History of Peasant Revolts: The Social Origins of Rebellion in Early Modern France [Paperback]

Yves-Marie Berce (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Cornell Univ Pr; 1st Ed. edition (August 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801497752
• ISBN-13: 978-0801497759
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,770,086 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Thorough coverage of the subject, if a bit dense, June 27, 2000

By 

J. Hart (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: History of Peasant Revolts: The Social Origins of Rebellion in Early Modern France (Paperback)

Having never read Berce's full two-volume edition of this work (not knowing French is a bit of an impediment here), I can't comment on how this edition compares to the full work, except to say that I can't imagine how he could get much more exhaustive in his coverage. If there is any aspect of seventeenth-century peasant rebellion Berce left out, I can't imagine what it would be. This is an extremly well-researched work, and Berce takes essentially two major rebellions and uses them to reconstruct the character, motivations and repercussions of peasant revolts in general, casting them as what were basically reactionary movements of community solidarity.

The problem with this book is that it really bogs down into minute detail at times, and the argument could have been effectively made without so much. Berce continually repeats the same themes over and over. Much of this is, of course, because, as his argument holds, these were common themes of the revolts, but after a while it just becomes redundant.

This is not to take away from his scholarship in any way, though. I was a bit disappointed in the lack of any susbstantial bibliography, however, and VERY limited footnoting. There is no doubt to his research, it just would have been nice to be pointed toward some of it.

The translation is pretty readable. Since I don't read French, I don't know how much is Berce and how much is Whitmore, but either way, the book rarely bogs into scholarly impenetrability, which is nice in a sizeable work of history, that it's able to sustain some level of interest.

Anyway, aside from the pretty intense redundancy at times, this is a quality piece of historical research.