SHORT HISTORY, LONG ECHOES · A2/B1 · 50 min

The French Revolution

The summer the people of France said no to their king.

Want more detail? Read this lesson at B2/C1 level →

Today: tell the story of the French Revolution, when the people of France took power from their king, and talk about why it happened. Grammar: the past simple, and the words because and so.
Warm up — five words to remember. Each one comes from an earlier story in the series. Do you know it? Say what it means and use it in a sentence. Is it new? Good — learn it now. Click Reveal to check, and follow a link to read the story.
a king — from The Tudors
What does it mean? Name a king from history.
a king — a man who rules a country, usually because his father ruled before him.
poor — from Harry Houdini
What does it mean? Say the opposite word.
poor — having very little money. The opposite is "rich".
a prison — from The Kray Twins
What does it mean? Say why people go there.
a prison — a place where people are locked up as a punishment.
to fight
What does it mean? What is the past form of this verb?
to fight — to use force against someone. The past form is "fought".
hungry — from The Irish Potato Famine
What does it mean? What do you do when you feel it?
hungry — needing to eat; the feeling when you want food.

Now — the words for today's story

These are the new words for the French Revolution. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.

Words

  1. a revolution
  2. bread
  3. a tax
  4. a crowd
  5. a fortress
  6. free
  7. equal
  8. a republic

Meanings

  • A. a big, strong building with high walls, hard to attack
  • B. a country with no king or queen
  • C. when the people change the government, often by force
  • D. a common food made from flour; the poor ate a lot of it
  • E. having the same rights as everyone else
  • F. money you must pay to the government
  • G. a large group of people together in one place
  • H. able to do what you want; not controlled by others

1 = C (a revolution) · 2 = D (bread) · 3 = F (a tax) · 4 = G (a crowd)

5 = A (a fortress) · 6 = H (free) · 7 = E (equal) · 8 = B (a republic)

Now talk — out loud

Before we read:
  • Which words are about the old time with a king? Which words are about the new time?
  • Use three of the words to guess: what do you think happens in this story?

The story, in three parts

Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.

Part 1 — A king, and a country with no money

In the 1780s, France had a king. His name was Louis XVI. The king had all the power. There was no vote and no parliament with real power. The king did what he wanted.

The rich people — the nobles and the church — had a lot of land. But they paid almost no tax. So the poor people paid nearly all the tax. This was not fair, and people were angry.

The country had no money because the king spent too much on wars. Then the harvests were bad, so there was not enough food. The price of bread went up and up. Bread was the main food of the poor, so many families were hungry. People were poor, they were hungry, and they were angry with the king.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. Who paid most of the tax in France, and who paid almost nothing?

2. Why were so many people hungry?

1. The poor people paid most of the tax. The rich nobles and the church paid almost nothing.

2. The harvests were bad, so there was not enough food. The price of bread went up, and the poor could not buy enough.

Talk about it:
  • The rich paid no tax, and the poor paid a lot. Why do you think this went on for so many years?

Part 2 — The people take the Bastille

In the summer of 1789, the people of Paris were very worried. They thought the king wanted to send soldiers to stop them. So they went to look for guns to protect themselves.

In the east of Paris there was an old fortress called the Bastille. For a long time it was a prison. The king could put people in it with no trial — just because he said so. So for the people, the Bastille was a symbol of the king's power. There was gunpowder inside, so a big crowd went there on 14 July 1789.

The crowd asked the soldiers to give them the gunpowder. The soldiers said no. Then there was fighting, and some people died on both sides. After some hours, the soldiers gave up. The crowd went in. The king's great fortress had fallen to the people. This was very important, so today 14 July is still the national day of France.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. Why did the crowd go to the Bastille?

2. Why was 14 July 1789 so important?

1. The people were afraid of the king's soldiers, so they looked for guns. There was gunpowder inside the Bastille, so they went there.

2. The people took the king's great fortress. It showed the people could beat the king's power. Today it is the national day of France.

Talk about it:
  • The Bastille was almost empty, but taking it was very important. Why can a symbol be so powerful?

Part 3 — The end of the king

After the Bastille, things changed fast. The leaders wrote a paper called the Declaration of the Rights of Man. It said that all men are born free and equal. This was a big new idea.

But the king did not really want the change. In 1791, he tried to leave the country in secret. The people caught him and brought him back. Now many people did not trust the king at all.

In 1792, France said it did not want a king any more. France became a republic — a country with no king. The next year, in 1793, the king was put on trial and then killed. A thousand years of kings in France ended. In the years after, there was a lot of fear and killing. But the big ideas of the revolution stayed: that people are free, that people are equal, and that power comes from the people, not from a king.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. What did the Declaration of the Rights of Man say?

