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French Revolution
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Louis XVI: Execution by guillotine French royal ordinance broadside from the 18th century, titled De Par le Roi, with decorative emblem and formal printed text regarding police regulation of printed material distributors. Calonne Portrait print of Jacques Necker by Henri Grevedon after Joseph-Sifford Duplessis, showing Necker in 18th-century attire with a lace cravat and curled hair, facing slightly right. Painting by Auguste Couder showing a large assembly of men in formal attire gathered in a grand hall for the Opening of the States-General on May 5, 1789, at Versailles.
Black and white illustration of French revolutionaries storming the Bastille, with armed crowds, cannon, smoke, and the fortress gate in the background.
Colored engraving showing a crowd of revolutionaries storming the Bastille fortress, with smoke and flames rising from a building, during the French Revolution on July 14, 1789. Assignat Map of France before 1789 showing the historical provinces, each labeled with its name, such as Normandy, Brittany, Burgundy, Provence, and Ile-de-France. The map outlines the provincial boundaries and includes neighboring regions like England, Spain, Switzerland, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia, as well as the island of Corsica inset at lower right. Major cities including Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, and Versailles are marked. Map of France showing the revolutionary departments established after 1789, each labeled with its historical name and outlined within the national borders. Neighboring countries and bodies of water, such as England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Atlantic Ocean, are also marked, with an inset highlighting the departments of Corsica.
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Louis XVI: Execution by guillotine
French Revolution summary
Charles-Alexandre de Calonne
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Colored engraving showing a crowd of revolutionaries storming the Bastille fortress, with smoke and flames rising from a building, during the French Revolution on July 14, 1789.
French Revolution Key Facts
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Causes and Effects of the French Revolution
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Napoleon Bonaparte. General Bonaparte on the bridge at Arcole, 17 November, 1796, by Antoine-Jean Gros, Musee National, Chateau de Versailles. The first emblematic image of the Napoleonic myth. Napoleon I
Exploring French History
Patrick Henry delivering his great speech before the Virginia Assembly, March 23rd, 1775, lithograph by Currier & Ives, 1876.
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French Revolution: References & Edit History

Additional Reading

Jeremy D. Popkin, A Short History of the French Revolution, 2nd ed. (1998), is a brief overview of the event with bibliography. Simon Schama, Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution (1989), is an accessible treatment. William Doyle, The Oxford History of the French Revolution (1989, reprinted 1992); and David Andress, French Society in Revolution, 1789–1799 (1999), are more-detailed studies. Samuel F. Scott and Barry Rothaus (eds.), Historical Dictionary of the French Revolution 1789–1799, 2 vol. (1985), is a reliable source.

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Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Invalidated site: History Facts - During the French Revolution, Most of the Country Did Not Speak French. Oct 15, 2026
Add new Web site: History Facts - During the French Revolution, Most of the Country Did Not Speak French. Aug 06, 2026
Add new Web site: Heritage History - The French Revolution. Jul 27, 2026
Article updated. Jul 14, 2025
Add new Web site: CORE - French Revolution or peasant's revolt? Petitioners and rebels in England from the Blanketeers to the chartists. Feb 15, 2025
Questions and answers added. Feb 10, 2025
Add new Web site: DigitalCommons at University of Nebraska - Lincoln - Resource Distribution and the French Revolution (PDF). Dec 19, 2024
Add new Web site: PBS - American Experience - The French Revolution. Sep 17, 2024
Add new Web site: Swansea University - The long and short reasons for why Revolution broke out in France in 1789. Jul 23, 2024
Add new Web site: Khan Academy - French Revolution (part 1). Apr 19, 2024
Link added. Oct 20, 2023
Media added. Sep 19, 2023
Add new Web site: Colorado Pressbooks Network - Europe Since 1600: A Concise History - The French Revolution. Jun 25, 2023
Media added. May 15, 2023
Add new Web site: Ancient Origins - The French Revolution and Birth of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. May 14, 2023
Add new Web site: World History Encyclopedia - French Revolution. Apr 02, 2023
Add new Web site: Humanities LibreTexts - The French Revolution. Jan 02, 2023
Add new Web site: GlobalSecurity.org - The French Revolution 1789-1799. Oct 18, 2022
Corrected display issue. Sep 10, 2020
Media added. Nov 12, 2019
Media added. Sep 05, 2019
Corrected display issue. Dec 15, 2017
In the section Origins of the Revolution, changed "king of England" to "king of Great Britain." Dec 23, 2016
Add new Web site: Alpha History - The French Revolution. Dec 04, 2016
Add new Web site: Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia - French Revolution. Oct 05, 2016
Bibliography revised. Jul 22, 2016
Add new Web site: The Ultimate History Project - Executions, The Guillotine and The French Revolution. Sep 06, 2015
Added discussion of the causes of the Revolution. Apr 17, 2015
Added photographs. Feb 03, 2015
Add new Web site: Kidspast.com - French Revolution. Feb 16, 2014
Add new Web site: The Catholic Encyclopedia - French Revolution. Feb 16, 2014
In the discussion of the tricolour, added a cross-reference to the French flag article. Dec 10, 2012
Add new Web site: Fact Monster - History - French Revolution. Dec 06, 2012
Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - French Revolution. Dec 06, 2012
Add new Web site: NeoK12 - Educational Videos and Games for School Kids - French Revolution. Nov 03, 2011
Added image of the Estates-General. Aug 06, 2009
Added new Web site: H2g2 - French Revolution. Oct 24, 2008
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - History - French Revolution. Oct 23, 2008
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - History - How the French Revolution Worked. Oct 23, 2008
Added new Web site: New Zealand History - Central Power. Jul 23, 2008
Added new Web site: Center for History and New Media - French Revolution. Jul 23, 2008
Added new Web site: U.S. Department of State - Office of the Historian - The United States and the French Revolution. Jul 13, 2008
Media added. Jun 30, 2008
Added new Web site: Public Broadcasting Service - Reign of Terror: 1793-1794 - Timeline. Sep 26, 2007
Added new Web site: Swiss World - The French Revolution. Sep 26, 2007
Added new Web site: History.com - French Revolution. Jul 27, 2007
Added new Web site: The Victorian Web - French Revolution. Apr 30, 2007
Added new Web site: The Catholic Encyclopedia - French Revolution. Apr 30, 2007
Added new Web site: Discover France - The French Revolution. Apr 30, 2007
Added new Web site: World History International - French Revolution. Aug 03, 2006
Article revised. Sep 06, 2002
Article revised. Nov 17, 2000
Article added to new online database. Jul 20, 1998
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