The French Revolution: A History
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Author Description
Thomas Carlyle's history of the French Revolution, originally published in 1837, opens with the death of Louis XV in 1774 and ends in 1795 when Bonaparte quelled the insurrection of the Vendemiaire. It covers the reign of Louis XVI, a period that included the assembly of the States General, the fall of the Bastille, the Constituent and Legislative Assemblies, the flight of the king to Varennes, the Convention, the trial and execution of the king and queen, the reign of terror and the fall of Robespierre. The study established Carlyle's reputation and contains portraits of Mirabeau, Lafayette, Danton and Robespierre. This edition reproduces the two-volume text of 1857 and includes a new chronology of events of the Revolution and a full index, as well as informative notes.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This work investigates the chaotic collapse of the French monarchy and the subsequent rise of revolutionary fervor as a moral and political inevitability. Thomas Carlyle, a prominent 19th-century historian and essayist, utilizes a dramatic, prose-heavy framework to analyze the socio-political disintegration of France. By focusing on the interplay between individual leaders and the collective will of the masses, he argues that the Revolution was a necessary, albeit violent, cleansing of a corrupt social order.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A detailed chronological account from the death of Louis XV in 1774 to the rise of Napoleon in 1795.
- Biographical portraits of key figures including Mirabeau, Lafayette, Danton, and Robespierre.
- Analysis of major events such as the fall of the Bastille and the Reign of Terror.
Scope Limits
- The text does not provide modern archaeological or economic data discovered after the mid-19th century.
- It focuses primarily on political and personality-driven narratives rather than systemic sociological data.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts recognize this text as a foundational, albeit highly stylized, piece of 19th-century historiography. Readers frequently note the dense, idiosyncratic prose style that prioritizes narrative intensity over objective academic detachment.
Page Count:
1072
Publication Date:
1989-09-14
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0192818430
ISBN-13:
9780192818430
Non-Fiction
History
European History
Classic Literature
French Revolution
