Contesting the French Revolution

Contesting the French Revolution provides an insightful overview of one of history’s most significant events, as well as examining the most significant historiographical debates about this period. Explores the causes, events, and consequences of the French Revolution Offers a stimulating analysis of the most controversial debates: Were the events of 1789 a social revolution or a political accident? Did they mark the rise of industrial capitalism or the birth of modern democracy? Was Napoleon Bonaparte an heir to the ideals of 1789 or a betrayer of the Revolution? Shows how historical interpretation of the French Revolution has been influenced by the changing political and social currents of the last 200 years – from the Russian Revolution to the fall of the Berlin Wall – and how historical study has shifted from a political focus to social and cultural approaches in more recent years.

Acknowledgements viii Chronology x Introduction 1 1 Origins: Inevitable Revolution or Resolvable Crisis? 11 2 1789 35 3 The Declaration of Rights and the Abolition of Feudalism 51 4 Constitutional Monarchy 70 5 The Republic 87 6 Regeneration and Terror 108 7 Thermidor and the Directory 127 8 Napoleon: Heir to the Revolution? 143 9 Revolutionary Violence 159 10 Legacy of the Revolution 186 Bibliography 198 Index 220