Q. Consider the following statements with respect to the Jacobin Club:

1. Its members largely came from the less prosperous sections of society.
2. Robespierre was the leader of Jacobin Club.
3. ‘Sans-culottes’ was a rival group of the Jacobin Club.

Which of the above is / are correct?
Answer: Only 1 and 2
Notes: Large sections of the population were convinced that the revolution had to be carried further. Political clubs became an important rallying point for people who wished to discuss government policies and plan their own forms of action. The most successful of these clubs was that of the Jacobins, which got its name from the former convent of St Jacob in Paris. Women too, who had been active throughout this period, formed their own clubs. The members of the Jacobin Club belonged mainly to the less prosperous sections of society. They included small shopkeepers, artisans such as shoemakers, pastry cooks, watch-makers, printers, as well as servants and daily-wage workers. So, statement 1 is correct. The leader of the Jacobin Club was Maximilian Robespierre. When the Jacobins proclaimed France as a republic, Robespierre presided over the new government. So, statement 2 is correct. A large group among the Jacobins decided to start wearing long striped trousers similar to those worn by dock workers. This was to set themselves apart from the fashionable sections of society, especially nobles, who wore knee breeches. It was a way of proclaiming the end of the power wielded by the wearers of knee breeches. These Jacobins came to be known as the sans-culottes, literally meaning ‘those without knee breeches’. ‘Sans-culottes’ men wore in addition the red cap that symbolised liberty. So, statement 3 is incorrect.

This question is part of 40000+ General Studies MCQ Series Course on GKToday Android app. Question Number: 302 in Modern World History in above course in App.