2. What happened to the king in the end?

1. It said that all men are born free and equal. It was a big new idea.

2. He tried to leave the country but the people caught him. France became a republic, and in 1793 the king was put on trial and killed.

Talk about it:
  • The revolution started with a good idea — everyone is free and equal — but there was also a lot of killing. How can both things be true?

Grammar: past simple + because / so

This is a story from the past, so we use the past simple. And to say why things happened, we use two small but powerful words: because and so.

Past simple = a finished action in the past. Many verbs add -ed: "The price of bread rose." "The crowd walked to the Bastille." Some verbs are irregular: go → went, take → took, be → was / were, have → had.
because gives the reason. It answers "Why?": "The people were angry because they were hungry." (reason = they were hungry)
so gives the result. It answers "What happened next?": "The people were hungry, so they were angry." (result = they were angry)
Feel the difference:
• reason + because + reason → "They went to the Bastille because there was gunpowder inside."
• cause + so + result → "There was gunpowder inside, so they went to the Bastille."

1. because or so?

Read each sentence and complete it. Which word fits — because (a reason) or so (a result)?

1. The poor paid a lot of tax, they were angry. (result)

2. Many people were hungry the price of bread was very high. (reason)

3. The crowd wanted guns, they went to the Bastille. (result)

4. The people did not trust the king he tried to leave the country. (reason)

1. so (the result: they were angry)

2. because (the reason: the bread was expensive)

3. so (the result: they went to the Bastille)

4. because (the reason: he tried to leave)

2. Put the verb in the past simple

Write the past simple form of the verb in brackets. Then read the sentence out loud.

1. The king (have) all the power in France.

2. The price of bread (go) up.

3. A big crowd (take) the Bastille.

4. France (become) a republic.

1. had (have → had)

2. went (go → went)

3. took (take → took)

4. became (become → became)

3. Tell a short part of the story

Fill each gap with because or so. Read it aloud when you finish.

The rich paid no tax, the poor paid nearly everything. The harvests were bad, there was not enough bread. The people were angry they were poor and hungry. So one day, a big crowd took the Bastille.

so (a result) · so (a result) · because (a reason)

Use because for the reason (why?), and so for the result (what happened next?).

Listen

There is a real podcast about the French Revolution. It is for native speakers, so it is fast and quite difficult — that is normal! You do not need to understand every word.

🎧 Heard it already? Good — use this lesson as your recap, and listen for new details next time. Haven't? No problem — you now know the story and the key words, and that makes a fast podcast much easier to follow. The podcast is optional; this lesson works on its own.

Short History Of… The French Revolution

From the Noiser podcast network. About 50 minutes. It plays on the Noiser site, or search "Short History Of The French Revolution" on Spotify.

Play on Noiser →
While you listen:
  • Write down three words you hear and know from today's lesson (king, bread, tax, crowd, fortress, free, equal, republic…).
  • Can you hear the names Louis, Paris and Bastille?
  • Find one new thing the podcast says, and tell me about it next time — even just one sentence.

Speak

Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.

Useful language: use the past simple for the story ("the king had all the power", "the crowd took the Bastille"). Use because for the reason ("the people were angry because they were hungry") and so for the result ("they were hungry, so they were angry"). To give an opinion: "I think…", "In my opinion…", "For me, the reason is…".
Time remaining: 3:00
Task A · Tell the story (3 minutes)

Tell the story of the French Revolution in your own words. Use these steps to help you: a king with all the power → the rich paid no tax, the poor were hungry → the crowd took the Bastille → the people said all men are free and equal → the king was caught → France became a republic.

Try to use the past simple, and use because and so to say why things happened. Use some of the key words (king, bread, tax, crowd, fortress, free, equal, republic).

Task B · Was it fair? (3 minutes)

In France, the rich paid almost no tax, but the poor paid a lot. Was this fair or not fair? What do you think about taxes today — who should pay more, rich people or poor people? Why?

Task C · A change you know (3 minutes)

Tell a story about a big change — in your country, your town, your school or your family. Say why it happened. Use because and so.

Not sure what to talk about? Choose one:

  • A change in your country that you remember.
  • A time when people were angry about something that was not fair.
  • A rule at school or work that changed — why did it change?
  • A day in history that your country celebrates. Why is it special?
  • A time you did something because you had a good reason.

To finish

  1. The people of France wanted to be free and equal. Are these things important to you? Why?
  2. The revolution had good ideas, but also a lot of killing. Was the revolution a good thing or a bad thing? What do you think?
  3. From memory: make one sentence with because, and one sentence with so, about the story. Why is each word right?