was rapidly changed from a rural into an urban and industrial society.

■  The Rise of New Social Classes

The Industrial Revolution created new social classes. On one side rose the wealthy industrial capitalists—the factory owners and manufacturers—who formed a powerful new middle class. On the other side grew a vast industrial working class, the labourers who worked in the factories and mines for wages. The old bonds between master and man were broken, and society was divided sharply between the rich employers and the poor workers, a division that would shape English politics and social conflict for generations.

■  Working and Living Conditions

For the workers the early Industrial Revolution brought great hardship. Hours were long, wages low, and discipline harsh; women and even young children laboured in factories and mines under dangerous and unhealthy conditions. In the towns the workers crowded into badly built, insanitary slums, where overcrowding, dirt and disease were common and the smoke of the factories poisoned the air. While the nation as a whole grew far richer, this new wealth was very unevenly shared, and the gap between rich and poor became wide and bitter.

■  Reform and Long-Term Effects

The evils of the factory system in time provoked demands for reform. Parliament passed Factory Acts to limit hours and protect women and children, workers began to combine in trade unions, and movements such as Chartism arose to demand political rights, while humanitarian reformers laboured to improve conditions. In the long run the Industrial Revolution made England the richest and most powerful industrial nation of the nineteenth century, produced modern capitalism and the modern working class, and set in motion the social reforms and democratic advances of the Victorian age and after.

■  Multiple Choice Questions

1. The Industrial Revolution began in England about the year:

(a) 1660

(b) 1760

(c) 1860

(d) 1900

2. The Industrial Revolution changed England from an agricultural economy into one based on:

(a) trade only

(b) machinery and factories

(c) farming

(d) fishing

3. Because it industrialised first, England was called the:

(a) granary of Europe

(b) workshop of the world

(c) garden of the world

(d) banker of Europe

4. The spinning jenny was invented by:

(a) Arkwright

(b) Hargreaves

(c) Crompton

(d) Cartwright

5. The improved steam engine was the work of:

(a) George Stephenson

(b) James Watt

(c) Richard Arkwright

(d) Edmund Cartwright

6. The power loom, which transformed weaving, was invented by:

(a) Crompton

(b) Cartwright

(c) Hargreaves

(d) Watt

7. Manufacture moved from the home into large factories, replacing the:

(a) factory system

(b) domestic system

(c) guild system

(d) manorial system

8. Which of these became a great new industrial city?

(a) Manchester

(b) Bath

(c) Canterbury

(d) York

9. The Industrial Revolution led to rapid:

(a) depopulation of towns

(b) growth of towns and cities (urbanisation)

(c) return to farming

(d) decline of population

10. The wealthy factory owners formed a powerful new:

(a) aristocracy

(b) middle class of capitalists

(c) peasant class

(d) clergy

11. The workers in factories and mines formed the:

(a) landed gentry

(b) industrial working class

(c) yeomanry

(d) merchant class

12. A great evil of the early factories was the employment of:

(a) machines

(b) women and young children in harsh conditions

(c) foreign workers

(d) soldiers

13. Life in the new industrial towns was marked by:

(a) clean, spacious housing

(b) overcrowded slums and disease

(c) country estates

(d) empty streets

14. Laws passed to protect factory workers were called the:

(a) Corn Laws

(b) Factory Acts

(c) Navigation Acts

(d) Poor Laws

15. A long-term effect of the Industrial Revolution was the rise of:

(a) feudalism

(b) modern capitalism and the working class

(c) the monasteries

(d) the Renaissance

 Answer Key:  1-b   2-b   3-b   4-b   5-b   6-b   7-b   8-a   9-b   10-b   11-b   12-b   13-b   14-b   15-b

■  Two-Mark Questions (One-sentence answers)

Q1. What was the Industrial Revolution?

Ans.  It was the change, beginning about 1760, from an agricultural and handicraft economy to one based on machinery and factories.

Q2. Why was England called "the workshop of the world"?

Ans.  Because it was the first nation to industrialise and led the world in manufacture.

Q3. Name two important inventions of the Industrial Revolution.

Ans.  The spinning jenny (Hargreaves) and the improved steam engine (James Watt) were two key inventions.

Q4. What was the factory system?

Ans.  It was the system by which manufacture was carried on in large factories built around machines, replacing home-based work.

Q5. What was the "domestic system" that the factory replaced?

