The French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

by William Doyle (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Doyle] writes on the French Revolution with more understanding, balance and clarity than any other historian, living or dead."--Tim Blanning, University of Cambridge


Product Description
Beginning with a discussion of familiar images of the French Revolution, garnered from Dickens, Baroness Orczy, and Tolstoy, as well as the legends of let them eat cake, and tricolours, Doyle leads the reader to the realization that we are still living with developments and consequences of the French Revolution such as decimalization, and the whole ideology of human rights. Continuing with a brief survey of the old regime and how it collapsed, Doyle continues to ellucidate how the revolution happened: why did the revolutionaries quarrel with the king, the church and the rest of Europe, why this produced Terror, and finally how it accomplished rule by a general. The revolution destroyed the age-old cultural, institutional and social structures in France and beyond. This book looks at how the ancien regime became ancien as well as examining cases in which achievement failed to match ambition. Doyle explores the legacy of the revolution in the form of rationality in public affairs and responsible government, and finishes his examination of the revolution with a discussion of why it has been so controversial.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (December 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192853961
• ISBN-13: 978-0192853967
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #51,283 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful introduction to a complex subject., November 25, 2002

By	F. Orion Pozo "Orion Pozo" (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The French Revolution is one of the most significant events in world history. So much has been written about it that it can be difficult to find a good place to start exploring the subject. Well, look no more. William Doyle has written a terrific introduction to the topic that is wonderful in its scope and yet concise. In this book he is more concerned with why the French Revolution mattered and has continued to matter, that with a retelling of what happened.

Rather than a strict chronological approach, the six chapters of this book give the reader six different perspectives on the same event. Each adds depth to our understanding of the event and its place in history.

Chapter one is called "Echoes" and it relates how this great upheaval was perceived by the rest of the world not only in the newspapers of the day but in fiction and drama. The Importance of Being Earnest, A Tale of Two Cities, and The Scarlet Pimpernel are discussed. The complete text of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizens is included in this chapter as well.

"Why It Happened" is the second chapter. Here the author discusses the causes of the Revolution. This is mainly a description of the Ancien Regime's government and society during the reign of Louis XVI.

The third chapter is called "How It Happened." In this chapter Doyle discusses the Revolution as a series of events that stretched over a number of years. He does an excellent job of showing how each event led to the next. The violent excesses of the guillotine are much more understandable in context.

"What It Ended" is the name of the fourth chapter and my personal favorite. It is here that we see the impact that the Revolution had, not only in France, but throughout the world. Before the Revolution there is a world of Divine Right, religious authority, slavery, peasants, and aristocracy. While this doesn't change overnight, the fact that the people can revolt and change the social order becomes established beyond a doubt. Once changed, society seems unwilling to go back and is changed forever.

The next to the last chapter is called "What It Started," and it deals with the effects the Revolution has had on the world. It also discusses the reaction to the Revolution and the dynamic tension of radical and conservative forces in modern history.

"Where It Stands" is the last chapter. This is devoted to the schools of academic thought on the Revolution. The "classic" interpretation of the Revolution and its critics are outlined with a brief history. The chapter ends with an outline of contemporary thinking about the Revolution.

The book ends with a Timeline, The Revolutionary Calendar, a list of Further Readings, and an Index. The Calendar of twelve 30-day months and five complimentary days that began on September 22, 1793 is especially interesting.

This is a great introduction into the events and meaning of the French Revolution. It will satisfy the reader who wants just one book on the topic as well as the beginning scholar who is looking for a place to start his or her research.

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinarily successful for what it sets out to do, November 18, 2001

By	Jay Dickson (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Many relatively recent books on the French Revolution, such as Simon Schama's excellent CITIZENS, seem to presuppose a basic knowledge of the highlights and terms of the Revolution itself (the Tennis Court Oath, the Jacobins, Thermidor, etc.) but also of its aftermath (Louis XVIII and Charles X, Napoleon;s Egypt campaign, etc.). Doyle's book presupposes almost nothing, and lays out for the common reader not only a very clear and concise of the Revolution itself but also the ancien regime that preceded, and the restorations, republics, and empires that succeeded it. Best of all, it makes interesting claims in its introduction and conclusion as to why the Revolution mattered to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as an intellectual and political event, and even (for good measure) a coherent account of the battles raging among the Annales schools of historians in France up to the present day. Fine work, and a great introduction.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brief though Comprehensive, March 18, 2005

By	C. Middleton (Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

For those interested in a brilliant overview of the French revolution, written concisely, combining narrative and competent analysis, including a comprehensive time line and a noteworthy bibliography, Doyle's A Very Short Introduction, is well worth your investment and time.

One of the more difficult writing tasks is to summarize an important and complicated historical event such as the French revolution, with any competence or erudition. Doyle's essay touches upon all aspects of the revolution's origins of development, including major personages, ideologies and significant events that contributed to its beginnings, processes and the revolution's present legacy in terms of its significant influence on society to present time.

In the first chapter, Echoes, Doyle proposes that one cannot look at France or visit the country without seeing some aspect of the revolution. The Eiffel Tower, for instance, was the centrepiece of the great exhibition that marked the first centenary in 1889. He continues,

"Nobody who lived in France, or visited it, could avoid these echoes, or echoes of Napoleon, who had marched under the tricolour, had tamed and harnessed the energies unleashed by the revolution, and whose nephew Napoleon III had ruled for 22 years before the Third Republic was established. (P.2)

Doyle tackles this project in six comprehensive chapters. "Echoes" - the influence of the revolution that can be seen in all aspects of society, socially and politically; "Why it Happened" - the wide and varied reasons as to why the revolution occurred; "How it Happened" - events such as the Reign of Terror, and the establishment of a National Sovereignty, the many reforms, civil war and the wars abroad, ending with the rise and influence of Napoleon the First; "What it Ended" - the Monarchy, the fall of the Nobility and the Church; "What it Started" - a democratic system, an assertion of National Sovereignty...."not kings, not hereditary elites, not churches were the supreme source of authority in human affairs." (P.81) And lastly, "Where it Stands" - how we view the revolution in present time, i.e., the classic interpretation, the revisionist and post revisionist interpretations, and its significance today.

If one were starting a comprehensive study of the French revolution, this comprehensive essay, a little over one hundred pages, would be an advisable place to begin. The literature on this subject is enormous, thus Doyle gives us a list of further reading from General Surveys, Origins, Interpretations to People and Legacies.

This little book is highly recommended for the student, amateur historian or the simply curious.