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History 517 (12811)
7-9:45 Monday, Stroud 412
East Stroudsburg University
Spring 2014
Chris Dudley
cdudley@esu.edu
Stroud 409N 570-422-3284
Office Hours: MWF 9-10; MW 12-2; M 6:30-7
The French Revolution and Napoleon
The French Revolution is one of the most important and written about events in history.
Napoleon is, if anything, even more prominent and divisive figure: Hegel called him the “world
spirit on horseback” and he has been celebrated as a hero, but equally many people reviled him
as a tyrant and betrayer of the revolution. This course will examine both from a variety of
angles, beginning with an old-fashioned overview of the politics of revolution in France. The
second part of the course explores other ways of understanding the revolution, including its role
in European historiography and in theories of revolution.
Objectives
As graduate students, you should have an idea of how this class fits into your personal course of
study. I encourage you to talk to me about your objectives for the class and to tailor your
experience accordingly, especially regarding your selection of topic for the final paper. There
are, however, three general objectives appropriate for all students. First, the course will give you
a thorough overview of events during the period 1789 to 1815, the classic periodization of the
revolution and reign of Napoleon. Second, you will gain an overview of major historiographical
and theoretical interpretations of the revolution, both classics and very recent texts. Third and
finally, the course is designed to hone your research skills through the reading and discussion of
mostly primary sources and the execution of an independent research paper.
Requirements
In addition to the weekly readings, there are four other assignments for the course. When
calculating final grades I will exercise flexibility to emphasize the strengths of each student, but
as a baseline Participation will be worth 20%, the Biographical Study will be worth 20%, the
Historiographical Essay will be worth 20%, and the Final Project will be worth 40%.
Participation: I expect everyone to attend every class and to participate in discussion. That
means you should be familiar with the readings and be prepared to ask questions, make
comments, and generally share your perspective with the class.
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Biographical Study (2 Parts): Each student will select one of the revolutionary figures listed
below. For your figure you have two responsibilities. First, on the appropriate day of class you
will present a short (5-10 minute) summary of your character’s role and significance in the
events covered. At that time you should also submit a brief (no more than 5 pages) written
summary. Second and more generally, you should bring your figure’s perspective to bear on
other events we discuss. For example, when reading Dubois’s Colony of Citizens, you should
think about what your character thought or would think about the Haitian slave revolt and be
prepared to include that in class discussion.
Historiographical Essay: You will write a brief (5 page) historiographical essay that connects
one of the four books we will discuss in class (Auslander, Dubois, Heuer, or Maza) to the
broader historiography of the revolution that we will discuss on 24 March. You can think of this
as an expanded review: you should describe the thesis, methods, and evidence of the author and
also discuss how his or her reacts to one or more of the “classic” interpretations we will discuss.
This paper is due on May 5, although you are free to turn it in earlier.
Final Paper: You will write a final essay of about 15 pages on a topic of your choice. You
should present an argument (not just a summary of events) based on primary source evidence.
You should also place your argument in historiographical context, by using some of the books
we've discussed in this class or by locating additional works on your topic. Final papers are due
Monday, May 12.
List of Biographical Subjects
François-Noël Babeuf: Jacobin, socialist, journalist, and conspirator (3 March)
Antoine-Pierre Barnave: constitutional monarchist, leader of Feuillants (10 Feb)
Paul, vicomte de Barras: key figure in the Directory, pushed out by Napoleon (3 March)
Jacques-Pierre Brissot: leader of Gironde and advocate of war (17 Feb)
Georges Danton: president of the Committee of Public Safety, architect of Terror (24 Feb)
Joseph Fouché: supporter of Directory, Napoleon’s minister of police (3 March)
Louis-Marie Stanislas Fréron: organizer of muscadins and Thermidor (3 March)
Jacques René Hébert: journalist and spokesman for Paris Commune (24 Feb)
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roche Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette or Lafayette (10 Feb)
Louis Marie La Révellière-Lépeaux: key member of the Directory (3 March)
Jean-Paul Marat: radical journalist, his assassination helped spark Terror (17 Feb)
Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, Comte de Mirabeau: advocate of constitutional monarchy (10 Feb)
Louis de Saint-Just: the “Angel of Death,” a key leader of the Terror (24 Feb)
Jean-Nicolas Stofflet: a leader of the counter-revolutionary Vendée (17 Feb)
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand: foreign minister to Louis XVI, Napoleon, and others (3 March)
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Academic Honesty
Academic honesty is an integral part of historical research, and I will be strictly enforcing ESU’s
policy on academic misconduct (pp. 48-49 of the Student Handbook). Plagiarism – the use of
someone else’s words or ideas without proper citation – will result in failure for the course and
referral to the Office of Student Conduct for administrative sanctions. If you have questions
about what constitutes plagiarism, please see me.
