History of the French Revolution
by Jules Michelet
A marvelously clear and eloquent explanation of why the French Revolution had to happen; how the ancien regime failed to mend itself, and therefore had to be violently removed. I think he puts the case for that as well as it could be put.
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“And it’s a beautifully written book, a marvelous book to read: that’s Jules Michelet: who wrote his History of the Revolution in two volumes. And what it does, really, is to describe the ancien regime in a way that convincingly makes one clear that the Revolution had to happen. It doesn’t underplay the horrors of the French Revolution, but neither does it underplay the horrors of the ancien regime.” Read more...
The best books on The French Revolution
Peregrine Worsthorne, Journalist
