Revolution and Reconstruction in Europe

How can BYU students become the peacemakers needed today: empathetic listeners, compassionate global citizens, Christ’s disciples committed to building bridges of cooperation? Join us in Paris to explore how political and rhetorical forces have created revolutions of war and peace in Europe—and how we can marshal these forces to “renounce war and proclaim peace” in our own contexts (D&C 98:16).

We’ll begin in Paris, tracking the ideological tensions that triggered the French Revolution across historic sites, including Versailles. We’ll analyze various monuments, museums (Louvre, d’Orsay), neighborhoods (Latin Quarter, Montmartre, Champs-Élysées), and government institutions (UNESCO, French Senate) to explore competing representations of French identity and culture shaped by nationalism, colonialism, immigration, decolonization, and globalization. We’ll explore cities and sites throughout France that memorialize world wars (Verdun, Normandy), model reconstruction (Council of Europe and European Parliament in Strasbourg), and reflect ongoing negotiation of cultural and ideological differences (Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations in Marseille). We’ll extend our inquiry into neighboring countries—Switzerland (the United Nations and the Red Cross in Geneva), Luxembourg (Luxembourg American Cemetery), and Belgium (war museums in Bastogne, Waterloo; NATO, the European Parliament, and Parlamentarium in Brussels)—observing contemporary transnational struggles to safeguard democratic governments, secure human rights, and promote peace.

This four-country study abroad offers transformative learning experiences that will help students develop dispositions of empathy and compassion along with tools to practice the art of reconciliation—in relationships, communities, and nations.

Click here to apply today!