Ans.  It was the older system in which goods were made by hand in workers’ own cottages and homes.

Q6. Name one great industrial city that grew up in this period.

Ans.  Manchester (or Birmingham or Leeds) grew rapidly as an industrial city.

Q7. What two new social classes did the Industrial Revolution create?

Ans.  It created the wealthy industrial capitalists and the industrial working class.

Q8. Describe the working conditions of early factory workers.

Ans.  Hours were long, wages low, and women and children worked in dangerous, unhealthy conditions.

Q9. What were the living conditions in the new industrial towns?

Ans.  Workers crowded into insanitary, overcrowded slums where dirt and disease were common.

Q10. Name one reform that followed the Industrial Revolution.

Ans.  The Factory Acts (limiting hours and protecting women and children) were one such reform.

■  Paragraph Questions

Q1. What conditions made the Industrial Revolution possible in England?

Several favourable conditions combined to make England the first industrial nation. There was a series of remarkable inventions, above all in textiles and in the steam engine, which made machine production possible. England possessed plentiful supplies of coal and iron to power and build the machines, and capital gathered from trade and empire to invest in industry. A growing population provided both workers for the factories and customers for their goods, while wide colonial markets and sources of raw material, together with a stable government and good transport by canal and later railway, gave English industry every advantage. These conditions together launched the Industrial Revolution in England.

Q2. How did the Industrial Revolution change the classes and towns of England?

The Industrial Revolution transformed both the social classes and the map of England. It created a powerful new middle class of industrial capitalists—the factory owners—and, beneath them, a vast new industrial working class who laboured for wages in the factories and mines. This sharp division between rich employers and poor workers replaced the older social bonds. At the same time, because factories drew workers together, great industrial towns and cities such as Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds grew up with astonishing speed, and crowds left the countryside for the towns, so that England was changed from a rural into an urban and industrial society.

Q3. What hardships did the Industrial Revolution bring to the workers, and what reforms followed?

For the workers the early Industrial Revolution brought severe hardship. In the factories and mines hours were long, wages low and discipline harsh, and women and even young children laboured in dangerous and unhealthy conditions. In the towns they crowded into insanitary slums where overcrowding and disease were rife and the air was fouled by factory smoke, while the great new wealth of the nation was very unevenly shared. In time these evils led to reform: Parliament passed Factory Acts to limit hours and protect women and children, workers formed trade unions, movements such as Chartism demanded political rights, and humanitarian reformers worked to improve the lot of the poor.

■  Essay Question

Q. Discuss the impact of the Industrial Revolution on English society.

 Introduction

The Industrial Revolution, which began in England about 1760, was one of the greatest turning points in the social history of the country. By replacing hand labour and the cottage workshop with machinery and the factory, it transformed not only the way goods were made but the whole structure of English society—its classes, its towns, its work and its wealth. To understand its importance we must consider both the changes it brought and the problems it created.

▸ 1. Meaning and Causes

The Industrial Revolution was the change from an agricultural and handicraft economy to one based on machinery and factories. It was made possible by a series of inventions, by plentiful coal and iron, by capital from trade and empire, by a growing population and wide colonial markets, and by a stable government. England, industrialising first, became "the workshop of the world."

▸ 2. The Factory System and Urban Growth

The chief social result was the rise of the factory system, which moved manufacture from the home into great factories. Workers gathered where the machines were, and industrial towns such as Manchester and Birmingham grew rapidly, as people left the countryside for the towns. England was thus changed from a rural into an urban and industrial nation.

▸ 3. New Social Classes

The Revolution created two great new classes: the wealthy industrial capitalists who owned the factories, and the vast industrial working class who laboured in them for wages. This sharp division between rich employers and poor workers replaced the older social bonds and became the source of much social conflict.

▸ 4. Hardships of the Workers

For the workers the early years brought great suffering. Hours were long and wages low, women and children toiled in dangerous factories and mines, and the towns were crowded with insanitary slums where disease was common. Though the nation grew richer, the new wealth was very unevenly divided, and the gap between rich and poor grew wide.

▸ 5. Reform and Lasting Effects

In time these evils provoked reform: Factory Acts, trade unions, Chartism and humanitarian movements all sought to improve the workers’ lot. In the long run the Industrial Revolution made England the richest industrial power of the nineteenth century, produced modern capitalism and the modern working class, and set in motion the great social reforms of the Victorian age.

