The Age of Revolutions — Class 9 Social Science (Samacheer Kalvi)

TN State Board (Samacheer Kalvi) Class 9 Social Science, History — Chapter 9. The American, French, and Russian revolutions that reshaped the modern world.

1. About this lesson

The 18th and early 20th centuries witnessed revolutions that overthrew old political orders and established new ideas: democracy, nationalism, and socialism. This chapter covers three major revolutions — American, French, and Russian.

2. The American War of Independence (1775–1783)

Causes

• 13 American colonies were under British rule.
• "No taxation without representation" — colonies protested taxes (Stamp Act, Tea Act) imposed by British Parliament without colonial representation.
• Boston Tea Party (1773): Colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor.
• Enlightenment ideas of John Locke (natural rights: life, liberty, property).

Key Events

• Declaration of Independence: Drafted by Thomas Jefferson on July 4, 1776.
• George Washington — Commander of the Continental Army; first President of the USA.
• France, Spain, and the Netherlands supported the colonies.
• British surrendered at Yorktown (1781). Treaty of Paris (1783) recognized American independence.

Results

• Birth of the United States of America — first modern democratic republic.
• Inspired revolutions worldwide (French Revolution, Latin American independence).

3. The French Revolution (1789–1799)

Causes

Political: Absolute monarchy under Louis XVI. No constitution; the king ruled by divine right.

Social (The Estates System):

Economic: Wars drained treasury; extravagant spending by royals; bad harvests → famine.

Intellectual: Enlightenment thinkers — Rousseau (Social Contract), Voltaire, Montesquieu (separation of powers).

Key Events

• May 1789: Louis XVI called the Estates General (after 175 years).
• Tennis Court Oath: Third Estate declared themselves the National Assembly.
• July 14, 1789: Storming of the Bastille — symbol of royal tyranny; marks the beginning of the Revolution.
• Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen: Liberty, equality, fraternity; freedom of speech, press, religion.
• Reign of Terror (1793–1794) under Robespierre and the Jacobins.
• Napoleon Bonaparte seized power (1799); later declared himself Emperor.

Results

• End of absolute monarchy in France.
• Rise of Napoleon — spread revolutionary ideals across Europe through conquest.
• Ideas of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity became universal.

4. The Russian Revolution (1917)

Causes

• Tsar Nicholas II — autocratic ruler; Russia was backward and feudal.
• Defeat in Russo-Japanese War (1905) and heavy losses in World War I.
• Famine, poverty, exploitation of workers and peasants.
• Bloody Sunday (1905): Peaceful protestors shot by Tsar's troops.

February Revolution (March 1917)

• Strikes and protests in Petrograd. Tsar abdicated.
• Provisional Government formed under Kerensky — continued war, unpopular.

October Revolution (November 1917)

• Led by Vladimir Lenin and the Bolshevik Party.
• Slogan: "Peace, Land, and Bread".
• Overthrew the Provisional Government. Established the world's first socialist state.
• Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (1918): Russia withdrew from WWI.

Results

• Establishment of the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) in 1922.
• End of monarchy (Romanov dynasty). Tsar and family executed.
• Inspired socialist and communist movements worldwide.
• Karl Marx's ideas of communism put into practice.

5. Worked examples

Example 1. Who drafted the American Declaration of Independence? Thomas Jefferson (July 4, 1776).

Example 2. What was the slogan of the French Revolution? Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.

Example 3. Who led the Bolshevik Revolution? Vladimir Lenin.

Example 4. What event marks the beginning of the French Revolution? The Storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789.

6. Book-back questions (Samacheer Kalvi)

I. Choose the correct answer

1. The American Declaration of Independence was drafted by — (a) George Washington / (b) Thomas Jefferson / (c) Benjamin Franklin / (d) John Adams. Ans: (b) Thomas Jefferson.

2. "No taxation without representation" was the slogan of — (a) French Revolution / (b) American Revolution / (c) Russian Revolution / (d) Industrial Revolution. Ans: (b) American Revolution.

3. The French society was divided into — (a) Two estates / (b) Three estates / (c) Four estates / (d) Five estates. Ans: (b) Three estates.

4. The Reign of Terror was led by — (a) Louis XVI / (b) Napoleon / (c) Robespierre / (d) Rousseau. Ans: (c) Robespierre.

5. The Bolshevik leader who led the October Revolution was — (a) Trotsky / (b) Stalin / (c) Marx / (d) Lenin. Ans: (d) Lenin.

II. Fill in the blanks

6. The Boston Tea Party (1773) was a protest against British taxes.
7. The French Revolution began with the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789.
8. The slogan of the French Revolution was Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.
9. The Bolshevik Party led the Russian Revolution under Lenin.
10. Russia withdrew from WWI through the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.

III. Find out the correct statement

11. (a) All three estates in France paid equal taxes → Wrong. Only the Third Estate paid taxes. (b) The American colonies were under Spanish rule → Wrong. Under British rule. (c) Napoleon spread revolutionary ideals across Europe → Correct. (d) The Tsar peacefully agreed to reforms after Bloody Sunday → Wrong. Tsar crushed protests.

IV. Match the following

V. Answer briefly

12. Causes of the American Revolution — British taxation without representation (Stamp Act, Tea Act), Boston Tea Party, Enlightenment ideas (John Locke's natural rights).

13. The three estates of French society — First Estate (Clergy), Second Estate (Nobility) — exempt from taxes. Third Estate (Commoners) — paid all taxes, no political rights.

14. Storming of the Bastille — July 14, 1789. The Bastille was a prison symbolizing royal tyranny. Stormed by Parisians; marked the beginning of the French Revolution.

15. Bolshevik Revolution (October 1917) — Led by Lenin. Overthrew the Provisional Government. Slogan: "Peace, Land, and Bread." Established the first socialist state.

VI. Answer in detail

16. Discuss the causes and results of the French Revolution.

    • Political: Absolute monarchy, no constitution.
    • Social: Three Estates — inequality, Third Estate oppressed.
    • Economic: Debt, extravagant spending, famine.
    • Intellectual: Enlightenment — Rousseau, Voltaire, Montesquieu.
    • Results: End of monarchy, rise of Napoleon, Declaration of Rights of Man, spread of Liberty/Equality/Fraternity.

17. Compare the causes of the French and Russian Revolutions.

    • Similar: Both against autocratic rule (Louis XVI / Tsar Nicholas II), social inequality, economic hardship.
    • French: Enlightenment ideas, Estates system, fiscal crisis. Led to democratic republic → Napoleon.
    • Russian: WWI losses, feudal backwardness, Bloody Sunday (1905), Marxism. Led to communist USSR.

7. Common mistakes

• Mistake: All three French estates paid taxes. Fix: Only the Third Estate (commoners) paid taxes.
• Mistake: Lenin led the French Revolution. Fix: Lenin led the Russian Revolution (1917).
• Mistake: American colonies were under French rule. Fix: American colonies were under British rule.
• Mistake: July 14 = American Independence Day. Fix: July 14 = Storming of the Bastille (French Revolution). July 4 = American Independence Day.

8. Quick revision

• History Ch 9 · The Age of Revolutions.
• American Revolution (1775–1783): 13 colonies vs Britain. "No taxation without representation." Jefferson — Declaration (July 4, 1776). George Washington. British surrender at Yorktown (1781).
• French Revolution (1789): Estates System, Bastille (July 14, 1789), Reign of Terror (Robespierre), Napoleon. Slogan: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.
• Russian Revolution (1917): Tsar Nicholas II. February → Provisional Govt. October → Lenin, Bolsheviks. "Peace, Land, Bread." USSR (1922).