Two revolutions in two different countries. In one, the bloodthirsty inhabitants turned to a Reign of Terror to achieve their objectives. In the other, disenfranchised shopkeepers threw off their overlords to begin a new nation. The differences between the French and American Revolutions have always intrigued me, which is why I picked up this paperback. What the heck caused the Gallic disturbance to be so...disturbing?

This really is an excellent introduction to the reasons for the French Revolution, focusing on each affected group, from king to nobles to middle class to peasants. This is not an overview of the later Reign of Terror or the beginning of the Empire, so the focus is very strong and full of details.

Still, I wonder how the future of France would have turned if there had been stronger protagonists. Danton, Robespierre, Marat, Isnard? Or Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin?

Book Season = Winter (Paris is grey) ( )

Considered a standard work in its time (I was assigned it as a text when young) though now considered perhaps too pro-revolutionary ( )

Spännande analys som vacklar mellan historiematerialism och annaleskolan. Ifrågasätter de rationella aktörerna. Läsvärd!

LBB-5

History