Question

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

Highlight the various measures and practices that French revolutionaries introduced to create a sense of collective identity amongst the French people.

Answer 1

1. The ideas of la patrie (the fatherland) and le citoyen (the citizen) emphasised the notion of a united community enjoying equal rights under a constitution.
2. The previous royal standard was changed to the new French flag, the tricolour.
3. The National Assembly replaced the Estates General as the body of elective citizens.
4. Oaths were taken, new hymns were written, and martyrs were remembered.
5. It established a centralised administrative system and produced uniform laws for all residents of its territory.
6. A uniform system of weights and measures was adopted, and internal customs duties and fees were eliminated.
7. Regional dialects were discouraged and French, as it was spoken and written in Paris, became the common language of the nation.