The French Revolution and Napoleon: The Beginnings of a Modern World Order

Authors

• S Trent Dunkin, Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical CollegeFollow

Abstract

The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods, roughly 1789 to 1815, witnessed the fall of the Ancien Régime in France and the foundation of the French Republic. However, this larger period can be divided into three smaller periods: (1) the French Revolutionary Period (1789-1799); (2) the Napoleonic Era (1799-1814); and (3) the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815). This article discusses these three periods individually and their respective contributions that helped to usher in a political order more familiar to the contemporary world. Specifically, this article will explore the following things: The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, the Napoleonic Code, and the Congress of Vienna’s goal of creating a ‘balance of power’ in Europe, which inadvertently aided to the rise of nationalism in Europe throughout the 19^th century.

Recommended Citation

Dunkin, S Trent (2025) "The French Revolution and Napoleon: The Beginnings of a Modern World Order," Tête à Tête: Journal of Francophone Studies: Vol. 4, Article 4.
Available at: https://repository.lsu.edu/tete_a_tete/vol4/iss1/4