 Conclusion

The Industrial Revolution, then, remade English society from top to bottom. It gave England immense wealth and industrial power and created the modern town, the modern factory and the modern class system; but it also brought slums, exploitation and a bitter gulf between rich and poor. Out of its problems grew the reforms, trade unions and democratic movements of the following century, so that the Industrial Revolution stands as the very foundation of modern English society.

 

  Impact of the Agrarian Revolution on English Society  @@K2@@ 

 18th century | The transformation of English farming through enclosures, new methods and scientific improvement.

Detailed Notes

■  Meaning and Background

The Agrarian Revolution was the great change in English farming that took place chiefly during the eighteenth century, by which agriculture was made far more productive, scientific and commercial. It went hand in hand with the Industrial Revolution, for the growing towns needed more food and the new industries needed workers and capital. Old, wasteful methods of farming were replaced by improved ones, and farming ceased to be merely a way of life and became a business carried on for profit.

■  The Enclosure Movement

The most important feature of the Agrarian Revolution was the enclosure movement. Under the old open-field system the land of a village had been farmed in scattered strips, with common land for grazing. Now, by a long series of Enclosure Acts of Parliament, these open fields and commons were fenced off and consolidated into compact, privately owned farms. Enclosure made large-scale, efficient farming possible, but it also took away the common rights on which many poor cottagers had depended.

■  New Methods and Improvers

The age also saw great improvements in the methods of farming, championed by a group of famous "improvers." Jethro Tull invented the seed drill and the horse-hoe, which sowed seed in neat rows and saved waste. Lord Townshend, nicknamed "Turnip Townshend," popularised crop rotation, especially the Norfolk four-course system using turnips and clover, which did away with the fallow field and restored the soil. Robert Bakewell improved livestock by scientific breeding, producing far better sheep and cattle, and Coke of Holkham and the writer Arthur Young spread the new knowledge of manures, drainage and improved tools.

■  Increased Production

The result of enclosure and the new methods was a great increase in the output of food. Larger, better-managed farms, improved crops and finer animals produced far more corn and meat than before. This rising supply of food was essential, for it fed the fast-growing population of the country and made possible the crowding of people into the new industrial towns. Without the Agrarian Revolution, the Industrial Revolution could not have been fed.

■  Effects on the Rural Poor

For the small farmer and the cottager, however, the Agrarian Revolution often brought ruin. Enclosure destroyed the old common rights of grazing and gathering fuel, and many small farmers and yeomen, unable to afford the cost of enclosure or to compete with the great farms, lost their land. Dispossessed of their holdings, large numbers of country people sank into the class of hired labourers or drifted away to the industrial towns in search of work. Thus the same movement that enriched agriculture also uprooted much of the rural poor.

■  Social Consequences

The social consequences of the Agrarian Revolution were therefore far-reaching. It raised a class of great landowners and wealthy commercial farmers, while the small yeoman farmer and the independent peasant declined and often disappeared. It drove a stream of labour from the countryside into the factories, and so helped both to feed and to man the Industrial Revolution. Though it caused real hardship and rural depopulation, it also made English agriculture the most advanced in Europe and laid an essential foundation for the industrial and urban society of modern England.

■  Multiple Choice Questions

1. The Agrarian Revolution took place chiefly in the:

(a) sixteenth century

(b) eighteenth century

(c) twentieth century

(d) Middle Ages

2. The Agrarian Revolution made English farming more:

(a) old-fashioned

(b) productive and commercial

(c) religious

(d) military

3. The most important feature of the Agrarian Revolution was the:

(a) enclosure movement

(b) crusades

(c) dissolution of monasteries

(d) factory system

4. Under the old system, village land was farmed in scattered:

(a) strips in open fields

(b) walled gardens

(c) terraces

(d) orchards

5. Enclosures were carried out by a series of __ of Parliament.

(a) Factory Acts

(b) Enclosure Acts

(c) Corn Laws

(d) Navigation Acts

6. The seed drill and horse-hoe were invented by:

(a) Robert Bakewell

(b) Jethro Tull

(c) Lord Townshend

(d) Arthur Young

7. "Turnip Townshend" is famous for popularising:

