Customer Reviews

The French Revolutionary Wars, 1787-1802 (Modern Wars)

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The wars between Revolutionary France and the other European states before the Peace of Amiens are sometimes neglected compared to the succeeding Napoleonic Wars. This book provides a good account of these wars and explains lucidly the connection between events in western and eastern Europe. The author also shows how the book both arose from domestic French politics and helped shape them. What I found particularly interesting was the sagacity of Robespierre - his comments about "No-one loves armed missionaries" and "You cannot export liberty at bayonet point" take on extra significance when one considers recent events in Iraq. The way in which wartime necessities were used to justify suppression of political and personal liberties also has an awful contemporary resonance. For anyone wanting a brief and readable account of these wars this is as far as I know the only one available. One complaint I would have is that the author could have used better maps, but this does not detract from what is an excellent account which all students of the period could benefit from reading.

This is an excellent book on the French revolution. I find myself using it often as a reference book. The chapter on the causes of the revolution, is very illuminating. I found the discussion of the Austrian and Prussian response to the revolution, and the reasons thereof, very well presented. Overall, a very good book.

Blanning writes clearly and you always get the feel he knows what he's saying. The book gives a complete outlook over the 1787-1802 period, touching all of the subjects and giving a clear picture of the French Revolutionary Wars.

However, for a person interested mainly in military History of the wars, as me, the book could be a little dissapointing because Blanning's aim is to give a summary, more or less a complete view, with its political, geographical, economical and also militar considerations, but the last not being the main center.

In a nutshell: A good one, specially because there is little bibliography on the subject. Don't hesitate to get it.