Describe any 5 steps taken by the French revolutionaries to create a sense of collective identity among the French people?

Through various ways, French revolutionaries tried to create a sense of collective identity among the French people which were:

• A new social group called Middle class passed the idea that every person in the society should be acknowledged based on their merits. They brought the social and the economic changes in France by putting forth the idea of freedom, equal laws and opportunities should be given to everyone.

• As women were not granted any rights, many famous women clubs emerged during the French revolution which was – The Society of Revolutionary and The Republican Women. Their main agenda was that women should also be provided with the same political rights as that of men. Even the constitution of 1791 didn’t provide any rights to women. So they demanded Right to Vote and express their desire to hold political office.

• Marseillaise is the patriotic song composed by the poet Roget de L’Isle. It had later become the National anthem of France. When the war against Prussia and Austria was declared by the National assembly of 1792, people joined the army as they saw this war against the Kings and the aristocracies that had been ruling all over Europe. So they sang this patriotic song. As it was sung from Marseilles, the song got its name. The volunteers sang this song while they were marching to Paris. This led to the formation of the Marseillaise.

• In order to communicate important thoughts and ideas, symbols were used frequently. In the 18th century, several images and symbols used in France like the broken chain (Chains were used to tie slaves. A broken chain is the symbol of becoming free), Sceptre (Symbol of royal power), Red Phrygian cap (this is the cap worn by the slave to become free).

• Philosophers like John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau were some of the people who influenced and through their books spread the revolutionary ideas. John Locke In his book Two Treatises of Government disapproved with the doctrine of Divine and Absolute rights of the Monarch. Through the book Social Contract, Jean Jacques Rousseau put forth the idea that such form of government should be formed which should be based on a social contract between people and representatives.

These are the revolutionary movements or the activities through which people tried to create a sense of collective identity.