In Assassin's Creed Unity, which historical event is occurring in Paris during the main story?

In Assassin's Creed Unity, the French Revolution is occurring in Paris during the main story.

The game follows Arno Dorian, who becomes involved with the Assassin Brotherhood amid the political and social upheaval of late-eighteenth-century France. Its Paris setting includes crowds, revolutionary factions, famous landmarks, and events inspired by the period from 1789 onward. The story connects Arno's personal search for the truth with conflicts between Assassins and Templars.

The French Revolution is distinct from the Industrial Revolution, which forms the historical backdrop of Assassin's Creed Syndicate in Victorian London. The American Revolution is central to Assassin's Creed III, while the Russian Revolution appears in Assassin's Creed Chronicles: Russia. Unity uses the revolution as both historical context and a major source of missions, unrest, and changing control of Paris.