Museums as we know them today are a recent phenomenon that reflects the democratization of culture in modern times. Although the history of the modern museum rightly begins in 1793 with the establishment of the Louvre Museum in Paris during the French Revolution, to make the royal collections and other confiscated items available for public viewing, museums in general were passive receptacles of collections that were in effect seen by only a privileged few. This changed considerably in the 20th century, and museums now play an active role in bringing their collections and exhibitions to the public.