2.3 | A nation regenerated: building a common heritage

In addition to managing the national emergency, the Republic was implementing a plan to regenerate France. Between the metric system, the revolutionary calendar, education and much more, daily life was being transformed by numerous reforms.

Before the Revolution, the French used over 800 different types of measurement. In 1793, a new set of units, defined according to the length of the Earth’s meridian and based on the decimal system, was made compulsory: citizens had until 1 July 1794 to become familiar with the metre and the kilogram, using standards sent to each municipality. A few months later, it was decided that the hours of the day would now have to be counted in tens. The aim was to create everyday frames of reference that would be shared by every single citizen. Other levers used in building the new nation included public education and the opening of schools, training centres, museums, libraries, etc.