Board: WJEC | Unit: 4 (A2 Depth Study Part 2), Option 6
Unit 4 is the A2 continuation of the depth study begun in Unit 2. It covers France: Republic and Napoleon, c.1792–1815. See also: Unit 2 & 4, Option 6 for the full depth study overview, including Unit 2 content, historiography, and cross-board links.
About this unit
Unit 4 picks up from the radicalisation of the Revolution and takes the story through the Terror, Thermidor, the Directory, Napoleon’s rise, the Empire, and final defeat. It requires students to apply the analytical depth developed in Unit 2 to the Napoleonic period, assessing Napoleon’s relationship to the Revolution and the causes of French imperial overreach.
Key themes
- The Terror and the Committee of Public Safety, 1793–94
- Thermidor and the Directory: reaction, instability, and coup culture
- Napoleon’s rise: 18 Brumaire and the Consulate
- The First Empire: consolidation, the Civil Code, and the Napoleonic wars
- Overreach and defeat: the Russian campaign and the fall of Napoleon
- Napoleon’s legacy and the Congress of Vienna
What the exam asks
Unit 4 is an A2 depth study requiring analytical depth within the defined chronological range. Questions focus on causation, significance, and judgement about the Napoleonic period specifically. Strong answers engage with historiographical debate and sustain a precise argument. For full exam skills guidance and cross-board resources, see the Unit 2 & 4 overview page.
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