The Coming of the French Revolution, Bicentennial Edition

This classic work details what happened in France during the year 1789, the first year of the French Revolution. Lefebvre's signature contribution was writing history "from below" -- a Marxist approach -- and his particular specialty was the French Revolution as viewed from the experiences of the peasantry. Placing the "common people" at the center of his analysis, Lefebvre emphasized the class struggles within France and the significant role they played in the coming of the Revolution. First published in 1939 for the sesquicentennial of the Revolution, the book was suppressed by the Vichy government as a piece of revolutionary literature after the outbreak of the Second World War and the subsequent collapse of the Third Republic. R.R. Palmer, a distinguished historian of the French Revolution, translated the book into English in 1947. Although recent historians have reinterpreted the Revolution and disputed Lefebvre's conclusions, 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.

This classic work details what happened in France during the year 1789, the first year of the French Revolution. First published in 1939 for the sesquicentennial of the Revolution, the book was suppressed by the Vichy government after the outbreak of the Second World War and the subsequent collapse of the Third Republic. Since most copies of the original French edition were destroyed, the work remained virtually unknown until Princeton University Press published R. R. Palmer's English translation in 1947. This new edition includes an introduction by Timothy Tackett that provides a short intellectual biography of Georges Lefebvre and a critical appraisal of the book after the research and reassessment of three generations of historians.

In 1939, in observation of the 150th anniversary of the French Revolution, and on the eve of the Second World War, the great French historian Georges Lefebvre published this classic study of the beginnings of the French Revolution, from the summer of 1788 to October 1789. Lefebvre's signature contribution was writing history "from below"—a Marxist approach—and his particular specialty was the French Revolution as viewed from the experiences of the peasantry. Placing the "common people" at the center of his analysis, Lefebvre emphasized the class struggles within France and the significant role they played in the coming of the Revolution. With the beginning of World War II and the rise of the Vichy government in France, however, Lefebvre's book was suppressed and burned as a piece of blasphemous and revolutionary literature.

R. R. Palmer, himself a distinguished historian of the French Revolution, translated the book intoEnglish, earning it widespread readership and recognition in the Anglo-American world. Although recent historians have reinterpreted the Revolution and disputed Lefebvre's conclusions, 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. More important, as Palmer pointed out, studying the origins of the French Revolution broadens contemporary understanding of democracy, dictatorship, and revolution.

The author disclaims any other intention than that of reconstructing the main outlines of the four acts into which he arranges the revolutionary happenings from roughly the summer of 1788 to October, 1789. These developments he calls the aristocratic, the bourgeois, the popular and the peasant revolutions. Moments of deepest dramatic intensity -- the storming of the Bastille, the unbelievable and mad night of August 4 which made a holocaust (at least on paper) of the Old Regime, the contagious sweep of the Great Fear, and the turbulent march of Paris on Versailles early in October -- all fall within that year of crisis. Brilliantly as Lefebvre treats them and the actors, he actually does far more than present them with sympathy, lucidity and understanding. For each one of these major phases is also placed in its historical setting. - Leo Gershoy, New York Herald Tribune, on back cover "This classic work details what happened in France during the year 1789, the first year of the French Revolution. First published in 1939 for the sesquicentennial of the Revolution, the book was suppressed by the Vichy government after the outbreak of the Second World War and the subsequent collapse of the Third Republic. Since most copies of the original French edition were destroyed, the work remained virtually unknown until Princeton University Press published R. R. Palmer's English translation in 1947. Subsequent editions were issued in 1967 and 1989. This new edition includes an introduction by Timothy Tackett that provides a short intellectual biography of Georges Lefebvre and a critical appraisal of the book after the research and reassessment of three generations of historians."--BOOK JACKET. Preface Contents Introduction I. The Aristocratic Revolution 1. The Aristocracy 2. The Crisis of the Monarchy II. The Bourgeois Revolution 3. The Bourgeoisie 4. The First Victory of the Bourgeoisie 5. The Estates-General III. The Popular Revolution 6. The Mobilization of the Masses 7. The Paris Revolution of July 14 8. The Municipal Revolutions in the Provinces IV. The Peasant Revolution 9. The Peasantry 10. The Agrarian Revolts and the Great Fear V. The Rights of Man and Citizen 11. The Problem of the Privileges 12. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen VI. The October Days 13. The Revolutionary Solution in the Balance 14. The Popular Agitation 15. The October Days: Confirmation by Violence Conclusion Appendix: Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen Index