Meeting the Professor
Each of you have your own level of preparation for this class and expectations for it, so I hope
you will talk one-on-one with me about the class. I encourage everyone to meet with me as often
as you’d like during the semester and I expect each of you to meet with me at least once to talk
about your final paper. I have set aside 6:30-7 as an office hour for this class on Monday
evenings, but you are welcome to come to my other office hours. I’m also available to meet at
other times, including evenings. Send me an email or see me before or after class to set up a
meeting outside of regular office hours.
Required Texts
The following texts are available at the ESU Bookstore, although you are free to acquire them
elsewhere. All other required readings for the course will be posted on the class D2L page.
Leora Auslander, Cultural Revolutions: Everyday Life and Politics in Britain, North America
and France (University of California Press, 2009) ISBN 978-0520259218
Laurent Dubois, A Colony of Citizens: Revolution and Slave Emancipation in the French
Caribbean, 1787-1804 (UNC Press, 2006) ISBN 978-0807855362
Jennifer Heuer, The Family and the Nation: Gender and Citizenship in Revolutionary France,
1789-1830 (Cornell University Press, 2007) ISBN 978-0801474088
Sarah Maza, The Myth of the French Bourgeoisie (Harvard University Press, 2005)
ISBN 978-0674017696
I also suggest that you obtain a textbook if you aren’t familiar with the events of the French
Revolution. An easily available choice is William Doyle’s The French Revolution: A Very Short
Introduction, which is an electronic resource through Kemp Library. Just search for the book in
the catalog and follow the link. I have placed two other textbooks on reserve for your reference:
Albert Goodwin, The French Revolution 944.04 G631f4
Donald Sutherland, France 1789-1815: Revolution and Counter-Revolution 944.04 Su84f
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Class Schedule
Part I: Overview
27 January (Introduction) The Old Regime, the French Revolution, and Revolutions
3 February: The Enlightenment
Voltaire, English Letters (1733)
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on the Arts and Sciences (1750)
10 February: Constitutional Monarchy, 1789-1791
Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès, What is the Third Estate? (1789)
Cahiers de Doléances (1789)
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizens (1789)
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790)
17 February: Republic, 1791-1793
Jean-Marie Roland de la Platière, Letter to the King (1792)
The Revolution of 10 August 1792 (Documents from the National Assembly)
What is a Sans-Culotte?, etc. (1793)
Charles-Gilbert Romme, Report on the Republican Era (1793)
24 February: Terror and Thermidor, 1793-1795
Maximilien Robespierre, Report on the Principles of Political Morality (1794)
The Festival of the Supreme Being (1794)
3 March: Searching for Stability (Directory, Consulate, and Empire), 1795-1815
Manifesto of the Directors (1795)
The Coup d’Etat of 18 Brumaire (1799)
The Concordat (1802)
Jean-François Curée, Motion to Institute Hereditary Government (1804)
Napoleon Bonaparte, Speech to the Senate on the Creation of Imperial Duchies (1807)
Napoleon Bonaparte, Letter to Cambacérès on Nobility (1810)
10 March: A Bourgeois Revolution?
Maza, The Myth of the French Bourgeoisie
17 March: Spring Break
No Class
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Part II: Approaches to the French Revolution
24 March: Historiography of the French Revolution
Thomas Carlyle, The French Revolution (1837)
Jules Michelet, History of the French Revolution (1847)
Alexis de Tocqueville, The Old Regime and the Revolution (1856)
Georges Lefebvre, The Coming of the French Revolution (1939)
31 March: Comparing Revolutionary Cultures
Auslander, Cultural Revolutions
7 April: International Responses
Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790)
Thomas Paine, Rights of Man (1792)
14 April: Citizenship and Gender
Olympe de Gouges, Declaration of the Rights of Women (1791)
Heuer, The Family and the Nation
21 April: War and Peace
Decree for Proclaiming the Liberty and Sovereignty of all Peoples (1792)
Decree Establishing the Levée en Masse (1793)
Declaration of War against Great Britain (1793)
Napoleon Bonaparte, Letter to Jérôme Bonaparte, King of Westphalia (1807)
Napoleon Bonaparte, Letter to Joseph Bonaparte, King of Naples (1806)
Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Address to the German Nation (1808)
28 April: Overseas Empire
Dubois, A Colony of Citizens
5 May: Legacy of the French Revolution
Benjamin Constant, Ancient and Modern Liberty Compared (1814)
Karl Marx, The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Napoleon (1852)