Painting titled "Liberty leading the people" by Eugene Delacroix, commemorating the 1830 revolution in France © www.usc.edu

In this topic we focus on what the conditions in France were like before the revolution. We outline the causes, the course of the revolution, and the rise of Napoleon. Our focus is on how the foundations of modern democracy were established and we examine the concepts of liberty, equality, fraternity and individual freedom that were expressed in France in the late 18th century.

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