Unit 5: The French Revolution and the Birth of Modernity
Many argue the French Revolution was the most important modern revolution. In this unit, we analyze its causes, dynamics, ideologies, and legacies. The revolutionary leaders abolished the monarchy and altered most of France's social and political institutions to make them more rational and modern. They proclaimed a republic, instituted parliamentary elections, introduced educational reforms, created a new revolutionary calendar, and reorganized France's electoral districts to make representation more democratic.
The revolutionaries, however, rejected their initial ideals when the new government began to use violence and terror to maintain its hold on power. By 1799 the revolution succumbed to Napoleon's dictatorship. In this unit, we examine the ideas that inspired the revolutionaries, the logic of revolutionary idealism and violence, and the relationship between Napoleon and the revolution. We also consider how a European struggle, that began in France in 1789, continued through the 1870s.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 12 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- provide a concise historical narrative of the French Revolution;
- analyze the immediate and long-term causes of the French Revolution;
- analyze connections between utopian projects and the use of revolutionary violence;
- analyze how the French Revolution changed pre-revolutionary Europe; and
- critically evaluate the legacies of the French Revolution in nineteenth-century Europe.
- provide a concise historical narrative of the French Revolution;
5.1: Origins and Causes of the French Revolution
Watch this video. The French Revolution began in May 1789 with the meeting of the Estates-General – a general assembly representing the three French estates of the realm: the nobility, the church, and the common people. Summoned by King Louis XVI to propose solutions to his government's financial problems, the Estates-General sat for several weeks in May and June 1789 but came to an impasse as the three estates clashed over their respective powers. It was brought to an end when many members of the Third Estate formed themselves into a National Assembly, signaling the outbreak of the Revolution. On July 14 of that same year, the Bastille – a medieval fortress and prison which represented royal authority in the center of Paris – was stormed by a mob that demanded the arms and ammunition stored there.
Study this text to gain a basic understanding of the most important causes of the French Revolution. As you read, write a paragraph on the distinctions between economic, political, cultural, and sociological causes of revolutionary change.
This lecture provides a more extensive analysis of the causes of the French Revolution. As you watch, and consider the following questions: what were the structural, long-term causes of the French Revolution? What were the most important events that precipitated the outbreak of the revolution in 1789? How do historians relate long-term and short-term causes of this and other revolutions? What are the most important difficulties that arise in the process of linking long-term and short-term historical factors?
Read this article and focus on the relationships among the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, democracy, and totalitarian political systems. Do you agree with the argument presented here? Why, or why not?
This essay provides a thorough overview of French society on the eve of the revolution. It also outlines how various social groups participated in the earliest phase of revolutionary events. Read it carefully, focusing on understanding the stratification of French society and the claims and needs of the different social groups in Paris and in the countryside.
This text contrasts a view which favors gradual change (Edmund Burke's) against one which supports a revolutionary break with the past (Thomas Paine's). What arguments are presented in favor of each of these viewpoints?
5.2: The Chronology of Revolutionary Events: From Estates General to Napoleon
Study this chronology of French Revolution carefully. As you study, create your own shorter chronology, selecting the events that seem most important to you. After listening to the lectures and reading the texts assigned in this unit, you will have a chance to return to your chronology and modify and extend it.
5.3: The Fall of the Bastille and Transition to Constitutional Monarchy
Watch this lecture. Pay particular attention to the first 30 minutes, in which O'Brien describes the early phase of the French Revolution.
Read this essay to understand the political and economic situation of the French monarchy in the years leading up to the Revolution. Make sure to read all four pages of the essay.
Read this French document of 1789 carefully, and compare it with the English Bill of Rights and the American Bill of Rights. What common ideas do you notice? What are the most important differences between these documents?
Read this document carefully to understand what rights were extended to individual Jews in 1791. What is the most important distinction between individual rights and communal rights?
Compare the previous document with de Gouges' argument for extending women's rights. What arguments does she use? Where does she focus on gender equality and where on gender differences?
5.4: The Republic, Reign of Terror, and Thermidorean Reaction
Read both of these essays to understand the political changes in France between 1791 and 1795. Make sure to read all four pages of each essay.
This is the constitution of the first French Republic. Study it carefully and compare it to the American Declaration of Independence. What similarities and differences do you perceive between the two documents? How do these reflect the different social and historical contexts of the American and the French Revolutions?
Watch this video, which discusses the second stage of the French Revolution. After Louis XV and his wife tried to escape Paris in 1791, the French revolutionary wars began soon thereafter; however, fighting soon went badly and prices rose sky-high. In August 1792, a mob assaulted the Royal Palace in Paris and arrested the King. In September, the Assembly abolished the monarchy and declared a republic.
Read this essay to understand how fears of counter-revolution fueled revolutionary violence. Make sure to read all five pages of the essay.
Listen to this lecture starting from 8:30 until the end. Focus on the how Merriman characterizes revolutionary terror. How does he describe Robespierre's role in the revolution?
Watch this video on the "Reign of Terror", a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of the revolution". The death toll ranged in the tens of thousands, with 16,594 executed by guillotine and another 25,000 in summary executions across France.
Read this primary source document to understand how fears of counter-revolution fueled revolutionary violence.
5.5: Napoleon and Legacies of the Revolution
Read Napoleon's justification of his coup d'état, focusing on the ways in which he describes his relationship to the revolution. Then, read the essays about the Napoleonic era to understand how French political life changed after Napoleon came to power. Make sure to read all four pages of "The Napoleonic Experience".
Watch this video, which discusses the last stages of the French Revolution and how Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the French Directory, replacing it with the French Consulate. Napoleon rose to power under the French First Republic, which formed at the end of the French Revolution, proclaimed himself dictator, and eventually, emperor under the First French Empire in 1804.
Read this brief text from 1804. These excerpts from the French Civil Code focus on the private sphere. How do they represent the relationship between men and women? How does this compare to the vision of women's rights proposed by Olympia de Gauges in her "Declaration of the Rights of Woman"?
Read this essay. Compare this essay to the final section of O'Brien's lecture, where he discusses the outcomes of the French Revolution. Compare the social and political outcomes of the French Revolution to the outcomes of the American Revolution. How would you account for both the similarities and the differences?
Watch both of these lectures. How was France organized politically and administratively after the Congress of Vienna in 1815? What were the most important causes of the Revolution of 1830?
Watch this video. What were the most important causes of the 1848 revolutions in Europe? How were these revolutions related to the French Revolution? Why was there no Revolution in Britain?
This is a learning module, which contains the timeline and documents of the Paris Commune. First, read the "Timeline of Events". Then, read two or three of the primary sources in "Documents of the Commune" to understand the political program of the Communards.
Read this article. These excerpts from the French Civil Code focus on the private sphere. How do they represent the relationship between men and women? How does this compare to the vision of women's rights proposed by Olympia de Gauges in her "Declaration of the Rights of Woman"?
Unit 5 Assessment
- Receive a grade
Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.
- This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
- You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
- You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.