The French Revolution

The French Revolution is the period in French history from 1789 to 1799 during which the monarchy was abolished, marked by waves of national violence (including death by guillotine), social upheaval, and global conflicts with monarchist nations (including Great Britain and Russia). The shifts during the decade were such that leading figures of the Revolution (such as Maximilian Robespierre) were themselves led to the guillotine in later stages, and the Revolution ended withthe rise to power of Napoleon Bonaparte.

The period served as the backdrop of the Charles Dickens' novel A Tale of Two Cities.