Society and Politics in 18th-Century France

France – The French Revolution, 1789-99

In this course, we explore one of the most important events in world history, the French Revolution. We begin by looking at politics and society in 18th-century France, exploring the Absolutism of the French monarchy and the Ancien Regime. After that, we look at the increasing tension between in France over state finances and the pre-Revolution in the years 1787-89. The course continues by looking at the three key phases of the French Revolution: the Constitutional Monarchy, which lasted from the Storming of the Bastille to the Execution of Louis XVI (1789 - 1792), the Jacobin Republic and Thermidorian Regime (1792 - 1794), and the Directory (1795 and beyond). The course ends by considering to what extent Napoleon undid the changes of the Revolution proper.

Society and Politics in 18th-Century France

In this module, Tom introduces the society and politics of 18th-Century France - the so-called 'Ancien Régime' that had pertained in the Kingdom of France since the 15th Century. An important relationship in this period is that between the King and the various corporate bodies that existed in France at this time - the Church, the Parlements, and the Corporations. The module ends by looking at the state of France's finances in this period and the attempts of Louis XV to raise money from his nobles and the French people.