The French Revolution and Empire: The Quest for a Civic Order [Paperback]

Donald M. G. Sutherland (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0631233636 | ISBN-13: 978-0631233633 | Publication Date: January 20, 2003 | Edition: 1

This book provides students and general readers with an introduction to revolutionary France whilst also presenting a clear argument to explain the events of the period.

• Provides students and general readers with an introduction to revolutionary France .
  
• Also presents a clear argument to explain the events of the period.
  
• Argues that the French Revolution encountered resistance from the poor as well as the privileged.
  
• Includes substantial discussion of society and government under Napoleon.
  
• Contextualizing material in each chapter aids students new to the topic.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

This book provides students and general readers with a history of France during the Revolution and Empire. It includes a narrative of events from the fall of the Bastille to the defeat of Napoleon, and a compelling analysis of why the revolution occurred. The book explains how the French Revolution encountered opposition not only from the privileged but also from the common people. It examines and analyzes various forms of resistance that arose when it became apparent that the hopes of 1789 could not be realized. The Terror of 1793-4 aimed to annihilate this resistance and remake human nature, but its violence and financial policies crippled successor governments and liberal institutions. Amidst a new round of war and domestic subversion, Napoleon eventually restored order but at the expense of many of the ideals of 1789.

From the Back Cover

This book provides students and general readers with a history of France during the Revolution and Empire. It includes a narrative of events from the fall of the Bastille to the defeat of Napoleon, and a compelling analysis of why the revolution occurred.

The book explains how the French Revolution encountered opposition not only from the privileged but also from the common people. It examines and analyzes various forms of resistance that arose when it became apparent that the hopes of 1789 could not be realized. The Terror of 1793–4 aimed to annihilate this resistance and remake human nature, but its violence and financial policies crippled successor governments and liberal institutions.

Amidst a new round of war and domestic subversion, Napoleon eventually restored order but at the expense of many of the ideals of 1789.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (January 20, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0631233636
• ISBN-13: 978-0631233633
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #558,327 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well researched and factual, July 21, 2007

By 

Code Rite "TruthSetFree" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The French Revolution and Empire: The Quest for a Civic Order (Paperback)

Hadn't plan to review this title, but couldn't allow previous review to go without another opinion. While Sutherland does take the historiography of some French Revolution historians to task, he does so under the premise that "you can not ignore the facts." He does present facts, well-researched facts. He looks not only at Paris, but throughout France.

His presentation assumes the reader already knows the basic facts of the Revolution, which as a new student, was somewhat problematic to me. I remember reading several pages of explanation leading up to one of the Parisian journees, then Sutherland provided a sentence to summarize what actually happened. So I Googled the event and filled in the details for myself. In spite of this, I give Sutherland high grades for research, objectivity, and looking at the French nation as a whole. His analysis of events and attribution of their causes is very compelling.

5.0 out of 5 stars A great companion to Donald Sutherland's The Modern Scholar Series course., September 19, 2010

By 

Lan Huang "iTguy2128100990" (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The French Revolution and Empire: The Quest for a Civic Order (Paperback)

I consider this my 'textbook' for the audio lecture series produced by The Modern Scholar.

5 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars biased, arguementative, poorly presented, April 9, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The French Revolution and Empire: The Quest for a Civic Order (Paperback)

Sutherland's work, The French Revolution and Empire needs no further inspection beyond its front cover. The book presents standard information about the revolution, nothing in too much detail, skimming over broad spanses of time in a few pages. He is obsessed with trashing the reputation of Francois Furet, another historical researcher. There are numerous passages where he disagrees with Furet's opinions, and instead of just saying "such and such is my opinion," it is a biting indictment of Furet's views.
There are better histories of the French Revolution than this. Histories that focus on the facts of revolution, not speculation and bias to put forth the author's views that he should be an authority on the French Revolution.