(a) steam ploughing

(b) crop rotation

(c) sheep shearing

(d) enclosure

8. Robert Bakewell was famous for the scientific breeding of:

(a) crops

(b) livestock

(c) poultry only

(d) fish

9. The Norfolk four-course rotation did away with the:

(a) harvest

(b) fallow field

(c) plough

(d) common land

10. The writer who spread knowledge of the new farming was:

(a) Arthur Young

(b) James Watt

(c) Jethro Tull

(d) George Stephenson

11. The main result of enclosure and new methods was an increase in:

(a) warfare

(b) food production

(c) unemployment of landlords

(d) monastic land

12. The increased food supply was essential to feed the growing:

(a) army

(b) population and towns

(c) clergy

(d) nobility

13. For the small farmer and cottager, enclosure often brought:

(a) great wealth

(b) loss of land and common rights

(c) new estates

(d) noble titles

14. Many dispossessed country people moved to the:

(a) monasteries

(b) industrial towns

(c) colonies only

(d) countryside

15. The Agrarian Revolution helped to feed and man the:

(a) Reformation

(b) Industrial Revolution

(c) Renaissance

(d) Restoration

 Answer Key:  1-b   2-b   3-a   4-a   5-b   6-b   7-b   8-b   9-b   10-a   11-b   12-b   13-b   14-b   15-b

■  Two-Mark Questions (One-sentence answers)

Q1. What was the Agrarian Revolution?

Ans.  It was the eighteenth-century transformation of English farming, making it more productive, scientific and commercial.

Q2. What was the enclosure movement?

Ans.  It was the fencing and consolidation of open fields and common lands into private, compact farms by Enclosure Acts.

Q3. What was the old open-field system?

Ans.  It was the older system in which village land was farmed in scattered strips with common land for grazing.

Q4. Who invented the seed drill and horse-hoe?

Ans.  Jethro Tull invented the seed drill and the horse-hoe.

Q5. Why is Lord Townshend called "Turnip Townshend"?

Ans.  Because he popularised crop rotation using turnips and clover in the Norfolk four-course system.

Q6. What did Robert Bakewell contribute to farming?

Ans.  He improved livestock through scientific selective breeding, producing better sheep and cattle.

Q7. What was the main result of the new farming methods?

Ans.  They greatly increased the output of food, feeding the growing population.

Q8. Why was increased food production so important?

Ans.  It fed the fast-growing population and made possible the crowding of people into the industrial towns.

Q9. How did enclosure affect the small farmer and cottager?

Ans.  It destroyed their common rights and often deprived them of their land, forcing many into wage labour or the towns.

Q10. How did the Agrarian Revolution help the Industrial Revolution?

Ans.  It fed the towns and released rural labour for the factories.

■  Paragraph Questions

Q1. What was the enclosure movement, and why was it important?

The enclosure movement was the most important feature of the Agrarian Revolution. Under the old open-field system, the land of a village had been farmed in scattered strips, with common land for grazing and gathering. By a long series of Enclosure Acts of Parliament, these open fields and commons were now fenced off and consolidated into compact, privately owned farms. Enclosure was important because it made large-scale, efficient and profitable farming possible and helped to increase the output of food; but it also destroyed the common rights on which many poor cottagers depended, and so drove numbers of them off the land. In this way it changed both the farming and the society of rural England.

Q2. Describe the new methods introduced by the agricultural "improvers."

The Agrarian Revolution was marked by great improvements in the methods of farming, introduced by a group of famous "improvers." Jethro Tull invented the seed drill and the horse-hoe, which sowed seed in neat rows and reduced waste. Lord Townshend, or "Turnip Townshend," popularised crop rotation, especially the Norfolk four-course system using turnips and clover, which abolished the wasteful fallow field and kept the soil fertile. Robert Bakewell improved livestock by scientific breeding, producing far better sheep and cattle, while Coke of Holkham and the writer Arthur Young spread knowledge of manures, drainage and improved tools. Together these men made English farming the most advanced in Europe.

Q3. What were the social effects of the Agrarian Revolution?

The social effects of the Agrarian Revolution were far-reaching and mixed. On the one hand it greatly increased the production of food, raised a class of great landowners and wealthy commercial farmers, and made English agriculture the most advanced in Europe. On the other hand it brought hardship to the rural poor: enclosure destroyed common rights, and many small farmers, yeomen and cottagers lost their land, sinking into the class of hired labourers or drifting to the industrial towns in search of work. Thus the Agrarian Revolution enriched agriculture and fed the growing population, but it also uprooted much of the peasantry and helped to supply the labour for the factories of the Industrial Revolution.

