Living the French Revolution and the Age of Napoleon

By: Suzanne M. Desan, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Suzanne M. Desan

Length: 24 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

The 25 years between the onset of the French Revolution in 1789 and the Bourbon Restoration after Napoleon in 1814 is an astonishing period in world history. This era shook the foundations of the old world and marked a permanent shift for politics, religion, and society - not just for France, but for all of Europe. An account of the events alone reads like something out of a thrilling novel:

• France’s oppressed and hungry masses rise up against their government.
• In Paris, crowds storm the Bastille looking for bread and weaponry.
• Rumors, panic, and fear grip the nation as it faces an uncertain future.
• The National Assembly adopts the Declaration of the Rights of Man, the first bold step toward the invention of democratic politics and a republican state.
• A young Corsican named Napoleon Bonaparte stuns Europe with his military strategy and political boldness.

Living the French Revolution and the Age of Napoleon is your opportunity to learn the full story of this captivating period. Taught by Dr. Suzanne M. Desan, these 48 exciting lectures give you a broad and comprehensive survey of one of the most important eras in modern history.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2013 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2013 The Great Courses

Excellent lecture series

This is one of the best Great Courses I’ve listened to. Dr. Desan is extremely knowledgeable and explains the whys and hows behind events, rather than just describe what happened. Her style is direct with just the right degree of passion. This is what I hope for in a Great Courses lecture series.

You may see other reviews saying Dr. Desan is unforgivably biased or politically motivated. I did not hear that at all and thought she did an excellent job of presenting and explaining the course of events and was fair to both sides. My guess is if you enjoy reading history from academics rather than fire-breathing US political commentators, you will enjoy this quite a bit.

Incredible story, mediocre narration

The history of the French Revolution did not start with the storming of the Bastille and did not end with the execution of the French King and Queen. The story of events leading up to the Revolution and the events which turned the revolutionary dream into a nightmare are riveting and worth your time. Unfortunately the narrator for this course does not do the telling justice. She is monotone, dull, and her forced deep bass is annoying throughout the course. If it weren’t for the interesting subject I wouldn’t have made it through the introduction.

A truly masterpiece of storytelling and history

This entire series had me on the “edge of seat”, the adventure, human insight, narrative structure, tempo, balance and point of view are masterfully chosen and handled.

What a storyteller!

History comes alive in this course. Professor Desan puts you right in the middle of it all. Battles are thrilling, frustration is palpable, hope flutters and occasionally flies. She goes well beyond borders and battlefields to talk about how far ripples went in both time and space. A truly great course.

very interesting

enjoyed it very much. my timeline of these events was very vague and this explains it very well

Clarity… Finally

This time period is one of the most confusing epochs to me. What happened? Who really mattered? What’s the “real” story? What do people believe now? Are all questions this course answers. It’s clear, presents both biases well, and discusses contemporary ramifications. Never a dull moment, I finished this to prepare for Joaquin Phoenix’s performance in Napoleon and was not disappointed. I finished it in one week and COULD NOT wait to listen on off times during my day. She tells the stories with bravado and intrigue. I will be reading a lot about the French Revolution in the future. Thank you Great Courses. Thank you Dr. Desan.

Absolutly Breath-Taking

A fascinating and detailed account of one of the most important events of the modern era. reads more like fiction than anything else and is almost impossible to put away. Would recommend even to people who "don't like history" to challenge their assumptions. Even the reading itself feels personal, urgent and emotional 👏

Excellent Presentation

What about Professor Suzanne M. Desan’s performance did you like?

Professor Desan's enthusiasm really brought this topic to life. She did an excellent job explaining what was going on in ancien regime France that brought about such a profound event and the revolution's impact on France and Europe. In fact, I have a much better understanding of why the French Revolution is still so important to the French, perhaps even more so than our own. Finally, her lectures on Napoleon were balanced and nuanced. Napoleon is treacherous territory for any historian, but she traversed it with skill and aplomb.

An effective overview of the French Revolution

I've been looking for an English language history of the French Revolution and I'm very happy to have found this course.

What I wanted was an overview of what happened during the french revolution and the Napoleonic wars and this course was almost exactly what I was looking for.

I might suggest that they split the topics into two courses, one for Napoleon and one for the revolution as even with something like 38 chapters it feels like we are missing some of the depth that would be helpful in understanding the subject matter.

Very informative, a little bit dull.

The professor was clearly extremely knowledgeable on the subject, and you can tell she cares deeply about it. She wasn't monotone, but neither was she particularly lively. I prefer lectures with a bit more anecdote which bring the subject more "to life", such as when the professor visited X place or a lively discussion on Y topic they once had.

The professor also clearly cares much more about the political and social than the military history, which is where my interests mostly lay, so I found myself repeatedly saying things like "How did X battle/Y campaign really happen?" or "What made the French army so effective at this time?" That isn't to say there is none of this, but it usually very quickly explained without much depth.

Overall, I am glad I listened to it, and glad I learned about this period of history which is integral to understanding our modern world, even if it didn't hold my interest quite as much as I'd hoped.