The Late Modern Age
Wikimedia Commons · Jean-Pierre Houël · Public domainThe French Revolution
The revolution that overthrew the French monarchy and reshaped modern politics.
60-Second Review
Express reviewA condensed, point-by-point summary of the module, for reviewing right before a test or exam.
- The Estate Society and Financial Crisis of the Old Regime. Estate-based inequality and a spiraling royal debt combined to force Louis XVI to summon the Estates-General in 1789.
- The Estates-General and the Birth of the National Assembly. Deadlock over voting method drove the third estate to form the National Assembly and swear the Tennis Court Oath.
- The Storming of the Bastille and the Revolution in the Countryside. Parisians stormed the Bastille on 14 July 1789 while rural panic forced the Assembly to abolish feudalism on 4 August.
- The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Constitutional Monarchy. The Assembly proclaimed the Rights of Man, then reorganized the Church and monarchy under the Constitution of 1791.
- The Flight to Varennes, War, and the Fall of the Monarchy. Louis XVI's failed flight to Varennes and war with Austria led to the monarchy's overthrow on 10 August 1792.
- The National Convention, the Execution of Louis XVI, and the Terror. The Convention executed Louis XVI and unleashed the Terror under Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety.
- Thermidor, the Directory, and Napoleon's Rise to Power. Robespierre's fall at Thermidor gave way to the unstable Directory, ended by Napoleon's coup of 18 Brumaire.
- Women, Culture, International Impact, and Historiographical Debate. Women, new symbols, and international wars shaped a revolution whose causes historians still actively debate.
This module continues after "The United States in the 19th Century" in the syllabus. If you haven't reviewed it yet, it may help set the context.
Key points
11. The Estate Society and Financial Crisis of the Old Regime22. The Estates-General and the Birth of the National Assembly33. The Storming of the Bastille and the Revolution in the Countryside44. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Constitutional Monarchy55. The Flight to Varennes, War, and the Fall of the Monarchy66. The National Convention, the Execution of Louis XVI, and the Terror77. Thermidor, the Directory, and Napoleon's Rise to Power88. Women, Culture, International Impact, and Historiographical Debate
Visual module map
1The Estate Society and Financial Crisis of the Old Regime
2The Storming of the Bastille and the Revolution in the Countryside
3The Flight to Varennes, War, and the Fall of the Monarchy
4The National Convention, the Execution of Louis XVI, and the Terror
5Women, Culture, International Impact, and Historiographical Debate
Alternative visual view: a simplified sequence of some of the module's key points, in their order within the syllabus.
Your module mastery
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Understanding of historiographical debate0%
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Final test
You need to review all key points to unlock the final test.
Optional mini-games
Extra practice, with no penalty, to reinforce the module's content.
Further reading
Bibliography and cited sources used to create this module.
- William Doyle, The Oxford History of the French Revolution.
- Georges Lefebvre, The Coming of the French Revolution.
- Simon Schama, Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution.
- François Furet, Interpreting the French Revolution.
- Timothy Tackett, The Coming of the Terror in the French Revolution.
- Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès, What Is the Third Estate?
- UNESCO, Memory of the World Register: Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789), available at unesco.org.