Revolutionary France, 1770-1814
Spring 2013
This course will examine the social, cultural, intellectual and political history of France from the end of the Old Regime through the Napoleonic Empire. The origins, development, and outcome of the French Revolution will be our main focus. Attention will also be given to the impact of events in France on other nations (especially Haiti, where a second revolution occurred) and to the global legacy of the French Revolution in terms of such modern concepts as human rights, nationalism, social welfare, feminism, democracy, terrorism and revolution itself. Throughout the course, we will emphasize the different and often conflicting ways in which historians have interpreted the meaning and consequences of this critical moment of upheaval. Readings will range from classic documents of the period (i.e., Rousseau’s The Social Contract and Al-Jabarti’s Chronicle of the French Occupation of Egypt) to important secondary accounts of the revolutionary era (i.e., Tocqueville’s The Old Regime and the French Revolution and Darnton’s The Great Cat Massacre). Two weekly lectures will be complemented by a weekly discussion section focused on these readings. Requirements will include two papers, one midterm exam, one final exam, and active participation in sections.
