Course info

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, a wave of revolutions swept the Atlantic world. They shook the empires that had controlled this area of the globe, launched bold new experiments in democratic politics, and challenged or overthrew existing political, social, cultural, religious, and racial hierarchies. They were also accompanied by considerable violence. This course examines this remarkable episode in world history. It concentrates on the American, French, and Haitian revolutions, and devotes significant attention to issues of gender, global context, and theories of revolution. It introduces students to some of the most important historical work on and primary texts of the period.