question_answer 18)

What steps did the French revolutionaries take to create a sense of collective identity among the French people? 

Answer:

The French revolutionaries took the following steps to create a sense of collective identity among the French people   (i) They introduced the ideas of la patrie (the fatherland) and Ie citoyen (the citizen), emphasizing the concept of a united community enjoying equal rights under a Constitution.   (ii) They choose a new French flag, the tricolour, to replace the royal standard.   (iii) The Estates General was elected by the body of active citizens and renamed the National Assembly.   (iv) In the name of the nation, new hymns were composed, oaths taken and martyrs commemorated.   (v) They established a centralized administrative system, which formulated uniform laws for all citizens.      (vi) They  adopted a uniform system of weights and measures.   (vii) All internal custom duties were abolished.   (viii) They promoted the French language, as spoken and written in Paris, over regional dialects.   (ix) They declared that it was the mission and destiny of the French nation to liberate people of Europe from despotism, What It meant was that they would help other people of Europe to become nation-states like them.