The French Revolution was a period of political and societal change that began with the meeting of the Estates General in 1789 and ended with the Coup of 18 Brumaire on 9 November 1799. It followed financial crisis and widespread social distress.

In June 1789, representatives of the Third Estate broke away and formed a National Assembly. The storming of the Bastille in Paris on 14 July was followed by measures including the abolition of feudalism and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

Many ideas associated with the Revolution are considered fundamental principles of liberal democracy, and its values remain part of modern French political discourse. In coverage of recent school protests in France, a police union representative invoked the Revolution when discussing the country’s protest culture; that reference reflects his interpretation of its legacy.