The French Revolution
The French Revolution began in 1789 and took the idea of modern democracy from the fledgling United States to Europe. A period of social, political, and economic upheaval, it has been the setting for many seminal works by major authors, including Charles Dickens and Victor Hugo. This Reading Set includes both fiction and nonfiction passages along with related reading comprehension questions.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, written in 1789, is the core document of the French Revolution, establishing the values and principles of the French democracy. It was influenced by the U.S. Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, including the Bill of Rights. In fact, key…
The French Revolution, whose roots began in 1787 and continued until 1799, marked the creation of the modern era. It is widely considered one of the seminal events in human history. The Revolution’s origin stemmed from a complex interaction of factors including: (1) the political aspirations of a growing class…
Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities is about two cities — London and Paris — during the French Revolution. This passage is about the time when the guillotine, a killing machine developed to efficiently behead people, was in steady use by the new government in France. ——————————— There was…
The novel The Scarlet Pimpernel is about the band of mysterious Englishmen who rescue French nobles from the guillotine during the French Revolution. The leader uses a red flower, know as a scarlet pimpernel, as his trademark. This passage is from the opening of the book. Bibot is a French…
Imprisoned for stealing bread at the end of the French Revolution, Valjean is released after 19 years. Although he has money he earned in prison, no inn will allow him to stay because he is a convict. He sleeps on the streets until he meets Bishop Myriel who kindly gives…
Charles Dickens wrote A Tale of Two Cities, which was published in 1859. The novel takes place in Paris and London before and during the French Revolution. Through the actions of the characters, Dickens compares the social and political situations of the two cities. Below are the opening paragraphs of…