French Revolution

The effects of the French Revolution stretch across borders and time. It ended an absolute monarchy, and challenged the power of the church and nobles. Over the next century, these ideas would begin to take root in other parts of the world. Only a few years’ later, enslaved people in Saint-Domingue, the French colony that became Haiti, rose up against their colonial masters and gained their freedom and independence. In this class we will examine the process towards revolution and its aftermath. Why did the effort to establish a democratic system in France fail? Why did the new republican government resort to violence and repression? How did Haiti, with one of the only successful slave revolts in the history of the world, go from being one of the world’s richest colonies to one of the world’s most struggling countries? Essential Questions: 1. What is a revolution?

2. What characteristics do these revolutions share?

3. What different stages do revolutions go through?

4. How can we assess whether a revolution is successful?

5. Do revolutions bring about freedom?

Content Focus:

1. What caused people in France to rebel?

2. Why did people who were fighting for political rights resort to terror and dictatorship?

3. How did the French Revolution change the way people understand the relationship between people and their government?

4. What factors led to the Haitian Revolution?

5. What are the historical roots of Haiti’s poverty? How are the two revolutions similar and different?