The French Revolution
- A 53-minute PBS episode from the show, Filthy Cities. In this episode, you see the squalor that both the common people and the aristocrats lived in at the time of the revolution.
http://www.pbs.org/video/2365650660/ - One of the most important documents in French history, the Declaration of the Rights of Man. Written in 1789, this document outlined the basic rights for man, such as religious freedom, property, freedom of speech and assembly, and so on. In addition, it is one of the founding documents for modern human rights.
PDF: http://www1.curriculum.edu.au/ddunits/downloads/pdf/dec_of_rights.pdf
Background: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Declaration_
of_the_Rights_of_Man_and_of_the_Citizen- As you read, what themes or similarities do you see in comparison to other countries’ declarations?
- Contemporary France pp 15 PDF
Napoleon Bonaparte
- Smithsonian’s “Why We’d be Better Off If Napoleon had Never Lost at Waterloo” takes a look at what history might have been like, if Napoleon hadn’t attempted to take Russia.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/we-better-off-napoleon-never-lost-waterloo-180955298/- Do you agree or disagree with the author? Why?
- A three-minute biographical video about Napoleon Bonaparte.
https://www.biography.com/people/napoleon-9420291 - Established in 1804, the Napoleonic Code played an important role in progressing not only France, but Europe from feudal laws to modern laws. this document has served to influence legal codes in countries all over the world, not just Europe. This is the full document:
http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/government/c_code.html- How is this document organized? Pick a section, and read through the articles; what strikes you the most?
- Contemporary France pp 15-17 PDF