Time and the French Revolution
Subtitle: the Republican calendar, 1789-year XIV
By: Matthew Shaw
Series: Studies in history. New series; Royal Historical Society studies in history
Publisher: Royal Historical Society/Boydell Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Woodbridge, UK; Rochester, NY
Language: eng
Number of pages: 189
ISBN-13: 9780861933112
Subjects: Intellectual life; Republican Calendar; Time measurements; History
Description: "The French Republican Calendar was perhaps the boldest of all the reforms undertaken in Revolutionary France. Introduced in 1793 and used until 1806, the Calendar not only reformed the weeks and months of the year, but decimalised the hours of the day and dated the year from the beginning of the French Republic. This book not only provides a history of the calendar, but places it in the context of eighteenth-century time-consciousness, arguing that the French were adept at working within several systems of time-keeping, whether that of the Church, civil society, or the rhythms of the seasons. Developments in time-keeping technology and changes in working patterns challenged early-modern temporalities, and the new calendar can also be viewed as a step on the path toward a more modern conception of time. In this context, the creation of the calendar is viewed not just as an aspect of the broader republican programme of social, political and cultural reform, but as a reflection of a broader interest in time and the culmination of several generations' concern with how society should be policed."--Publisher's description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 167-182) and index.
Table of contents: title: Writing the History of the Republican Calendar; title: Time and History; title: The French Republican Calendar, 1793-1806 : a Narrative Account; title: Cultivating the Calendar : the Calendar and Republican Culture in the Year II; title: The Clash with Religion; title: Work and Rest; title: Republican Hours; title: Conclusion : the Legacy of the Republican Calendar; title: Appendix 1 : Timeline of Key Events, 1788-1806; title: Appendix 2 : The Republican Calendar: a Glossary; title: Appendix 3 : Names of the Days of the Republican Year; title: Appendix 4 : Concordance for the Gregorian and Republican Calendars.