The French Revolution of 1789 was the central event of modern history. For the first time a major nation fell prey to political and then social revolution, with civil war and the Reign of Terror following the execution of Louis XVI on 21 January 1793. Although the Revolution started with the resistance of a minority to the absolutist government, it soon spread to involve the whole nation, including the men and women who made up by far the largest part of it - the peasantry. It equally shook the lives of the craftsmen of the towns, the poor and those living on the margins of society.