A dictatorship was imposed during the French Revolution.
French Revolution . The Revolution overthrew the monarchy , established a republic , experienced violent periods of political turmoil , and finally culminated in a dictatorship under Napoleon that rapidly brought many of its principles to Western Europe and beyond . The first year of the Revolution saw members of the Third Estate taking control , the assault on the Bastille in July , the passage of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen in August , and a women 's march on Versailles that forced the royal court back to Paris in October .