French Society in Revolution, 1789-99

French Society in Revolutionaims to retrieve the social history of the French Revolution from unjustified neglect. The book examines both the structural and cultural elements behind the breakdown of the eighteenth-century monarchic state and its aristocratic social system. Engaging with the latest historical research, it presents a picture of the tensions evolving in this system, and tracks elements of conflict throughout the revolutionary decade. The Revolution is firmly acknowledged as failing, within its own time, to fulfill its goals, but ultimately it is seen as having long-term benefits for the French population and for European society.

David Andress is Lecturer in Modern European History at the University of Plymouth.