What were the famous watchwords or guiding slogans of the French Revolution?

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: Liberty, Equality and Fraternity

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This question is taken from European history and focuses on the French Revolution of 1789. Revolutions are often remembered through powerful slogans, and the French Revolution in particular is associated with a very famous trio of ideals that influenced modern democracy and human rights worldwide.


Given Data / Assumptions:
• The event is the French Revolution in late eighteenth-century France. • The question asks for its "watchwords" or guiding slogans. • We are looking for a three-word phrase expressing key revolutionary values.


Concept / Approach:
The French Revolution promoted the principles of individual freedom, legal equality and brotherhood among citizens. These ideals are famously summed up in the slogan "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" (often written as "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity"). It became an enduring motto of the French Republic and a symbol of modern democratic values everywhere.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the key ideas of the French Revolution: abolition of absolute monarchy, rights of citizens and a new social order. Step 2: Connect these ideas to the standard three-word slogan. Step 3: Recognise that "Liberty" stands for freedom from oppression, "Equality" for equal rights before the law and "Fraternity" for brotherhood and solidarity. Step 4: Scan the options for this exact combination of words. Step 5: Identify "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity" as the correct watchwords.


Verification / Alternative check:
History textbooks, encyclopaedias and even French coins and government emblems use the motto "Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité". Because of this official status and historical usage, all major exam boards accept "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity" as the central slogan of the French Revolution. This confirms that option (a) is correct.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option Peace, Land and Bread: This slogan is associated with the Russian Revolution and Bolshevik propaganda, not the French Revolution. Option Order, Duty and Discipline: This is a generic authoritarian slogan and not historically linked to the French Revolution. Option Union, Faith and Discipline: This resembles later twentieth-century political slogans, not eighteenth-century French ideals. Option Justice, Power and Glory: This phrase does not represent the famous revolutionary motto used in France.


Common Pitfalls:
A common confusion is between the French slogan "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" and the Russian "Peace, Land, Bread". To avoid this, remember that the French Revolution came earlier and focused on social equality and citizenship, whereas the Russian slogan emphasised ending war and redistributing land to peasants. Linking each motto to its historical context will help you recall them quickly in exams.


Final Answer:
Thus, the famous watchwords of the French Revolution were Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

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