12th Standard History — The Age of Revolutions Online Test

About The Age of Revolutions

Medium ~60 min study

The Age of Revolutions is the eleventh unit of the Tamil Nadu State Board Class 12 (Plus Two) History book. It explains how the American Revolution of 1775-83 and the French Revolution of 1789-95 dealt a severe blow to monarchy, and how the Industrial Revolution shifted the economy from agriculture to industry.

The lesson follows British taxes and colonial resistance in North America, the estates, ideas and assemblies of revolutionary France, the slave revolt in Haiti and the wars of independence in Latin America, and finally the machines, factories and labour struggles of the industrial age.

This page gathers all twenty book-back one mark questions with answers checked against the lesson, plus additional questions on taxes, treaties, assemblies, leaders, inventions and labour movements, each with a short explanation.

What you'll learn

• Explain the British taxes and acts that led to the American War of Independence.
• State the main provisions of the Treaty of Paris (1783) and the significance of the American Revolution.
• Describe the three estates and the causes of the French Revolution.
• Trace the French Revolution from the Estates-General of 1789 to Napoleon's coup of 1799.
• Outline the independence movements in Haiti, Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil.
• Explain why the Industrial Revolution began in England and describe its main inventions and impact.

Before you start

• The Renaissance, the Reformation and the geographical discoveries of Europe.
• The idea of colonies and of monarchy with absolute power.
• The Enlightenment ideas studied in the previous unit.

The Age of Revolutions explained

What this lesson covers

American War of Independence

The Navigation Acts, the sugar tax of 1764, the Stamp Act of 1765, the Townshend Act, the Boston Massacre (1770), the Boston Tea Party (1773) and the Intolerable Acts (1774) drove the thirteen colonies to declare independence on 4 July 1776. Washington defeated the British, who surrendered at Yorktown in 1781, and the Treaty of Paris (1783) recognised the USA.

French Revolution

An unjust tax burden on the third estate, bankruptcy and the ideas of Montesquieu, Voltaire and Rousseau led to the Estates-General of May 1789, the Tennis Court Oath and the fall of the Bastille on 14 July 1789. The Declaration of the Rights of Man, the Jacobin rule of Robespierre, the execution of Louis XVI and the rise of Napoleon followed.

Revolution in Latin America

Saint-Domingue became the black republic of Haiti in 1804. Bolivar freed Venezuela and New Granada, Hidalgo and Morelos led Mexico's struggle, San Martin freed Argentina, Chile and Peru, and Brazil became independent in 1822.

Industrial Revolution

Commerce, colonies, coal and iron made England the first industrial nation. The flying shuttle, spinning jenny, water frame, steam engine and railways transformed production, and Germany and the USA led the second phase. New classes of capitalists and workers emerged, with struggles such as Peterloo and Haymarket.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Saying the Stamp Act was the first tax on the colonies. The first was the tax on sugar and molasses in 1764.
• Naming George Washington as the British commander. William Howe led the British; Washington led the Americans.
• Treating Mirabeau as a clergyman. Mirabeau was a noble; Abbe Sieyes was the clergyman at the Tennis Court Oath.
• Placing Louis XVI's official residence at Versailles. The Jacobins stormed the Tuileries, his official residence.
• Calling Lancashire Cottonopolis. The nickname belongs to the city of Manchester.

Test yourself on these with the practice test, then check the worked reasoning in the solved MCQs.

Frequently asked questions

What were the Intolerable Acts of 1774?

After the Boston Tea Party the British Parliament passed the Boston Port Bill, closing the harbour until the tea was paid for, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act and a replica of the Quartering Act. These Coercive Acts outraged the colonies and led to the First Continental Congress at Philadelphia.

What were the provisions of the Treaty of Paris of 1783?

Britain recognised the freedom of the 13 colonies as the United States of America. The area bordered by the Mississippi on the west and the 31st parallel on the south went to the USA, France gained some British territories in the West Indies, India and Africa, and Spain obtained Florida.

What were the three estates of the ancien regime?

French society was divided into the clergy, the nobility and the commoners. The first two enjoyed privileges and were exempted from many taxes, so the third estate bore the brunt of taxation such as the tithe, taille, gabelle and the tobacco tax.

What happened at the Tennis Court Oath?

When their demand for one vote per member was refused, the third estate formed the National Assembly on 17 June 1789. On 20 June they met at a tennis court and swore to limit the king's power and frame a new constitution, led by Mirabeau and Abbe Sieyes.

How did Haiti become independent?

After the French Revolution thousands of slaves in Saint-Domingue rose in rebellion. Toussaint L'Ouverture, a former slave, gained control of several areas, but Napoleon sent 12,000 troops and Toussaint was kidnapped and killed. His lieutenant Dessalines defeated Napoleon's army, and Haiti became an independent black state in 1804.

Why did the Industrial Revolution begin in England?

England had capital from commerce and the drain of colonial wealth, large colonial and home markets, political stability, rich coal and iron deposits, agricultural growth that released labour, good ports, a safe island location and a temperate climate suited to cotton manufacture.

Why is Samuel Slater called the father of the American Industrial Revolution?

Slater, an Englishman experienced in operating a mill, joined Moses Brown of Rhode Island. Their mill began working in 1793 as the first water-powered roller spinning textile mill in the Americas and was copied by many entrepreneurs, so President Andrew Jackson hailed him as the father of the American Industrial Revolution.