DISCOVER THE FRENCH REVOLUTION - 1789, THE PEOPLE ON THE MARCH

Paris at the heart of change

It all began in Paris. The storming of the Bastille, the popular processions, the revolutionary clubs and the fiery debates in the assemblies made the city the nerve centre of the French Revolution.

Why take an interest?

Because it was in Paris that the fate of a nation, and more broadly of a new world, was decided. The Revolution marked the end of absolute monarchy, the birth of the Republic and the affirmation of universal values such as freedom and equality.

A brief history and anecdotes

On 14 July 1789, the people took the Bastille, the symbol of royal arbitrariness. One revolutionary day followed another: the women's march on Versailles, the flight and arrest of the king, and the proclamation of the Republic in 1792. But the Revolution also turned into the Terror, with mass executions on the Place de la Révolution, now the Place de la Concorde.

Revolutionary landmarks in Paris

- Place de la Bastille: remnants of a destroyed symbol
- Place de la Concorde: place of executions, including that of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette
- National Assembly (Palais Bourbon)
- Club des Jacobins, now defunct but a famous hotbed of revolutionary ideas

Tips for further study

- Visit the Carnavalet museum, dedicated to the history of Paris and the Revolution
- Explore the iconic squares: Bastille, Concorde, Nation
- Read contemporary accounts of Mirabeau, Robespierre and Danton to relive the excitement of the period

Through the audio guide

🎧 Listen to our immersive account of the French Revolution and its great moments in Paris on History Guide City Paris!
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