The Coming of the French Revolution

Rating:
Summary: I liked it
Review: It is the first book I have read about the French Revolution. It was easy to read and seemed like a good start on reading about this subejct.

Rating:
Summary: I liked it
Review: It is the first book I have read about the French Revolution. It was easy to read and seemed like a good start on reading about this subejct.

Rating:
Summary: Most accesible account of the French Revolution
Review: Published in 1939 on the eve of WWII and the Vichy Regime (which burned 8,000 copies), Lefebvre's account of the event which initiated the modern era in the West remains the most accesible and readable of any work on the subject before or since. Lefebvre's Marxist analysis of the event (the dominant interpretation until recently) may appear archaic to contemporary readers. Nevertheless the work is a highly enjoyable analysis of the various sectors of French society and how they contributed to the Revolution. The flowery or arcane scholarly knowledge of later accounts pales before Lefebvre's engaging prose. All in all, a highly recommended work.

Rating:
Summary: it started somewhere
Review: This is an excellent history book, and Lefebvre is a very clear writer.

The guillotine is the great symbol of the French Revolution. But how did it start? That is the question this book sets out to answer.

It would appear that the French aristocracy and the King himself bear most of the responsibility. This book is a fast and enjoyable read. You'll end up wiser than you ever expected.