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Episodes
- S1 E1 - Introduction and the Old Regime MonarchyMay 30, 201332minTake a first look at the complexities of overthrowing a monarchy and constructing a democracy. This first lecture introduces you to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette and lays the groundwork for the gripping drama of the French Revolution.#HistoryFree trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E2 - Privilege: Old Regime SocietyMay 31, 201330minLook at the hierarchical society of France in the 1780s, which was divided into three estates--those who prayed (the clergy), those who fought (the nobles), and those who worked and paid taxes (the peasants). This system placed a heavy burden on the peasantry and set the stage for revolution.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E3 - The EnlightenmentMay 31, 201332minEnter 18th-century salons and cafés to join the debates over modernity and politics. While writers such as Voltaire, Diderot, and Rousseau argued over natural rights, political reform, the social contract, and more, the Old Regime cracked down on dissidents and threw writers in jail for criticizing the government.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E4 - France, Global Commerce, and ColonizationMay 31, 201331minSee how global trade, the mercantilist system, and the slave trade disrupted traditional notions of societal hierarchy as non-nobles benefited greatly from the new economy. Additionally, global warfare--especially between France and Great Britain over colonization--left France weakened and deeply in debt.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E5 - American Revolution and the Economic CrisisMay 31, 201330minExplore the economic problems of France in the 1780s. The nation was deeply in debt, due to war with Britain and participating in the American Revolution. The opening of free trade hit the textile market and caused high unemployment. Finally, years of poor harvests and famine spurred grain riots.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E6 - The Political Awakening of 1789May 31, 201332minWhen the Estates-General met in 1789 to tackle the nation's woes, several questions were on the table: Who would have political power? How could France reform its tax system? What would happen to the system of privilege? Explore how the Third Estate challenged the status quo and created a revolutionary new Assembly to represent all France.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E7 - July 14th: Storming the BastilleMay 31, 201330minUnpack the story of one of the most famous days in French history. In the wake of the Estates-General crisis, hungry crowds gathered in the streets of Paris. As the king gathered troops around Versailles, the politics of hunger took over in the streets and the crowds stormed the Bastille, sparking a nationwide revolution.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E8 - Peasant Revolt and the Abolition of FeudalismMay 31, 201332minIn the weeks after the storming of the Bastille, panic gripped the countryside. Peasants revolted against their lords, and rumors about grain hoarding, bandits, and foreign invasion swirled around France. Amid this "Great Fear of 1789," the National Assembly met and dismantled the feudal system as the political revolution morphed into a radical social revolution.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E9 - The Declaration of the Rights of ManMay 31, 201333minStudy the origins and significance of this shocking declaration, from its influences in the Enlightenment and American rights declarations to its implications for religious liberty and the role of the king. Who would get these "universal rights"? How would they be implemented?Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E10 - Paris Commands Its KingMay 31, 201329minMarch to Versailles with thousands of women and National Guardsmen to protest the price of bread and to lobby the king for political changes. This huge demonstration compelled the king and queen to move to Paris and revealed the power of popular activism.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E11 - Political Apprenticeship in DemocracyMay 31, 201331minThe press, political clubs, and elections--these three pillars of democratic, revolutionary politics set the agenda for the nation as France redistributed power, redrew its administrative map, and instituted a host of reforms that gave local voting power to the provinces.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E12 - Religion and the Early RevolutionMay 31, 201331minShift your attention from politics to the Catholic Church, which was at the heart of local communities throughout France. Despite an overall decline in religion in the 18th century, revolutionaries were playing with fire as they sought to reform the church, and their actions divided the country.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E13 - The Revolution and the ColoniesMay 31, 201330minTurn to the French colonies and ask what the Revolution meant in places such as Saint-Domingue, the colony that would soon become the independent nation of Haiti. Did the Declaration of the Rights of Man apply to free people of color? Would the Revolution abolish the slave trade? These questions would take several years to answer.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E14 - Women?s Rights in the Early RevolutionMay 31, 201330minWomen had no official political role in the Old Regime, but the Revolution raised the question of women's rights and their place in the public sphere. Find out how two of the era's key feminists--Condorcet, a male mathematician, and Olympe de Gouges, a female writer--framed the demand for women's rights, and observe the many ways women engaged in politics.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E15 - The King's FlightMay 31, 201330minOn June 20, 1791, King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette disappeared, having fled into the night. This lecture shows you the king's secret--and ultimately doomed--attempt to escape France. This act became a significant turning point for the Revolution because it allowed the French to imagine their country without a king.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E16 - Foreign Reactions: A Divided EuropeMay 31, 201331minTravel to Great Britain to explore the foreign reactions to the French Revolution. Professor Desan walks you through Edmund Burke's defense of tradition and the aristocratic system, as well as Thomas Paine's "Rights of Man," a response to Burke that lays out an argument for equality and a series of reforms.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E17 - The Path to War with EuropeMay 31, 201332minDiscover why France went to war with Austria and Prussia in 1792, and meet some of the key players in that decision--including the Jacobin Maximilien Robespierre who, ironically, feared war could destroy the Revolution and lead to a dictatorship. Study the causes of the war that would transform the Revolution.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E18 - Overthrowing the MonarchyMay 31, 201330minTurn to ordinary citizens as they overthrow their king and embark on a bold political experiment. With France losing the war with Austria and angry crowds in the streets, the Legislative Assembly declared the homeland in danger. See how revolutionary leaders and Parisians took matters into their own hands to press for creation of a republic.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E19 - The King's TrialMay 31, 201329minExperience the stunning trial and execution of King Louis XVI. This lecture begins by surveying the political alignments of the new republic and the debates between the radical Jacobins and the moderate Girondins over what to do with the king--a political division that would only deepen after the king's execution.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E20 - The Republic at WarMay 31, 201332minConsider the international issues while France was at war. How did the French army save the republic at the battle of Valmy? Could the French spread the Revolution abroad? Could they continue to face their growing list of enemies? You'll also learn about the French military and what it was like to be a soldier in the revolutionary army.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E21 - Revolutionary Culture and FestivalsMay 31, 201331minStep back and explore the culture of France as revolutionary leaders tried to stamp out the power of religion and the monarchy. From a new republican calendar to festivals that celebrated the goddesses Liberty and Reason, radicals enacted a fascinating series of changes.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E22 - Family and MarriageMay 31, 201331minLook beyond the larger issues of politics and economics and reflect on how the Revolution introduced new ideas of liberty and equality into family relationships. The revolutionaries legalized divorce, challenged the authority of fathers, and abolished unfair inheritance laws. Families became a microcosm of the Revolution as individuals figured out what liberty meant in everyday life.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E23 - Slave Revolt and the Abolition of SlaveryMay 31, 201331minThe largest slave revolt in history took place in Saint-Domingue in the early 1790s. What made the revolt possible? How did insurgent slaves convince France that slavery should be abolished? Uncover the suspenseful story of Toussaint Louverture's rise to power, which paved the way for an independent Haiti.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E24 - Counterrevolution and the VendéeMay 31, 201331minNot everyone was on board with the Revolution. In fact, tens of thousands of peasants and artisans in the provinces were dissatisfied with what they saw as the atheism and the anarchy of the revolutionaries. Learn about the civil war in western France and the counterrevolutionary efforts to restore the king and the old way of life.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E25 - The Pressure Cooker of PoliticsMay 31, 201332minReturn to Paris during the crisis months of spring 1793 as the leading revolutionaries wrestled with the ongoing economic crisis, war losses, and the growing fear of conspiracy and counterrevolution. The government took emergency measures and created the Committee of Public Safety, thus sowing the seeds for the Terror.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
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