French Revolution · 1792-1794

The Republic and the Terror

At war with half of Europe, revolutionary France abolishes its monarchy, executes its king and turns to terror against its own citizens. Students trace how fear, war and big ideas pushed the Revolution to extremes.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
13–16
On the map
3 steps, AD 1792 to AD 1793
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

At war with half of Europe, revolutionary France abolishes its monarchy, executes its king and turns to terror against its own citizens. Students trace how fear, war and big ideas pushed the Revolution to extremes.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain how war with Austria and Prussia made the Revolution more radical after 1792.
  • Describe what the Terror was, who led it and how it ended in July 1794.
  • Weigh whether a government can defend freedom by taking freedoms away.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1792

A country at war

Open the map in 1792 and turn on Historical Events. Find the battle of Valmy. How far is it from Paris, and why was an enemy army there so dangerous for the Revolution?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1800

Sister republics

Drag the time slider from 1789 to 1800 and zoom out over Western Europe. Which new republics appear next to France in the north and the east?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1793

Revolt in the west

Zoom in on the west coast of France, south of the mouth of the Loire. In 1793 the Vendée rose against the Republic over conscription and religion. Why could rebels hold out in this countryside?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Why did a war against Austria and Prussia make the revolutionaries more afraid of enemies at home?
  2. The Republic put Louis XVI on trial and executed him in January 1793. What problems did that solve for the revolutionaries, and what problems did it create?
  3. Robespierre said terror was needed to protect the Republic. How should we judge a government that takes away rights in order to "defend" them?
  4. In 1794 the Convention abolished slavery in the French colonies. Why did that happen only after enslaved people in Saint-Domingue rose up?
  5. Why do you think the Terror ended so suddenly in July 1794?
4

Game round

10 min

Play Rule History as Napoleon Bonaparte, starting with his 1799 round, when France is exhausted after the Terror and years of war. Discuss: why might French people in 1799 welcome a strong general?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

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