
The French Revolution
A Very Short Introduction
William Doyle(Author)
Oxford University Press
2nd Edition
Published on 28. November 2019
Book
Paperback/Softback
176 pages
978-0-19-884007-7 (ISBN)
Description
The French Revolution is a time of history made familiar from Dickens, Baroness Orczy, and Tolstoy, as well as the legends of let them eat cake, and tricolours. Beginning in 1789, this period of extreme political and social unrest saw the end of the French monarchy, the death of an extraordinary number of people beneath the guillotine's blade during the Terror, and the rise of Napoleon, as well as far reaching consequences still with us today, such as the enduring ideology of human rights, and decimalization.
In this Very Short Introduction, William Doyle introduces the French old regime and considers how and why it collapsed. Retelling the unfolding events of the revolution, he analyses why the revolutionaries quarrelled with the king, the church and the rest of Europe, why this produced Terror, and finally how it accomplished rule by a general. Doyle also discusses how and why the revolution destroyed the age-old cultural, institutional, and social structures in France and beyond. In this new edition, Doyle includes new sections highlighting the main developments in the field since the first edition, before exploring the legacy of the revolution in the form of rationality in public affairs and responsible government.
ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
In this Very Short Introduction, William Doyle introduces the French old regime and considers how and why it collapsed. Retelling the unfolding events of the revolution, he analyses why the revolutionaries quarrelled with the king, the church and the rest of Europe, why this produced Terror, and finally how it accomplished rule by a general. Doyle also discusses how and why the revolution destroyed the age-old cultural, institutional, and social structures in France and beyond. In this new edition, Doyle includes new sections highlighting the main developments in the field since the first edition, before exploring the legacy of the revolution in the form of rationality in public affairs and responsible government.
ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
More details
Series
Edition
2nd Revised edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Edition type
Revised edition
Illustrations
11 black and white images
Dimensions
Height: 175 mm
Width: 111 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
132 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-884007-7 (9780198840077)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
12/2019
2nd Edition
OUP eBook
€5.49
Available for download

E-Book
12/2019
2nd Edition
OUP eBook
€5.49
Available for download
Previous edition

Book
08/2001
Oxford University Press
€9.89
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Person
William Doyle is Emeritus Professor of History and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bristol. His recent books include Aristocracy and its Enemies in the Age of Revolution (2009), Napoleon Bonaparte (2015), and France and the Age of Revolution: Regimes Old and New from Louis XIV to Napoleon Bonaparte (2017). He is the editor of The Oxford Handbook of the Ancien Regime (2011).
Author
Emeritus Professor of History and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bristol
Content
1: Echoes 2: Why it happened 3: How it happened 4: What it ended 5: What it started 6: Where it stands Timeline: Important dates of the French Revolution The Revolutionary CalendarFurther readingIndex