■  Essay Question

Q. Discuss the impact of the Agrarian Revolution on English society.

 Introduction

The Agrarian Revolution was the great transformation of English farming that took place chiefly in the eighteenth century, running side by side with the Industrial Revolution. By means of enclosure and a host of new methods, it made agriculture far more productive and profitable, but it also changed the structure of rural society and brought hardship to the poor. Its impact on English society was therefore deep and lasting.

▸ 1. Meaning and Background

The Agrarian Revolution was the change by which English farming became more productive, scientific and commercial. It was closely linked to the Industrial Revolution, since the growing towns needed more food and the new industries needed labour and capital. Old, wasteful methods gave way to improved ones, and farming became a business carried on for profit.

▸ 2. The Enclosure Movement

Its central feature was enclosure. The old open-field system, in which land was farmed in scattered strips with common grazing, was replaced by Enclosure Acts that fenced the fields and commons into private, compact farms. This made efficient, large-scale farming possible but destroyed the common rights of the poor.

▸ 3. New Methods and Improvers

The age produced famous "improvers." Jethro Tull invented the seed drill; "Turnip Townshend" spread crop rotation with turnips and clover; Robert Bakewell improved livestock by scientific breeding; and Coke of Holkham and Arthur Young publicised better manures, drainage and tools. Together they revolutionised the methods of farming.

▸ 4. Increased Production

The result was a great increase in the output of food. Larger, better-run farms, improved crops and finer animals produced far more corn and meat than before. This was essential, for it fed the fast-growing population and made possible the crowding of people into the new industrial towns.

▸ 5. Effects on Rural Society

But the revolution also transformed rural society. It raised great landowners and commercial farmers while the small yeoman and cottager declined, losing land and common rights. Many sank into wage labour or moved to the towns, so that the Agrarian Revolution both fed and manned the Industrial Revolution, even as it uprooted much of the peasantry.

 Conclusion

The Agrarian Revolution, then, was as important as its industrial partner. By enclosure and scientific improvement it made English agriculture the most advanced in Europe and produced the food that fed a growing and industrialising nation. Yet it also broke up the old rural community, ruined many small farmers, and drove the poor from the land into the factories. In enriching farming and transforming country life alike, it helped to lay the foundations of modern industrial England.

 

  Impact of the French Revolution on English Society  @@K3@@ 

 1789 onwards | The influence of French revolutionary ideals of liberty and equality on English politics, thought and literature.

Detailed Notes

■  The French Revolution and its Ideals

The French Revolution broke out in 1789, when the people of France overthrew their king and the old order in the name of "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity." Its Declaration of the Rights of Man proclaimed the freedom and equality of all citizens, and it seemed to many in Europe to announce the dawn of a new age of justice and democracy. Because England lay so close to France and shared in the intellectual life of Europe, the Revolution had a deep and lasting effect on English politics, thought and literature.

■  Early Enthusiasm in England

At first the Revolution was greeted in England with great enthusiasm, especially by liberals, radicals and the young Romantic poets, who hailed it as the birth of freedom. Wordsworth, who was in France in these years, later wrote that it was bliss to be alive in that dawn; Coleridge, Southey and Blake shared the same hope. Thomas Paine defended the Revolution in his famous book The Rights of Man, and radical and reform societies sprang up to demand liberty and a wider suffrage in England itself.

■  Reaction and Alarm

Enthusiasm soon gave way to alarm as the Revolution grew violent. The execution of the French king, the bloodshed of the Reign of Terror and the threat of war frightened English opinion and turned most of the nation against the Revolution. Edmund Burke, in his Reflections on the Revolution in France, had warned from the first of its dangers and defended tradition and gradual change; his book became the great statement of conservatism, and after the Terror many who had welcomed the Revolution recoiled from it in horror.

■  Government Repression

The English government, fearing that revolution might spread across the Channel, answered with stern repression. Under the Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger it suspended Habeas Corpus, passed severe laws against sedition and treason, and by the Combination Acts forbade workers to form unions. Radical societies were suppressed and their leaders prosecuted. For a time, therefore, the immediate effect of the Revolution in England was not liberty but a period of reaction and the checking of reform.

■  War with France

The Revolution also drew England into a long and costly struggle. From 1793 Britain was at war with revolutionary and then with Napoleonic France, a conflict that lasted, with brief pauses, until the final defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. The long war strained the nation’s economy, raised prices and taxes, and strengthened both patriotism and the forces of order, while helping to delay the cause of political reform at home.

