About book The Days Of The French Revolution (2015)
A brilliant, and insightful account of one of histories most famous, yet least understood milestones.Many of the causes of The Revolution were examined, such as the rising cost of bread, the large middle class population that was hurt significantly by the policies of Louis XVI's finance minister, and the early events within the revolution, such as the Royal Family's failed flight to Varennes, and Austria's invasion, that only exacerbated events.Very little culpability rests with one person, or even group of people. In many ways it was as though a Pandora's box had been opened, and many people were caught in the eye of the storm. There were many tragedies, the September Massacres of prisoners, the king and queen, and many people who were suspected of being insufficiently revolutionary.The execution of the king, and later the queen, struck a chord with me. Little culpability falls on the royal family, perhaps only insufficient reaction to the events causing the revolution and failure to accomodate themselves to the constitutional reforms. The King accepted his death sentence calmly, and in a Christian manner told his children to forgive the men who had condemned him to die.This essentially wa the event that opened the Pandora's box, as the Revolution descended into a vicious power struggle. Soon the Girondin's were suspect of foreign influence, and with foreign royalties enraged by the King's death, France simultaneously declared war on Holland, Spain, Austria, and of course England.With foreign threats, and the constant suspicion of counter revolutionaries, this was essentially when the reign of terror began.France essentially became a totalitarian state, with people being arrested and guillotined without trial, rumor being sufficient grounds for conviction, and many deeds constituting a capital crime, such as mourning for a counter revolutionary, refusing to take the oath of allegiance, or being suspect of hoarding, as the economic conditions worsened.The anti-clerical, and even atheisic views of certain revolutionaries brought out a vicious attack on the Church. Members of the clergy perished for refusing to take the oath of allegience to the state, rather than the Pope, Churches were converted into Temples of Reason, and many places were renamed, in an attempt to purge the saintly or otherwise religious names.Perhaps the only modifying voice in this dispute was Robespierre, who despised atheism and tried to implement a new monotheistic belief, the cult of the supreme being, based largely on the deistic views of philosophers such as Jean Jacques Rousseau.To what extent Robespierre was culpable for the terror is one of those great historical misunderstanding. He is portrayed by Hibbert as a modest man, almost shy, and viewed capital punishment as a regretful, but necessary evil. Many of the victims of the terror were a result of zeal by individual people in authority, or even just sheer mob violence. True Robespierre was the mastermind of the overthrow of the Girondin's, but to assign further blame is difficult.While the French Revolution brought a violent end to absolute monarch, established the Universal Rights of Man, and perhaps echoed in nationalism as a potent political force, it achieved very little with regard to that universal ideal, human freedom.As Vergniaud remarked "It is to be feared that the Revolution will end like Saturn, by devouring it's own children."It did just that, if moderation had been applied, a more lasting form of government, like say, the United States, could have been created, and France would probably not now be on its 5th Republic.
I looked for quite a while for a book on the French Revolution, finally settling on this one. It was a pleasant read, if slightly different from most of the popular history I have read. The French Revolution was truly a terrifying event, no matter how you slice it. As a huge proponent of democracy and egalitarianism I root for the revolutionaries early on in the Revolution, but found myself disgusted with the second wave of revolution led by the poor and radical left. The reign of terror is wonderfully described in all it's glory and gory, not to mention wonderful accounts of the march on Versailles and the King's death. The author is intent on telling a story, which he does well. It would have been nice to have the author explain the events a little more and add some analysis, but all that is left out. I would have liked to have know the various economic and political ramifications of the revolutions beyond simply a telling off the stories involved. This is unfortunately left out, which merits my 4 star rating. Despite this, the author adds many wonderful details about the people involved that you really come to have affection for them. Ultimately, the author writes a compelling, fast paced and well written novel that was a pleasure to read.
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This book has been good. Not great, but good. I wanted a book that would teach me more about the French Revolution, but without being too "textbookish," and this fits the bill. Hibbert tells some nice anecdotes and calls out personalities, which I have enjoyed. He has made the story readable, definitely. However, perhaps he's not writing for the French Revolution novice. There are many many different characters and political groups in the French Revolution, and it can be very difficult to keep them straight. Hibbert, in my opinion, doesn't do a very good job of making it clear. Not that I need "French Revolution for Dummies," but I think he could be clearer about it all. Even a reminder now and then wouldn't have hurt. Overall, I think it's a good book, but as my first real read related to the French Revolution, I can't say as I have anything to compare it to...
—Steve Battisti
This is an excellent general reader book describing the French Revolution. Hibbert's descriptions of the Bastille and the events leading to the execution of Louis XVI are as exciting as fiction. Most helpful are a 27 page prologue, a 13 page epilogue, a detailed index and an appendix showing significant events by date. The prologue provides information concerning the situations of the various classes on the eve of the revolution while the prologue describes the rise of Napoleon.The revolution fed on itself. Danton was executed first and then Robespierre. The telling of these events is tedious, but Hibbert is not at fault. The matters are complex with much in fighting and require a detailed and long explanation.If you want to obtain some knowledge about the French Revolution from a well written source, Hibbert should be your choice
—Bill
Another well-told history “written for the general reader,” this book was perhaps a bit too general. That is, it flew over its horde of major and minor characters and ruck of events, only seldom pausing to clarify things by, for example, setting out the main points of difference between the revolution’s political factions, or to give the reader a brief reminder of the identity of a person last mentioned 100 pages earlier. Nevertheless, the narrative of events, from the first rumblings against the tailles and corvées to the coup by Napoleon, was cohesive.I knew generally of the bloodiness and fickleness of the revolution, but was still repulsed by some of the more grisly details of the massacres (especially the cannibalistic episodes). I would have liked the book to attempt to answer why the leaders were so sadistic and cruel. Did they really think they were protecting freedom? Were they being cruel to save their skins? Were they, in the end, just bloodthirsty maniacs who saw their moment and took it? Hard questions to answer. A dizzyingly bloody period of history.
—Ensiform
