The Ancien R Gime In Europe

An exploration of current scholarly thinking about the wide and surprisingly complex range of historical problems associated with the study of Ancien Régime Europe

The term, "Ancien Régime", was first used by contemporaries to describe retrospectively the social and political structure in France which the Revolution destroyed. It is shown here to be applicable also to different countries at different dates -- for example, to Russia at the end of the nineteenth century -- but it is discussed principally in relation to France in the fateful years between 1748 and 1789. This is the study of a complex society -- its economy, institutions and beliefs, and their erosion by material and ideological change.

Surveys socio-economic conditions and political and military conflicts among the European states during the period.