French Revolution

Louis and Marie Antoinette at Tuileries Palace

David's "Tennis Court Oath"

The Bastille

The March ofthe Fishwives

A Revolutionary "Sans-Culotte"

David's "Death of Marat"

A Detail Reveals the Name of Marat's Murderer

Georges Danton

Maximilien Robespierre

The Execution of Robespierre
We will discuss the French Revolution in more detail in lecture. View the following clips with your study terms at hand.
This clip deals with the royal family and economic background of the Revolution.

The clip below links several of the ideas and figures of the Enlightenment that were discussed in lecture and textbook.

In the clip below, note the economic conditions that predate the Revolution. Note also the political structure of France: the so-called "Estates" and the Estates-General.

The French are very proud that their Revolution was a revolution of the people against oppression and despotism. The clip below indicates the source of some of that pride: the attack on the Bastille, the newspaper of Marat, and the march of the formidable "fishwives" in early October, 1789.

The following clip continues on the narrative of a "people's" revolution. It also chronicles the rise of Robespierre and the Jacobins. And as the revolutionaries rose in power, the king (and Church) must diminish.


As both the textbook and lecture indicate, Maxmilien Robespierre was a seminal figure in the "Radical" phase of the Revolution. In the clip below, pay particular attention to his efforts to "rationalize" French society and to implement anti-Church and anti-Christianity measures. Note also the pernicious use of terror and violence by Robespierre and his allies transform the nation.

The clip below chronicles the "Great Terror" and the ultimate downfall of Robespierre himself. There is also an interesting evaluation of the Revolution and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.