Podcasts
A brief overview of the execution of Louis XVI
On the 21st January 1793, former French King Louis XVI was executed by guillotine at the Place de la Revolution in Paris.
The Louvre museum in the French Revolution
The Louvre museum in Paris opened to the public in the former palace of the French royal family.
The assassination of Jean-Paul Marat – background and consequences
On the 13th July 1793, the radical French journalist Jean-Paul Marat was stabbed to death in his bathtub by Charlotte Corday.
The execution of Marie Antoinette
At 12.15pm on the afternoon of the 16th October 1793, Marie Antoinette was executed by guillotine in the Place de la Revolution in Paris.
“Let’s make terror the order of the day!” – Bertrand Barère and the Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror arguably began on the 5th September 1793 when Bertrand Barère, a member of the Committee of Public Safety, made a speech in favour of it that ended with the exclamation, “Let’s make terror the order of the day!”
The French Revolution: The Reign of Terror
This podcast episode explores the situation in France following the execution of Louis XVI in 1793, and seeks to explain why the Convention introduced the Terror. It considers both the external and internal pressures facing France at the time, and goes on to explore how and why the Convention chose to respond in such an extreme way to the situation. The role of Maximilien Robespierre is considered, along with an exploration of the reasons for his downfall.
The Cult of the Supreme Being
This short podcast presents an overview of the Cult of the Supreme Being, established by Robespierre on 7th May 1794 as the new national religion of France.
Establishment of the French Directory
On the 2nd November 1795, the Directory was established in France.
The French Revolution: The Directory
This A Level and IB History revision podcast charts the rise and fall of the Directory from 1794 to 1799. Beginning with the execution of Robespierre, the Thermidorean Reaction and the onset of the White Terror, it goes on to explore the terms of the Constitution of Year III. The challenges to the Directory are described, and the government’s various failures and successes are explained. The episode finishes with Napoleon and the Coup of Brumaire.
The Battle of Fishguard: overview of the last invasion of Britain in 1797
On 22nd February 1797 the last invasion of Britain by a hostile foreign force began when French troops under the command of the Irish-American Colonel William Tate landed near the Welsh town of Fishguard.
