The French Revolution and Historical Materialism: Selected Essays

by Henry Heller

Overview

In this stirring and persuasive defense of the classical Marxist view of the French Revolution as a bourgeois and capitalist revolution, Henry Heller lays to rest the stylish revisionism on the subject that still dominates in academic circles. Based mainly on articles published in the journal Historical Materialism, Heller that the rise of a bourgeois capitalist class in France stretches back to the sixteenth century, and that the Revolution itself played a large role in strengthening this nascent class politically and economically.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608469956
Publisher:	Haymarket Books
Publication date:	10/30/2018
Series:	Historical Materialism , #140
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	268
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Henry Heller is Professor of History at the University of Manitoba. He is the author of The Bourgeois Revolution in France 1789-1815 (Berghahn Books, 2006) and The Capitalist University: The Transformation of Higher Education in the United States: 1945-2016 (Pluto Press, 2016).

Table of Contents

Preface
Chapter 1 Introduction: French Revolution and Historical Materialism
Chapter 2 Jaurès
Chapter 3 Review of Paysans et seigneurs en Europe: une histoire comparée, XVIe–XIXe siècle, Guy Lemarchand, Rennes: Presses Universityaires de Rennes, 2011
Chapter 4 The Longue Durée of the French Bourgeoisie
Chapter 5 Response to Henry Heller’s ‘The Longue Durée of the French Bourgeoisie’
by William Beik
Chapter 6 Henry Heller and the ‘Longue Durée of the French Bourgeoisie’
by David Parker
Chapter 7 Response to William Beik and David Parker
Chapter 8 French Absolutism and Agricultural Capitalism: A Comment on Henry Heller’s Essays
by Stephen Miller
Chapter 9 Stephen Miller on Capitalism and the Old Regime: A Response
Chapter 10 Marx, the French Revolution, and the Spectre of the Bourgeoisie
Chapter 11 Review of Jeff Horn, The Path Not Taken: French Industrialization in the Age of Revolution, 1750–1830
Chapter 12 Bankers, Finance Capital And The French Revolutionary Terror, 1791–4
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

"The French Revolution, a collection of articles and (review) essays previously published in Historical Materialism, is a must read. In it, Heller sets out to challenge the revisionist history associated with this historical event... [The book] gives credence to the usefulness of historical materialism, and in a significant way settles the score, to date, between liberal and radical interpretations. In this reviewer's opinion The French Revolution has set the standard for Marxist interpretations for years to come. For this reason alone, it should be read." - Jean-Pierre Reed, Southern Illinois University in: Marx & Philosophy Review of Books [Full review]

From the Publisher