■  Long-Term Influence

In the long run, however, the ideals of the French Revolution left a deep mark on England. The great principles of liberty and equality inspired later movements for parliamentary reform, for democracy and for the rights of the common people, and they helped to shape the reforming spirit of the nineteenth century, from the Reform Bills to Chartism. The Revolution also stirred a rich debate of ideas—between the conservatism of Burke and the radicalism of Paine and Godwin, and in Mary Wollstonecraft’s plea for the rights of women—and it inspired the imagination of the Romantic poets. Thus, though its first effect was reaction, the French Revolution in time quickened the growth of liberty and reform in England.

■  Multiple Choice Questions

1. The French Revolution broke out in the year:

(a) 1776

(b) 1789

(c) 1815

(d) 1832

2. The watchwords of the French Revolution were Liberty, Equality and:

(a) Property

(b) Fraternity

(c) Monarchy

(d) Empire

3. The Revolution’s famous declaration proclaimed the:

(a) Rights of Kings

(b) Rights of Man

(c) Rights of the Church

(d) Rights of Nobles

4. In England the Revolution was at first greeted with:

(a) indifference

(b) great enthusiasm

(c) immediate war

(d) total silence

5. Which Romantic poet welcomed the Revolution, later recalling it was "bliss" to be alive?

(a) Alexander Pope

(b) William Wordsworth

(c) John Dryden

(d) John Milton

6. The Rights of Man, defending the Revolution, was written by:

(a) Edmund Burke

(b) Thomas Paine

(c) William Pitt

(d) William Godwin

7. Reflections on the Revolution in France, attacking it, was written by:

(a) Thomas Paine

(b) Edmund Burke

(c) Mary Wollstonecraft

(d) Coleridge

8. Burke’s book became the great statement of:

(a) radicalism

(b) conservatism

(c) socialism

(d) republicanism

9. English enthusiasm turned to alarm because of the Revolution’s:

(a) success in trade

(b) violence and Reign of Terror

(c) weakness

(d) religious revival

10. The British Prime Minister who repressed radicals was:

(a) Robert Walpole

(b) William Pitt the Younger

(c) Lord North

(d) Gladstone

11. The Combination Acts forbade workers to form:

(a) schools

(b) trade unions

(c) churches

(d) companies

12. Britain went to war with revolutionary France from the year:

(a) 1789

(b) 1793

(c) 1805

(d) 1815

13. The long war with France finally ended at:

(a) Trafalgar

(b) Waterloo

(c) Blenheim

(d) Agincourt

14. The Vindication of the Rights of Woman was written by:

(a) Mary Wollstonecraft

(b) Jane Austen

(c) Hannah More

(d) Mary Shelley

15. In the long run, the ideals of the Revolution inspired English movements for:

(a) absolute monarchy

(b) parliamentary reform and democracy

(c) feudalism

(d) the Restoration

 Answer Key:  1-b   2-b   3-b   4-b   5-b   6-b   7-b   8-b   9-b   10-b   11-b   12-b   13-b   14-a   15-b

■  Two-Mark Questions (One-sentence answers)

Q1. When did the French Revolution break out?

Ans.  The French Revolution broke out in 1789.

Q2. What were the ideals of the French Revolution?

Ans.  Its ideals were Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

Q3. How was the Revolution first received in England?

Ans.  It was at first greeted with great enthusiasm, especially by liberals, radicals and the Romantic poets.

Q4. Which poet expressed joy at the Revolution’s dawn?

Ans.  William Wordsworth, who recalled that it was bliss to be alive in that dawn.

Q5. Who wrote The Rights of Man in defence of the Revolution?

Ans.  Thomas Paine wrote The Rights of Man in its defence.

Q6. Who wrote against the Revolution, and in which book?

Ans.  Edmund Burke wrote against it in his Reflections on the Revolution in France.

Q7. Why did English opinion turn against the Revolution?

Ans.  Because of its growing violence, the Reign of Terror and the execution of the French king.

Q8. How did the British government respond to the fear of revolution?

Ans.  It repressed radicals by suspending Habeas Corpus and passing laws against sedition and trade unions.

Q9. When and where did the long war with France finally end?

Ans.  It ended in 1815 with the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo.

