A Critical Dictionary Of The French Revolution

The French Revolution--that extraordinary event that founded modern democracy--continues to provoke a reevaluation of essential questions. This volume presents the research of a wide range of international scholars into those questions. 58 color illustrations, 10 halftones.

The French Revolution remains the most examined event, or period, in world history. It was, most historians would argue, the first “modern” revolution, an event so momentous that it changed the very meaning of the word revolution, from “restoration,” as in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in England, to its modern sense of connoting a political and/or social upheaval that marks a decisive break with the past, one that moves a society in a forward, or progressive, direction. No revolution has occurred since 1789 without making reference to this first revolution, and most have been measured against it. One cannot utter the date 1789 without thinking of revolution, and so significant were the changes unleashed in that year that it has come to mark the dividing line between early modern and late modern European history Kings This second edition of Historical Dictionary of the French Revolution covers its history through a chronology, an introductory essay, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 400 cross-referenced entries on the causes and origins; the roles of significant persons; crucial events and turning points; important institutions and organizations; and the economic, social, and intellectual factors involved in the event that gave birth to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about this period.

Winner of the 2022 London Hellenic Prize On the bicentennial of the Greek Revolution, an essential guide to the momentous war for independence of the Greeks from the Ottoman Empire. The Greek war for independence (1821–1830) often goes missing from discussion of the Age of Revolutions. Yet the rebellion against Ottoman rule was enormously influential in its time, and its resonances are felt across modern history. The Greeks inspired others to throw off the oppression that developed in the backlash to the French Revolution. And Europeans in general were hardly blind to the sight of Christian subjects toppling Muslim rulers. In this collection of essays, Paschalis Kitromilides and Constantinos Tsoukalas bring together scholars writing on the many facets of the Greek Revolution and placing it squarely within the revolutionary age. An impressive roster of contributors traces the revolution as it unfolded and analyzes its regional and transnational repercussions, including the Romanian and Serbian revolts that spread the spirit of the Greek uprising through the Balkans. The essays also elucidate religious and cultural dimensions of Greek nationalism, including the power of the Orthodox church. One essay looks at the triumph of the idea of a Greek “homeland,” which bound the Greek diaspora—and its financial contributions—to the revolutionary cause. Another essay examines the Ottoman response, involving a series of reforms to the imperial military and allegiance system. Noted scholars cover major figures of the revolution; events as they were interpreted in the press, art, literature, and music; and the impact of intellectual movements such as philhellenism and the Enlightenment. Authoritative and accessible, The Greek Revolution confirms the profound political significance and long-lasting cultural legacies of a pivotal event in world history.

The French Revolution was a huge, brutal yet inspiring phenomenon that changed global political thinking and action, and its echoes resound even in the twenty-first century. It was an intensely complex mix of events, concepts and individuals and 'The New Dictionary' is an invaluable aid to unravelling its complications, and an essential companion for students and general readers alike. There are over 400 entries covering the main events, personalities, parties, ideologies, political ideas, philosophers, writers, artists, rebellions and wars, as well as touching on colonial and international developments, the interaction of church and state, science, law reform, events in the provinces and overseas territories and the reverberations in other European states. The Dictionary provides a full and vibrant history from the outbreak of revolution in 1789 to the Terror, the Revolutionary state, its wars and the rise of Napoleon. Entries contain much more than just bare factual information: they provide a detailed commentary and include suggestions for further reading - both in print and online - which reference the extensive literature of over 200 years of scholarship and the latest historiography. Cross-referencing is extensive and the index provides reference to minor but important subjects contained in main entries.

"The French Revolution was a huge, brutal yet inspiring phenomenon that changed global political thinking and action, and its echoes resound even in the twenty-first century. It was an intensely complex mix of events, concepts and individuals and 'The New Dictionary' is an invaluable aid to unravelling its complications, and an essential companion for students and general readers alike. There are over 400 entries covering the main events, personalities, parties, ideologies, political ideas, philosophers, writers, artists, rebellions and wars, as well as touching on colonial and international developments, the interaction of church and state, science, law reform, events in the provinces and overseas territories and the reverberations in other European states. The Dictionary provides a full and vibrant history from the outbreak of revolution in 1789 to the Terror, the Revolutionary state, its wars and the rise of Napoleon. Entries contain much more than just bare factual information: they provide a detailed commentary and include suggestions for further reading - both in print and online - which reference the extensive literature of over 200 years of scholarship and the latest historiography. Cross-referencing is extensive and the index provides reference to minor but important subjects contained in main entries."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

This translation presents a selection from Hippolyte Taine's 1877 history of the causes, events, and consequences of the French Revolution. The introduction (by Mona Ozouf) is reprinted from A Critical Dictionary of the French Revolution (Harvard U. Press, 1989). The translation conveys well Taine's highly descriptive and philosophical style: he believed that history could be studied scientifically and that people acted according to set principles. This set will be of use to historiographers and those interested in an epic period of history. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The decade between 1789 and 1799 bore witness to a complex succession of rapid-fire and cataclysmic events. These events and the people involved in them changed not only the entire course of French history, but had enormous impact on the modern world. Despite the influence of the revolutionary decade in France and the enduring interest in it, scholars and students have had no single cohesive and easily accessible source of basic fact, interpretation, and related reading. In the Historical Dictionary of the French Revolution, 1789-1799, Samuel F. Scott and Barry Rothaus gather together, for the first time in English, a vast amount of historical information through interpretive analyses covering the major events and personalities connected with the French Revolutionary period. Ninety-six historians of the French Revolution, many of international renown, have contributed over five hundred essays to this comprehensive handbook. No important element of the history is omitted; every major event, individual, constitutional development, political organization, committee, institution, and cultural aspect of the French Revolutionary decade is examined and analyzed. A bibliography immediately following each article places the most germane sources at the fingertips of scholars and students who wish to conduct further studies of specific topics. A comprehensive index and cross references for each entry allow the reader to obtain a well-rounded perspective of any subject. The volume concludes with a detailed chronology of the 1789-1799 period. The Historical Dictionary of the French Revolution, 1789-1799 is the most current and exhaustive guide to the study of the French Revolution in English, and possibly in any language. As a readily accessible source of essential and accurate data and as a springboard for deeper study, it will prove invaluable to French Revolution specialists and students alike and should be part of every educational library.