The French Revolution: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
Citizens, history is calling. Come with me to the days that shook the thrones of Europe. From the storming of the Bastille to the Reign of Terror, you will witness how a people rose up to reclaim their sovereignty.
Why this journey
Relevance
The French Revolution is the founding event of the modern era, a cataclysm that destroyed monarchical absolutism and spread the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity across the world. This journey is an immersion into its most turbulent days.
Learning
You will understand the causes, phases, and consequences of the Revolution. You will examine the tension between ideals and political violence, from the Declaration of the Rights of Man to the Reign of Terror, and how a movement for liberty could give way to a dictatorship.
Today
Understanding the dynamics of a revolution offers a framework for analyzing any process of radical change, whether social or corporate. This journey develops critical thinking about power, ideology, and leadership in times of crisis, essential for leaders in any field.
Included
- Accommodation in charming, well-located hotels.
- All breakfasts and the lunches or dinners specified in the itinerary.
- Expert guides and historians throughout the journey.
- Entrance to all museums, monuments and historic sites in the itinerary.
- Comfortable private transport for all transfers between cities and activities.
- Exclusive workshops, tastings and immersive experiences described in the program.
- A welcome pack with reading materials and a travel journal.
- Basic travel insurance.
Not included
- Round-trip international flights to the expedition start/end point.
- Meals and drinks not specified in the itinerary.
- Personal expenses, purchases and souvenirs.
- Optional activities during free time.
- Tips (optional).
Who runs it
Institutions we have worked with
Itinerary
- Day 1 Paris: On the Eve of Revolution
Arrival in Paris. We will gather at the Place de la Concorde, where the guillotine claimed thousands of lives, including that of King Louis XVI. An introductory dinner will explore the causes of the Revolution: the financial crisis, inequality, and the ideas of the Enlightenment.
- Day 2 The Storming of the Bastille and the Awakening of the People
We will visit the Place de la Bastille, the symbol of royal despotism. A historian will recount the events of July 14, 1789. In the afternoon, in the Les Halles district, we will discuss the role of the common people of Paris (the "sans-culottes") as the driving force of the Revolution.
- Day 3 Versailles: The Twilight of the Ancien Régime
Excursion to the Palace of Versailles. We will tour the lavish royal apartments and the Hall of Mirrors, contrasting the opulence of the court with the misery of the people. We will relive the "March on Versailles", when the women of Paris forced the royal family to return to the capital.
- Day 4 The Jacobin Clubs and Political Debate
Visit to the former Jacobin Convent, where the most influential political club met. Through a simulated debate, we will explore the factions of the Revolution (Jacobins, Girondins) and the radical ideas that led to the proclamation of the Republic.
- Day 5 The Trial and Execution of the King
We will follow the final steps of Louis XVI, from his imprisonment in the Temple Tower to his trial before the National Convention and his execution. An ethical debate will confront us with the question of regicide and the legitimacy of revolutionary justice.
- Day 6 The Reign of Terror and Virtue
We will explore the Conciergerie, the "antechamber of the guillotine" where Marie Antoinette and many others spent their final hours. A guided debate will confront us with the paradoxes of the Terror: was it a betrayal of the ideals of 1789 or a necessary evil to save the Republic?
- Day 7 Art and Propaganda in the Revolutionary Louvre
We will visit the Louvre Museum, transformed by the Revolution from a royal palace into a public museum. We will analyze how works by artists such as Jacques-Louis David ("The Death of Marat") became powerful propaganda tools for the new regime.
- Day 8 The Thermidorian Reaction and the End of Robespierre
We will follow the events that led to the fall of Robespierre. We will visit the Hôtel de Ville, where he took refuge before being arrested, and discuss the causes of the reaction that ended the Terror and ushered in a more conservative phase of the Revolution.
- Day 9 The Rise of Napoleon: Heir or Traitor?
A seminar will examine the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte as a direct product of the Revolution. Was he the one who consolidated its achievements or the one who betrayed its ideals of liberty by establishing a new empire? We will visit the church of Saint-Sulpice, where the Councils held a mass banquet in his honour three days before the Brumaire coup.
- Day 10 The Legacy of the Revolution and Farewell
Our journey ends at the Panthéon, where the heroes of the Republic rest. We will reflect on the lasting legacy of the Revolution: the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, the end of feudalism, and the birth of modern nationalism. Farewell lunch and transfer to the airport.