Our History Group met on Monday 02 February 2026 to look into the causes of the French Revolution of 1789 and the storming of the Bastille in Paris on 14 July that year. Their investigation was assisted by two excellent video presentations on the topic from History Hit YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJEbiiYDlkE) and from Crazy World Media (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6c7MIROIzo).
The first video outlined the seven causes of the revolution as:
- An economic crisis in France
- The Estates System and Social Inequality
- The ‘Enlightenment’ ideas spreading across Europe
- Urbanisation of France and the Spread of Information
- The American Revolution and the cost of supporting it
- Absolutism, Extravagance and Mismanagement
- Popular Unrest in France
This was a succinct video that dealt with the causes in broad terms. The arrival of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799 was also described as was how he came to power, and crowned himself Emperor.
The second video showed more of the views of academics and how they saw this change in society develop and become an unstoppable force. In this video we were introduced to the principal players before, during and after the revolution, and how their roles led to the outcomes that still echo in France today.
Our next session will be on Monday 01 March 2026, when the lessons and consequences for European politics since the revolution will be examined.