The French Revolution and the People

The French Revolution of 1789 was the central event of modern history. For the first time a major nation fell prey to political and then social revolution, with civil war and the Reign of Terror following the execution of Louis XVI on 21 January 1793. Although the Revolution started with the resistance of a minority to the absolutist government, it soon spread to involve the whole nation, including the men and women who made up by far the largest part of it - the peasantry. It equally shook the lives of the craftsmen of the towns, the poor and those living on the margins of society. The French Revolution and the People is a portrait of the common people of France in the towns and in the countryside: in Paris and Lyon and provincial centres; and in the Vendee, Britanny, Provence and the other regions of France. Popular grievances and reactions affected the events and outcomes of the Revolution at all stages, and in turn everyone in France was affected by the Revolution. The French Revolution and the People is a vivid story of conflict, violence and death, but there were winners as well as losers and not all the suffering was in vain.