Revolutionary France 1770-1880
Historians of modern France know that the 19th century unfolded like a slowmotion replay of the great revolution of 1789. What is unique and original about this political history is that it places the revolutions of 1789, 1830, 1848, and 1871 within one overarching democratic tradition. Furet (history, Univ. of Chicago, and director of studies at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris), a noted scholar of the period, theorizes that only the victory of republicans over monarchists in 1876-77 solidified and achieved the ideals first envisioned in 1789 of civic equality and political liberty. His interpretation challenges the traditional view that the Napoleonic years "closed" the revolutionary era. This sweeping yet richly detailed narrative history of French democracy during the 19th century should interest students of French history as well as cultural and political historians.- Marie Marmo Mullaney, Caldwell Coll., N.J.Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.