Living the French Revolution, 1789-1799

"What did it mean to live through the French Revolution? This is a new narrative account of the Revolution which probes the lived experience of revolutionary upheaval for the people of France's village and country towns. Peter McPhee draws on a vast range of material to listen to how working people understood, participated in or rejected the Revolution." "He contests the orthodox view of the Revolution as an urban upheaval of which the outcomes were political and ideological. For the working people of country towns, villages and farms, the Revolution had a dramatic impact on daily life: from family relationships and religious practice to the nature of social and economic structures and the environment. Above all, people would never understand themselves or their world in the same way." "The book will be of particular use to undergraduate students and their teachers because of its clear narrative style and illustrations."--BOOK JACKET.

PETER MCPHEE holds a Personal Chair in History at he University of Melbourne.

Introduction * Describing the Old Regime * Elation and Anxiety: the revolutionary year * Reimagining Space and Power, 1789-91 * Without Christ or King, 1791 * Deadly Divisions, 1791-92 * In the Fires of War, 1792-93 * The Experience of Terror, 1793-94 * Settling Scores: the Thermidorian Reaction, 1794-95 * A New Regime and its Discontents, 1795-99 * Conclusion: A Revolution for the People? Introduction * Describing the Old Regime * Elation and Anxiety: the revolutionary year * Reimagining Space and Power, 1789-91 * Without Christ or King, 1791 * Deadly Divisions, 1791-92 * In the Fires of War, 1792-93 * The Experience of Terror, 1793-94 * Settling Scores: the Thermidorian Reaction, 1794-95 * A New Regime and its Discontents, 1795-99 * Conclusion: A Revolution for the People?