Reform and Revolution in France: The Politics of Transition, 1774-1791

by Peter M. Jones

Overview

This textbook has been written to guide teachers and students through the enormous and ever expanding literature on the French Revolution. The author combines social and political interpretations of the origins of the Revolution and offers a synthesis that takes full account of current debates. He also seeks to restore the Revolution to its domestic surroundings, and argues that the dramatic events of 1789 need to be considered alongside the reform achievements of Bourbon absolute monarchy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521453226
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	09/21/1995
Pages:	292
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.83(d)

Table of Contents

List of illustrations; Preface; Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1. Government; 2. Society; 3. Economy; 4. Reform and the reform constituency; 5. Towards 'a truly national representation', 1787–1789; 6. The National Assembly, 1789–1791; 7. The political culture of revolution; Conclusion; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"[Jones'] trenchant analysis of the governmental, social, and economic structure of pre-Revolutionary France is clear and nuanced...This brief summary cannot do justice to the persuasive arguments and rich detail which Jones's book offers. It deserves a place on the bookshelves of specialists and undergraduates alike." The Historian

"Reform and Revolution in France displays the best qualities of a textbook; it is carefully organized, crisply written and very up-to-date....This brief summary cannot do justice to the persuasive arguments and rich detail that Jones's book offers. It deserves a place on the bookshelves of specialists and undergraduates alike." James Friguglietti, The Historian

"Jones's work is commendable on many grounds: it synthesizes well so many complex cultural and religious strains in the early seventeenth century that form the character, vision, and ecclesiastical activity of this leader in the diocese of Milan. Borromeo, too is a significant personality for any student of the post-Tridentine era, for he not only knew nearly every major actor in his day and absorbed the intellectual and spiritual energies in his milieu, but he invested heavily his own resources in an institution that sought to promote many genres of art on a amjor scale and to make these public for the salvation of souls." Frederick J. McGinnes, The Catholic Historical Review

From the Publisher