From the Bastille to Waterloo - the French in an Age of Revolution

Learning outcomes:

This course has been designed to enable you to:

• Show knowledge of the major personalities, events and themes from the period and an appreciation of their lasting significance
• Analyse documentary material from the period in its historical context
• Demonstrate an awareness and understanding of the impact of the French revolutionary period through to the present day

Course sessions:

1. Rights
1.1 Versailles
1.2 Paris
The crisis of 1788-9; the King summons the Estate-General to Versailles, but it hits deadlock, so the deputies establish a National Assembly and declare the Rights of Man, redrawing the whole structure of French society. Meanwhile the countryside erupts in violent uprisings against the rights of the nobility and the people of Paris attack the royal fortress, the Bastille. The Paris crowd takes hold of the King and Paris takes control of events.

2. Terror
2.1 Exit the King
2.2 Tyranny of the People
The French establish a constitutional monarchy, but the government’s radical moves against the Church drive the King to attempt to flee the country. When France’s monarchical neighbours launch a crusade to crush the revolution, the King’s fate is sealed: a republic is declared and the King is tried and sentenced to death. In the years of crisis and war that follow, the government takes emergency action, overturning newly-declared liberties and establishing a violent rule of Terror.

3. Ambition
3.1 A people in arms
3.2 Egyptian conqueror
Faced with a hostile foreign coalition, the Republic calls on all its citizens to join in the defence of the motherland and the revolution. After a shaky start, the revolutionary armies inflict major defeats on their enemies, until only Britain, unreachable beyond its naval power, remains in the war. Napoleon Bonaparte puts forward a remarkable and ambitious plan to invade Egypt, to strike at Britain and spread the revolution around the globe.

4. Empire
4.1 Emperor
4.2 Conqueror
Entrenched in power, Napoleon issues a new legal code, education system and system of government, before taking the ultimate step and declaring himself Emperor. Orchestrated from London, the war resumes and a formidable coalition of powers threatens France; but Napoleon out-generals his enemies and establishes a complete hold over the whole continent, from Madrid to Moscow, from Norway to Naples. Only Britain remains beyond his reach.

5. Legacy
5.1 Downfall
5.2 Legend
Napoleon’s control of the continent proves unsustainable. Already bogged down by an uncrushable revolt in Spain, he embarks on an ambitious and disastrous invasion of Russia. France’s enemies gather for the kill and the French revolutionary idea of nationalism is mobilised against them. Napoleon abdicates and the Bourbons return to Paris. Napoleon’s comeback attempt is crushed at Waterloo and the European rulers meet in Vienna to draw up plans for a post-revolutionary world.

Non-credit bearing

Please note that our Virtual Summer Festival of Learning courses are non-credit bearing.

Certificate of Participation

A certificate of participation will be sent to you electronically within a week of your Summer Festival course(s) finishing.

Welcome week: Before the course starts

Courses are delivered online via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). A week before your course starts you will receive an email from our Teaching & Learning (TEL) team confirming your VLE login details. Once you have logged into the VLE, you should:

• Access the ‘Course Information’ and ‘Welcome to the course’ areas.
• Carry out any technical checks, including video checks.
• View the VLE ’Online course tour’ and familiarise yourself with your learning environment.
• Watch the Course Director’s welcome video.
• Introduce yourself to the Course Director and other students using the general forum.
• Access and carry out any pre-reading or activities for the course provided in the ‘Welcome to the course’ area.

Study week: Course delivery, video content and study time

• You will be taught largely through a series of pre-recorded course videos.
• Course videos will be released on a daily basis, Monday to Friday.
• We suggest that you set aside around 1.5 hours each day to watch the course videos, view course materials and resources and complete any related reading, activities and discussions in the daily forums. This does not need to be done in one sitting, you have the flexibility to access content when and where you want, and to go back and review it as often as you wish.

At the end of the course

• Content for each course will remain available on the VLE for 5 weeks after the course has finished
• Course forums will close for postings on the Monday after the course, but existing messages will still be visible for 5 weeks after the course has finished
• You will receive a certificate of participation via email within a week of your course finishing

Pre-recorded course videos

Courses include one or two videos per day, these are designed by the Course Director to help you address different aspects of the main topic. All of our course videos are subtitled.

Course discussion forums

There will also be the opportunity to engage in written form with other course participants and discuss questions set by the Course Director on the discussion forums. Your Course Director will launch a number of discussions on the daily forums and will generally respond to a selection of key questions and comments on a daily basis. You are encouraged to actively take part in these discussions to get the most out of the course and to add to your overall enjoyment.

Resources, reading lists and activities

During the course and up until 5 weeks after the course has finished you will have access to a number of learning resources which may include links to websites, readings and research papers. These are provided by the Course Director to support the teaching and will be available on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

You may wish to consider these additional related courses on offer in the Festival:

If you are able to study more than one course or for more than one week, you may wish to consider streams of related course subjects.  There will be many other options – this is just an illustration of possible course combinations:

And don’t forget to watch the series of talks included in your course booking (usually charged at £50). Further details and a link to access the talks will be sent to you a week before the Festival starts.

Booking a course

To book a Festival course please click the Book Now button at the top of the course page. You will be taken to our secure bookings portal where you can set up an account using your email address, and pay for your course by credit or debit card.

All of our courses are limited to 50 places, in order to allow students and Course Directors the opportunity for interaction via the discussion forums on the VLE.

Bookings will remain open until midnight the day before the course starts. If your preferred course is full at the time of booking you can add yourself to a waiting list. You will be notified, by email, if a place becomes available. We recommend that you book early to avoid missing out.

Please note that if you book a place the weekend before a course starts, it may take up to 48 hours to process your application and notify you of your VLE log in details. You may therefore not have access until the end of the second day of the course, but can go back and review sessions which have already been released.

‘How to book a course’ video

Our short video below talks you through the necessary steps to register and create an account before booking on to your chosen course(s) via our secure payment portal.

Before booking, please ensure that you have read and understood our Booking terms and conditions

Talks

As part of our Summer Festival we will also be offering a series of talks showcasing the variety of subjects on offer here at the University, as well as research, global current affairs and a range of other topics.

By booking a Summer Festival course, you automatically qualify for free access to these talks (usually charged at £50). Further details and a link to access the talks will be sent to you a week before the Festival starts.