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Questions
Describe any five steps taken by the French Revolutionaries to create a sense of collective identity among the French people.
Analyse the measures and practices introduced by the French revolutionaries to create a sense of collective identity amongst the French people
Solution 1
Following are five important steps taken by the French revolutionaries to create a sense of collective identity among the French people:
i. The idea of a united community with equal rights ensured by a Constitution was promoted by the revolutionaries. This was done by popularising the ideas of la patrie (the fatherland) and le citoyen (the citizen).
ii. A new tricolor flag replaced the old royal standard for the people to identify more with the concept of a French nation.
iii. The Estates General was renamed as the ‘National Assembly’ and came to be elected by a body of active citizens.
iv. A centralised administrative system was set up and tasked with the creation of uniform laws.
v. Regional dialects were purposefully suppressed and Parisian French was promoted as the common language of the nation.
Solution 2
The French revolutionaries introduced various measures and practices that created a sense of collective identity amongst the French people.
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. A new French flag, the tricolour, was chosen to replace the former royal standard.
3. The Estates General was elected by the body of active citizens and renamed the National Assembly.
4. New hymns were composed, oaths taken and martyrs commemorated, all in the name of the nation.
5. A centralised administrative system was put in place and it formulated uniform laws for all citizens within its territory.
6. Internal customs duties and dues were abolished and a uniform system of weights and measures was adopted .
7. Regional dialects were discouraged and French, as it was spoken and written in Paris, became the common language of the nation
