HIS 2044 FRENCH REV & NAPOLEON
The French Revolution is one of the political watersheds of the modern world, marking the overthrow of absolutism in the country whose monarchy practically defined what was meant by "absolute rule" in early modern Europe. This seminar will study the origins of the revolution in the 18th century: the political frustrations of the aristocracy and the economic ascendency of the bourgeoisie; the financial exigencies of the French state; the influence of Enlightenment thought; the delegitimization of the monarchy. The emergence of the Third Estate, the spread of revolution to the countryside, the rise of counter-revolution and republicanism, and the subsequent fall of the monarchy will also be addressed. The emergence of radical Jacobinism, the Reign of Terror, the Revolutionary Wars and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte will conclude our survey of twenty-five of the most eventful years in all of modern history.
LA