If you want to understand the modern world, the French Revolution is the place to start. Here was the first serious attempt to create a working democracy; here too was the first slide into the nightmare of totalitarian rule and the establishment of a military regime, which all foreshadowed the totalitarian states of the 20th century.
For some historians the Revolution was a noble experiment which sought to set up a form of government based on principles of rights, of liberty under the law and of social equality. Some on the political left see it as the necessary sweeping away of feudalism and establishment of rule by the bourgeoisie that Marx had said was necessary for the eventual dictatorship of the proletariat. Others reject this positive view and condemn the revolution as a disaster for France, politically, socially and economically. Between the different schools of thought on the Revolution there is very little common ground.
But what actually happened? How did a financial crisis in the ancient Kingdom of France degenerate so quickly into a full-scale revolution, overturning the nobility, taking over the Church, even judging and then executing the king himself? How did a movement devoted to liberty and equality end up throwing over all pretence at justice in the nightmare maelstrom of the Terror? Even more importantly, how, despite all the conflict and bloodshed, did French Revolution come to establish a set of political ideals that people would fight for in the years afterwards and which we still hold to today?
This course will take you through the main events and personalities of the Revolution, looking at key documents and at the imagery of the Revolution, to answer some of these questions and to help you see why what happened in France at the end of the 18th century is still relevant to the world of the 21st century.
What our students say
"Dr Seán Lang was absolutely the best thing about the whole course. He was so knowledgeable and made everything truly interesting. Amazing, just amazing."
