HISTORY OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

First published by Oxford University Press in 1926, this paperback 2017 edition is a welcome reprint. The aim of the book is to give some idea of the French Revolution to the general reader who is not an historical student. The narrative is based on many years' study of contemporary documents such as the 40 volumes of Buchez and Roux's Histoire Parlementaire, containing much that is inaccessible elsewhere, and great books on the history of Paris during the Revolution, plus letters and memoirs and de Tocqueville's L'Ancien Regime et la Révolution. The 12 chapters begin with The Calling of the States-General 1787-1789, The Struggle with the King, The Rule of the Constituent Assembly, The King and the Constitution, The War 30th September 1791 to 3rd July 1792, The Struggle Between the Gironde and the Mountain, The Reign of Terror I, II and III, Famine and Vengeance and The End of the Convention. When picturing the infamous French Revolution most of us think of the guillotine, mass execution and terror. E. D. Bradby shows us the other side - the grand ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity. His portrayal of figures like Robespierre, who had come to be viewed as a butcher but who started out as a patriot, are fair and full of nuance. Likewise King Louis and Marie Antoinette are written not as innocent victims nor as cruel tyrants but as flawed people making difficult choices. A revelation for any reader, the history focuses on the potential for friend to turn against friend and Bradby shows us the legacy of the French Revolution and its lasting impact on modern society. 512pp, paperback.