The French Revolution Tearing Up History Bbc Worksheet Answers
Ever tried cleaning out your attic and accidentally stumbled upon a box of old love letters...or worse, your 8th-grade yearbook photo? Imagine that, but on a national scale, fueled by anger and a thirst for change. That's kinda what the French Revolution was like!
Except instead of just deleting some embarrassing photos from Facebook, they were rewriting history – and BBC worksheet answers. Okay, maybe not *literally* BBC worksheet answers, but you get the idea!
Deleting the Old, Printing the New
Think of the old French monarchy as a really, *really* outdated operating system. Like, Windows 95 levels of outdated. People were fed up. So, what do you do with an outdated system? You uninstall it, format the hard drive, and install something fresh!
The revolutionaries wanted a brand new France. This meant getting rid of everything that reminded them of the Ancien Régime (the old order): the king, the nobility, their traditions, and yes, even their calendars!
Rewriting the Rules (and the Textbook)
One major casualty of this revolutionary fervor? The Gregorian calendar. You know, the one we still use today with its pesky 12 months and those weirdly named days. The revolutionaries thought it was too religious and too...well, old.
Enter the French Republican Calendar! Ten-day weeks (decades!), new month names based on nature (like Vendémiaire for the grape harvest), and a starting date of September 22, 1792 (the day the French Republic was declared). They even renamed the years themselves.
It's like if you decided to rename Monday to "Awesome Day" and Tuesday to "Super Fun Day." Good luck getting anyone else on board, right? Well, the French tried, and it caused utter chaos. Imagine trying to plan a birthday party under that system!
Tearing Down Statues (and the Patriarchy)
It wasn't just the calendar getting a makeover. Statues of kings were toppled, royal symbols were erased, and anything that smacked of the old regime was fair game. Talk about a spring cleaning! Except, instead of donating old clothes, they were destroying symbols of oppression.
Even playing cards got a revolutionary makeover. Kings, queens, and jacks were replaced with virtues, geniuses, and liberty figures. Forget the Queen of Hearts, say hello to the Spirit of Commerce!
Imagine the brainstorming session for this! "Okay, guys, new playing cards. No more royalty! What represents progress? I know, a guy with a compass!"
Why all the fuss?
But why go to all this trouble? Well, the revolutionaries believed that to build a new society, they had to erase the old one from memory. By changing everything – from the calendar to the playing cards – they hoped to create a nation of completely new citizens, free from the burdens of the past.
It was an ambitious, even audacious, goal. It's like trying to convince everyone that blue is now green and that cats bark. Good luck with that.
Ultimately, the French Republican Calendar didn't stick. People found it too confusing and impractical (shocker!). It was abolished in 1806. But the revolution's attempts to tear up history show just how determined they were to create a new world. Talk about commitment!
The French Revolution serves as a stark reminder that history is always being written – and sometimes, rewritten. And while it may not always involve changing playing cards or calendars, the desire to shape the narrative remains a powerful force. Also, doing your homework using the BBC website does not guarantee you will pass. Just a friendly reminder.
