Virtual Lectures via Zoom Webinar
Spring Series 2025
Olivier Courteaux
The French Revolution: Ten Years that Changed the World
Presented by Olivier Courteaux
Tuesdays, March 25 to May 13, 2025
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
To be offered as in-person lectures ONLY
Neither online lectures nor recordings will be available for this in-person series.
Location: Burnhamthorpe Community Centre, Applewood Hills Room
1500 Gulleden Dr., Mississauga. (Vicinity of Burnhamthorpe Rd. E. and Dixie Rd.)
Times
9:30 am Doors Open
10:00 am Lecture
11:00 am Refreshment break
11:20 am Q & A
12:00 pm Conclusion
Venue In-person lecture presentations only. Online and recorded sessions will not be available.
Cost $40 per person for eight-part series
Registration begins on Tuesday, February 18, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. and tickets will be on sale until Friday, March 21, 2025 at 11:50 p.m. After Friday, March 21, 2025, it will not be possible to register for individual lectures or a partial lecture series.
“The revolution is over,” wrote a French historian in 1989, as France was commemorating the bicentennial of the French Revolution. But perhaps it was not, for it was a controversial topic at the time – and still is.
The French Revolution had a number of founding moments. First the “revolution from above,” initiated by Louis XV and Louis XVI, which failed and led to the proclamation of a national assembly in 1789. This was the opening act of a revolution wanted and expected by an overwhelming majority.
Then in 1792 came the “real revolution,” led by the likes of Robespierre, who, while seeking to create a new society, unleashed an uncontrollable violence. It was marked by the Reign of Terror and is considered the birth of modern terrorism.
Finally, following the elimination of the same Robespierre and his followers, intense political rivalries led to the rise of a young, charismatic general, Napoleon Bonaparte, who ended up confiscating the State in November 1799.
At the end of those ten years, France had entered modernity. So had Europe and the world, for the French Revolution remains a major episode of world history, with global consequences.
March 25: The French Revolution, a French Exception?
The French are so proud of 1789 that they tend to forget key precedents to their revolution, such as the American Revolution, which introduced the concept of the rights of man in the 1770s, or the less-known revolution in Holland, not to mention uprisings in the colonies. The revolutionary spirit was not born in France!
April 1: Marie-Antoinette: the Scapegoat of the Revolution
So much has been written about the last queen of France that it has become difficult to understand who she really was and what role she played before and during the Revolution, until her trial in October 1793. A look at the most famous of French queens, beyond the clichés and myths still very much alive to this day and how she became the victim of a new phenomenon: celebrity. The mechanisms of celebrity we are so familiar with today were developed in the 18th century, well before films, tabloids and television. Together with new advertising techniques, the rise of a free press brought a profound transformation in the visibility of the powerful. By the time the Revolution broke out, it was no longer enough to be legitimate; it had become all important to be popular, too.
April 8: Was the King a Revolutionary?
The list of the innovations introduced by the last two kings of the Old Regime in France is impressive. Louis XV and Louis XVI sought to modernize their kingdom, but they failed in the end. Why? Was the Revolution inevitable? In light of the many uprisings (the last being the Yellow Vests protests in 2018), can France be governed and can reforms be accepted by the French public?
April 15: Did the French Revolution Invent the Concepts of “Public Opinion” and Sovereign “People”?
In 1789, the people burst into the political scene and would remain an important actor of the Revolution for the next ten years. The problem is, not everyone has the same idea of what “public opinion” and “people” mean. And despite the proclamation of the universal rights of man, women ended up being excluded from the political life of the nation.
April 22: Robespierre: Should He be Rehabilitated?
The mastermind behind the Reign of Terror, Robespierre continues to divide historians. For some, he hijacked the political scene and became the first tyrant of the modern age while others see in him the mere victim of a dark legend. Who was Robespierre really? How can the regime of terror he imposed on revolutionary France be understood? Was it the result of internal and external threats only?
April 29: Why Kill the King? Was it necessary?
His trial and subsequent death transformed Louis XVI into a martyr, an expiatory victim. Many never forgave the new Republic for his death. However, one thing is certain – this act paved the way for the Reign of Terror and sent a clear message to the French and the world: there would be no turning back.
May 6: Promises and Heritage
When Napoleon Bonaparte unleashed his coup in November 1799 to become First Consul, then Emperor, France had little in common with the kingdom of 1789. The political scene, the French economy and religion, with the separation of Church and State, had been profoundly transformed. The consequences of those ten years were felt worldwide and inspired many other uprisings, including the Russian revolutions of 1917. In the end, how can we explain its enduring heritage?
May 13: The Revolution is Not Over
In 1814 and 1815, the Bourbons managed to return from exile and ascend the throne of their ancestors. Was it the signal of a return to the old days, those of the divine rights of kings? Louis XVIII proved to be a pragmatist by inventing one of the most liberal political regimes in Europe. He helped create a unique situation, a sort of French exception. The political scene in France remained unstable for the greater part of the 19th century and beyond, and the country witnessed many upheavals, but the foundations of a true parliamentary system were laid.
Olivier Courteaux received his B.A. in history, M.A. in war and conflict studies, and Ph.D. in contemporary international relations from the University of Paris-Sorbonne.
Olivier has lectured at various Canadian universities, including York University, Ryerson (now Toronto Metropolitan University) and the Royal Military College of Canada, as well as for a number of third age learning groups. He has brought other popular series to LLM, most recently Russia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe in 2023.
He is the author of Canada Between Vichy and Free France, 1940-1945 (2013) and Four Days that Rocked Quebec (2017). He is currently working on his next book: Suez, 1869: the Empress Eugenie’s Last Triumph.