Q10. What was the long-term influence of the Revolution on England?

Ans.  Its ideals of liberty and equality inspired later movements for parliamentary reform and democracy.

■  Paragraph Questions

Q1. How was the French Revolution first received in England, and why did opinion change?

When the French Revolution broke out in 1789, it was greeted in England with great enthusiasm, especially by liberals, radicals and the young Romantic poets, who hailed it as the dawn of liberty. Wordsworth, Coleridge and Blake rejoiced in it, Thomas Paine defended it in The Rights of Man, and reform societies sprang up to demand liberty at home. But this enthusiasm soon gave way to alarm as the Revolution grew violent. The execution of the French king and the bloodshed of the Reign of Terror horrified English opinion, and Edmund Burke’s warnings in his Reflections on the Revolution in France won wide agreement, so that most of the nation turned against the Revolution.

Q2. How did the British government react to the French Revolution?

The British government, fearing that revolution might spread to England, reacted with stern repression. Under the Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger it suspended Habeas Corpus, passed severe laws against sedition and treason, and by the Combination Acts forbade workers to form trade unions. Radical societies were suppressed and their leaders brought to trial. At the same time Britain went to war with revolutionary and then Napoleonic France, a struggle that lasted until 1815. For a time, therefore, the immediate effect of the Revolution in England was not liberty but a period of reaction that checked the cause of reform.

Q3. What was the long-term influence of the French Revolution on English society?

Although its first effect in England was reaction, the French Revolution had a deep and lasting long-term influence. Its great ideals of liberty and equality inspired later movements for parliamentary reform, for democracy and for the rights of the common people, and helped to shape the reforming spirit of the nineteenth century, from the Reform Bills to Chartism. The Revolution also set off a great debate of ideas between the conservatism of Burke and the radicalism of Paine and Godwin, and inspired Mary Wollstonecraft’s plea for the rights of women, while firing the imagination of the Romantic poets. In these ways it powerfully influenced the political thought, literature and reforming movements of modern England.

■  Essay Question

Q. Discuss the impact of the French Revolution on English society.

 Introduction

The French Revolution of 1789, with its ringing ideals of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, was one of the greatest events in the history of Europe, and its influence spread far beyond France. In England it produced first enthusiasm and then alarm, provoked repression and war, and in the long run inspired the movements for reform and democracy. Its impact on English politics, thought and literature was therefore both deep and complex.

▸ 1. The Revolution and its Ideals

The French Revolution broke out in 1789, when the people of France overthrew their king in the name of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, and its Declaration of the Rights of Man proclaimed the freedom and equality of all citizens. To many in Europe it seemed to announce a new age of justice, and its ideals soon reached across the Channel to England.

▸ 2. Early Enthusiasm

At first the Revolution was welcomed in England with great enthusiasm, especially by liberals, radicals and the young Romantic poets. Wordsworth, Coleridge and Blake hailed it as the dawn of freedom, Thomas Paine defended it in The Rights of Man, and reform societies arose to demand liberty and a wider suffrage at home.

▸ 3. Reaction and Repression

Enthusiasm turned to alarm as the Revolution grew violent. The Reign of Terror and the execution of the king horrified English opinion, and Edmund Burke’s Reflections became the great statement of conservatism. Fearing revolution at home, Pitt’s government suspended Habeas Corpus, passed laws against sedition, and by the Combination Acts forbade trade unions.

▸ 4. War with France

The Revolution also drew England into a long war. From 1793 Britain fought revolutionary and then Napoleonic France until the final victory at Waterloo in 1815. The long struggle strained the economy, raised taxes, strengthened patriotism and the forces of order, and helped to delay political reform.

▸ 5. Long-Term Influence

Yet in the long run the ideals of the Revolution left a deep mark. Liberty and equality inspired later movements for parliamentary reform, democracy and the rights of the people, and stirred a great debate between Burke’s conservatism and the radicalism of Paine and Godwin, as well as Mary Wollstonecraft’s plea for the rights of women. The Revolution also fired the Romantic imagination.

 Conclusion

The French Revolution, then, affected England in contrary ways. Its immediate result was fear, repression and a long war that checked reform, yet its deeper and more lasting effect was to plant the ideals of liberty and equality in the English mind. From these ideals grew the reforming movements of the nineteenth century and much of modern democratic thought, so that the French Revolution, for all the alarm it caused, became one of the great inspirations of reform in England.