Question

Describe any three measures that were introduced by the French revolutionaries to create a sense of collective identity amongst the French people.

Accepted Answer

(i) The ideas of la patrie (the fatherland) and le cioyen (the citizen) emphasized the notion of a united community enjoying equal rights under a constitution. (ii) A new French flag, the tricolor, was chosen to replace the former royal flag. (iii) The Estates General was elected by the body of active citizens and renamed the National Assembly. (iv) New hymns were composed, oaths taken and martyrs commemorated. (v) A centralized administrative system was put in place and it formulated uniform laws for all citizens within its territory. (vi) Internal customs duties and dues were abolished and a uniform system of weights and measures was adopted. (vii) Regional dialects were discouraged and French, as it was spoken and written in Paris, became the common language of the nation.

Describe any three measures that were introduced by the French revolutionaries to create a sense of collective identity amongst the French people.

Marking-scheme solution

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