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Course 5 of 9 · 1700s to 1820s

The Age of Revolutions

Ideas that overturned kings

How new ideas overturned kings and colonies. The Enlightenment, the American and French revolutions and the others they inspired, the rise and fall of Napoleon and the independence of Latin America.

5 modules · 33 lessons · a certificate of completion

See Inside the Course
The cover of The Age of Revolutions, with Mylo in costume

The period

1700s to 1820s, in a few lines

In the eighteenth century, thinkers began to argue that power belongs to people, not to kings. Within a few decades those arguments were being fought over in the streets and on the battlefield.

From the American colonies to Paris, from Napoleon's Europe to the independence of Latin America, this course follows the revolutions that redrew the political map.

Moments that shaped it

Key events and turning points

  1. 1776

    The Declaration of Independence

    Thirteen British colonies announce that they are no longer ruled from London.

  2. 1787

    The United States Constitution

    Delegates in Philadelphia write the framework of a new republic.

  3. 14 July 1789

    The Bastille falls

    A Paris crowd storms the royal fortress, and the French Revolution begins.

  4. 1799

    Napoleon takes power

    A general seizes control of France and goes on to conquer much of Europe.

  5. 1815

    Waterloo and the Congress of Vienna

    Napoleon is defeated for good, and the powers of Europe redraw the map.

  6. 1810s to 1820s

    Latin America breaks free

    Leaders such as Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin lead colonies to independence from Spain.

What you will discover

What the course covers

Between 1750 and 1830, new ideas overturned kings, empires and old orders. This course follows the revolutions that created the modern political world.

  • 1Meet Locke, Voltaire and Rousseau and the Enlightenment ideas about reason, rights and freedom.
  • 2Follow the American colonists from the Boston Tea Party to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
  • 3Live through the French Revolution, from the fall of the Bastille to the Terror and the end of the monarchy.
  • 4Watch Napoleon rise, conquer much of Europe and fall at Waterloo and see how the Congress of Vienna redrew the map.
  • 5See how revolutions spread to Latin America and beyond, as Bolivar and San Martin lead colonies to independence.

Who it is for

  • Readers curious about where democracy, constitutions and human rights come from.
  • Students who want a clear story linking the Enlightenment to the revolutions that followed.
  • Anyone who has heard of the Bastille, Napoleon or Bolivar and wants to know what really happened.

Why it matters

  • Ideas like popular sovereignty, equality before the law and written constitutions were tested for the first time in these revolutions.
  • Almost every modern country was shaped by these events, directly or by reaction against them.
  • The French Revolution shows how a movement for freedom can turn violent, a pattern that returns in later history.
  • The Napoleonic era set up the borders and rivalries that shaped Europe for the next hundred years.

No prior knowledge needed. A curiosity about how ideas change the world is all you need.

Inside the course

5 modules and 33 lessons

This is the course exactly as it is in the app, module by module.

1The Enlightenment6 lessons
  1. The Scientific Revolution
  2. Locke and Natural Rights
  3. Voltaire and Free Thought
  4. Rousseau and the Social Contract
  5. Enlightened Monarchs and Salons
  6. Let's Review
2The American Revolution6 lessons
  1. Britain and Its Colonies
  2. Taxes and the Boston Tea Party
  3. The Declaration of Independence
  4. The War for Independence
  5. Writing the Constitution
  6. Let's Review
3The French Revolution7 lessons
  1. France's Old Order
  2. The Storming of the Bastille
  3. The Declaration of the Rights of Man
  4. The End of the Monarchy
  5. The Terror
  6. The Revolution's Legacy
  7. Let's Review
4Napoleon and the Reshaping of Europe7 lessons
  1. Napoleon Rises to Power
  2. The Napoleonic Code and Reforms
  3. Napoleon's Wars Across Europe
  4. The Disaster in Russia
  5. Waterloo
  6. The Congress of Vienna
  7. Let's Review
5Revolutions Spread: Latin America and Beyond7 lessons
  1. The Haitian Revolution
  2. Colonial Society in Latin America
  3. Simón Bolívar
  4. San Martín and Southern Independence
  5. Brazil's Path to Independence
  6. Revolutionary Ideas Cross the Atlantic
  7. Let's Review

Certificate

A certificate when you finish

Finish every module of The Age of Revolutions and you can issue its certificate of completion in the app, as a PDF with your name to keep and to share. Certificates are part of the Premium plan.

Chronos

Certificate of Completion

This certifies that

Alex Morgan

has completed the course

The Age of Revolutions

World history learning
An example certificate with a made-up name
Before thisExploration and Empiresc. 1400 to 1700Next in timeThe Industrial Agec. 1760 to 1914

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