French Revolution: Meaning and Definition of

French' Revolu'tion

Pronunciation: [key]
— Fr. Hist. Fr. Hist.
  1. the revolution that began in 1789, overthrew the absolute monarchy of the Bourbons and the system of aristocratic privileges, and ended with Napoleon's overthrow of the Directory and seizure of power in 1799.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.