French Revolution Research Guidelines

Essay Questions: 

● What were the three m ​ ost important​ causes of the revolution? 

● Historiography of the Causes: How has the story changed and why? 
  
Note-Taking Tips for General Research:​ Your notes are meant to condense 
readings and documents into shorter, but equally useful snippets of research. When 
you take notes, think about: 
  

1. Dates/Events: Does this date/event mark a turning point in the story of your 
topic? Why? 
2. People: Why is s/he significant? How did his/her actions affect others? 
  
***This essay is part of an 8-day unit. Steps 1-6 must be completed over the course of 
four class days. Step 7 must be completed over the course of the other four class days.  
 
 
Step 1: Study the general conclusions made about the French Revolution. 
Causes of the French Revolution Wikipedia: 
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causes_of_the_French_Revolution 
How to take notes on Wikipedia: 
1. Write down the ​major causes​ listed on the page. Create a heading for each cause and 
write 2-3 sentences explaining/describing the cause and why some people think it's 
important. Look at the sources at the bottom of the page: write down 2-3 sources (books, 
articles, authors) who have written about this cause and who might be helpful to look up 
later. So for e
​ ach section (cause)​ you want: a h
​ eading​, 2-3 sentences on the​ cause a
​ nd 
sources​. ​This should be written by hand. 
  
 
Step 2: Examine the general historiography o ​ f the French Revolution. 
 
Historiography Wikipedia: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historiography_of_the_French_Revolution 
1. Follow the same note-taking process as above (Step 1) to record information about 
historiography. 
 
So: write down major trends/ideas/arguments in the historiography or simply people who 
have played a role in the debate (for example one section might be "Carlyle" but another 
could be called "Attacks From the Right"). Under each section write down the ​main idea 
(and how this idea is different from others before it) and if there are s​ ources​ copy them as 
well.  
 
I want you to take notes on at least s​ even​ of the following: ​Burke ​(or "Attacks From The 
Right"--this can be one section as not much is said about Burke here. But he is important.)​, 
Tocqueville, Carlyle, Aulard, Lefebvre, Soboul, Cobban,Schama, Hunt, Furet. 
 
 
 
Step 3: Examine this link that outlines the causes of the French Revolution. 
Use index cards to take notes. 1) On the front side of the index card, write 
down the bibliographic information, (and if there is no author just the 
website's name and address) and the main idea(s) of the source (for example 
you could write "Intellectual Causes" on this front side). 2) On the back, take 
notes on the source. Divide your index cards into three sections as the web 
page has done: 

1. Intellectual Causes 
2. Social Causes 
3. Political Causes 
 
Causes Outline: Fordham: 
http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/lect/mod10.html 
 
Think About: How is this source different than the Wikipedia page? 
 
Step 4:​ E
​ xamine these 2 articles (one is a book review) on the French 
Revolution. Use index cards to take notes (use the same format as above: 
divide into intellectual/social/political).  
  
Yes, the French Revolution was necessary: 
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2014/12/yes-the-french-revolution-was-necessary/ 
  
The French Revolution in Global Perspective (book review by Kolla) 
https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=39141 
Step 5:​ R​ ead this interview with historian Jack Censer. Use index cards to take 
notes. Organize your notecards by the name of each historian (and three 
causes) Censer discusses: 
 
http://www.h-france.net/vol6reviews/vol6htmlreviews/censer.html 
 
Try to have 2-3 bullet points on each major scholar/historian. Make sure you 
divide up the cards into: 

1. Intellectual Causes 
2. Social Causes 
3. Political Causes 
Think About: 
1) Are there certain pieces of information that these historians all seem to 
agree/disagree on? If so, which ones? 
 
Step 6:​ L
​ ook at these primary sources. For each source, use index cards to 
take notes. Be sure to write down: 

1. Who wrote the document 

2. When it was written 
3. What issues are being addressed 
  
What is the Third Estate? 
http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/sieyes.asp 
  
Tennis Court Oath 
http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/tennis_oath.html 
  
Declaration of Rights of Man 
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/rightsof.asp 
 
Declaration of Rights of Women 
http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1791degouge1.asp 
  
The Cult of the Supreme Being 
http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/robespierre-supreme.asp 
  
Justification of the Use of Terror 
http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/robespierre-terror.asp 
  
Burke on the Revolution 
http://web.archive.org/web/19981206201151/http://pluto.clinch.edu/history/wciv2/civ2
ref/burke.html 
  
Think About: 
1) W
​ ho is the intended audience of this document? 
2) How does this document reflect the issues French citizens were most concerned with 
at the time? 
3) Could any of these documents be considered as propaganda for the revolution? 
 
 
Step 7: Use index cards to take notes on at least FIVE book sources. Go to the 
Beacon Library and examine the collection of books Mr. Moscow has put on 
hold. (In your essay, you will be required to cite at least ​three​ books, but you 
must take notes on at least FIVE books.) 
  
Use index cards to take notes. Follow these suggestions to use your time efficiently. (Do 
not just rifle through the entire book.): 
  

1. To obtain specific information for your research collection, look at the ​Index. 
Search for key words/phrases/historical figures. Post-it pages that you think will 
offer you the best info. 
--> For instance: If you’re looking for information on France’s taxation system prior to 
1789, try looking for the word t​ axation​ in the Index. If it doesn’t exist, think of other 
things connected to the taxation system, such as t​ ithes​—taxes for the clergy/church. 
  
The Index helps you pinpoint specific information that you need and exactly where you 
can find it. If you are unable to find the information you need in the Index, this may be 
a sign that you need to review your notes. Be specific when you look through the Index. 
 
Book List: 
 
The French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction​ --by William Doyle 
 
French Revolution​ --by William Doyle 
 
The French Revolution and Human Rights: A Brief Documentary History​ --Edited, Translated, 
and with an Introduction by Lynn Hunt 
 
The Great French Revolution, 1789-1793​ --by Petr Alekseevich Kropotkin 
 
The French Revolution: Recent Debates and New Controversies​ --Edited by Gary Kates 
 
Echoes of the Marseillaise​ --by E.J. Hobsbawm 
 
Interpreting the French Revolution​ --by Francois Furet 
 
The French Revolution​ --Opposing Viewpoints in World History 
 
The French Revolution​ --by Alan Forrest 
 
The Debate on the French Revolution​ --by Peter Davies 
 
The French Revolution: A History ​--by Thomas Carlyle 
 
The French Revolution​ --by Gregory S. Brown 
 
The French Historical Revolution​ --by Peter Burke 
 
Contesting the French Revolution​ --by Paul R. Hanson 
 
Think About: 
1) Who is the author of the source? 
2) What perspective/lens might s/he be writing from? 
3) How does his/her perspective influence the kind of information s/he chooses to 
include or emphasize? 
4) What might s/he be ​omitting​?  
5) How do the book sources compare to the online sources (in terms of perspective 
and depth)?  
 
 
Optional Step for Historiography: Examine the following links on the 
historiography of the French Revolution. (You can compare this source with the 
Wikipedia page later.) 
  
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxhcGV1c
m9mcmlzY29oZXJpdGFnZXxneDo3ZTdiZjE4OTM5MGY4YzMy