The Coming of the French Revolution

by Georges Lefebvre, R. R. Palmer (Translator), R. R. Palmer (Preface by), Timothy Tackett (Introduction)

Overview

The classic book that restored the voices of ordinary people to our understanding of the French Revolution

The Coming of the French Revolution remains essential reading for anyone interested in the origins of this great turning point in the formation of the modern world. First published in 1939 on the eve of the Second World War and suppressed by the Vichy government, this classic work explains what happened in France in 1789, the first year of the French Revolution. Georges Lefebvre wrote history “from below”—a Marxist approach—and in this book he places the peasantry at the center of his analysis, emphasizing the class struggles in France and the significant role they played in the coming of the revolution.

Eloquently translated by the historian R. R. Palmer and featuring an introduction by Timothy Tackett that provides a concise intellectual biography of Lefebvre and a critical appraisal of the book, this Princeton Classics edition offers perennial insights into democracy, dictatorship, and insurrection.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691206936
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	12/31/2019
Series:	Princeton Classics , #19
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	280
Sales rank:	907,537
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Georges Lefebvre (1874–1959) was one of the most important twentieth-century historians of the French Revolution. His books include The Great Fear of 1789: Rural Panic in Revolutionary France (Princeton). R. R. Palmer (1909–2002) was professor emeritus of history at Yale University and a guest scholar at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Timothy Tackett is professor emeritus of history at the University of California, Irvine.

Table of Contents

Introduction by Timothy Tackett vii
Note to the Princeton Classic Edition xxxi
From the Translator’s 1988 Preface xxxiii
Prologue 1

PART I: THE ARISTOCRATIC REVOLUTION

Chapter 1: The Aristocracy 7
Chapter 2: The Crisis of the Monarchy 21

PART II: THE BOURGEOIS REVOLUTION

Chapter 3: The Bourgeoisie 39
Chapter 4: The First Victory of the Bourgeoisie 49
Chapter 5: The Estates-General 73

PART III: THE POPULAR REVOLUTION

Chapter 6: The Mobilization of the Masses 93
Chapter 7: The Paris Revolution of July 14 108
Chapter 8: The Municipal Revolutions in the Provinces 121

PART IV: THE PEASANT REVOLUTION

Chapter 9: The Peasantry 129
Chapter 10: The Agrarian Revolts and the Great Fear 142

PART V: THE RIGHTS OF MAN AND CITIZEN

Chapter 11: The Problem of the Privileges 153
Chapter 12: The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen 167

PART VI: THE OCTOBER DAYS

Chapter 13: The Revolutionary Solution in the Balance 183
Chapter 14: The Popular Agitation 190
Chapter 15: The October Days: Confirmation by Violence 196

Conclusion 207
Appendix I: Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen 219
Appendix II: Other Books by Georges Lefebvre 223
Index 225

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Simply the best introduction to the study of the French Revolution available anywhere.”—The Nation

“A pleasure to read. . . . Lefebvre sets forth clearly the many causes of that insurrection and explains the influences exerted by the various classes and factions—the nobles and the clergy, on the one side, and the bourgeoisie and the peasantry on the other.”—The New Yorker

“Much more than a history of 1789. . . . [A] synthesis, conveying a philosophy of the Revolution as a whole, such as could be written only by a seasoned scholar.”—American Historical Review

Editorial Reviews

**** A reprint of the Princeton edition of 1947 (an earlier reprint of which--Vintage Books, 1957--is endorsed by BCL3) with a new preface by the translator. Lefebvre was one of the great interpreters of the French Revolution, and thus has a place among the great historians. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"Much more than a history of 1789. . . . A synthesis, conveying a philosophy of the Revolution as a whole, such as could be written only by a seasoned scholar. . . . The smooth, careful translation preserves the literary merit of the French prose."

American Historical Review

"Simply the best introduction to the study of the French Revolution available anywhere."

Nation

"A pleasure to read. . . . Lefebvre sets forth clearly the many causes of that insurrection and explains the influences exerted by the various classes and factions—the nobles and the clergy, on the one side, and the bourgeoisie and the peasantry on the other."

New Yorker

"Simply the best introduction to the study of the French Revolution available anywhere."

Nation Daryl

"A pleasure to read. . . . Lefebvre sets forth clearly the many causes of that insurrection and explains the influences exerted by the various classes and factions—the nobles and the clergy, on the one side, and the bourgeoisie and the peasantry on the other."

New Yorker

"A pleasure to read. . . . Lefebvre sets forth clearly the many causes of that insurrection and explains the influences exerted by the various classes and factions—the nobles and the clergy, on the one side, and the bourgeoisie and the peasantry on the other."—New Yorker

"Much more than a history of 1789. . . . [A] synthesis, conveying a philosophy of the Revolution as a whole, such as could be written only by a seasoned scholar."—American Historical Review

From the Publisher