This course on the French Revolution aims to help learners understand the key events, ideologies, and consequences of this historical period. By the end of the course, students will be able to analyze the Enlightenment's influence on the revolution, explain the fall of the Old Regime, and evaluate the impact of the Revolution on Europe. The course covers topics such as the Declaration of the Rights of Man, the Reign of Terror, and the Thermidorian Settlement. Through a combination of lectures, readings, and discussions, learners will develop skills in historical analysis, critical thinking, and contextual understanding. This course is intended for history enthusiasts, students of European history, and anyone interested in understanding the complexities of revolutionary movements.
Overview
Syllabus
- Introduction
- Learning outcomes
- 1 Enlightenment, liberty and revolution
- 1 Enlightenment, liberty and revolution
- 2 Death of the Old Regime
- 2 Death of the Old Regime
- 2.1 The bankrupt monarchy
- 2.2 The Third Estate as the voice of the nation
- 2.2.1 Sample analysis and discussion of ‘What is the Third Estate?’
- 2.3 Fall of the Bastille, 14 July 1789
- 2.4 Enlightened reformism – dismantling the Old Regime
- 2.5 Declaration of the Rights of Man
- 2.5.1 Imagery of the Declaration
- 2.6 Enlightenment, revolution and reform – the departments
- 3 From 1789 to the flight to Varennes
- 3 From 1789 to the flight to Varennes
- 3.1 The moderate reformers
- 3.2 Popular violence and the Revolution
- 3.3 The divide over the Church, 1790
- 3.4 Monarchy and the Revolution – the flight to Varennes, 1791
- 4 Europe and the French Revolution
- 4 Europe and the French Revolution
- 4.1 Intellectual, governmental and monarchical responses
- 4.2 Political polarization and the fall of the monarchy
- 4.3 Birth of the republic: war, civil war and terror
- 4.4 The guillotine
- 4.5 The sans-culotte as revolutionary hero
- 4.6 The Terror in action
- 5 Enlightenment, universalism and revolution
- 5 Enlightenment, universalism and revolution
- 5.1 Revolutionary calendar and metric system
- 5.2 The cult of the Revolution
- 5.3 The Marseillaise
- 6 The Thermidorian Settlement and the end of the Revolution
- 6 The Thermidorian Settlement and the end of the Revolution
- 7 Conclusion
- 7 Conclusion
- 7.1 The Enlightenment, the French Revolution, Britain and Europe
- 7.2 The main consequences of the Revolution
- 7.3 The Great Nation
- References
- Acknowledgements
