The French Revolution is the period of the history of France between the opening of the General estates in 1789 and the coup d'état of Napoleon Bonaparte (9-10 November 1799).

This was a crucial moment in the history of France, marking the end of the Ancien Regime, with the transition to a constitutional monarchy and the First Republic. It ended the monarchy and privilege, and gave the French people the Declaration of Human Rights, which proclaims the equality of citizens before the law, the fundamental freedoms and sovereignty of the nation, and to be able to govern themselves through elected representatives.

Several hundred thousand people died during the revolution, especially during the Terror (16,594 persons guillotined) and during the attempts to seize power, as the War of Vendée.