A Social History of France, 1780-1914

by Peter McPhee

This volume provides an authoritative synthesis of recent work on the social history of France and is now thoroughly revised and updated to cover the 'long nineteenth century' from 1789-1914. Peter McPhee offers both a readable narrative and a distinctive, coherent argument about this century. McPhee explores themes such as peasant interaction with the environment, the changing experience of work and leisure, the nature of crime and protest, changing demographic patterns and family structure, the religious practices of workers and peasants, and the ideology and internal repercussions of colonisation.

Genres: History, France, Nonfiction

351 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1992

About the author

McPhee was educated at Caulfield Grammar School and Trinity College while studying at the University of Melbourne, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees, a Diploma in Education and a Doctor of Philosophy degree.

He later taught at LaTrobe University (1975–79) and the Victoria University of Wellington (1980–86) before teaching history at Melbourne. He specialises in research on French history and the French Revolution, having published numerous books on the subject. His academic management positions at Melbourne have included working as Deputy Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, head of the Department of History and President of the university's academic board. In 2003 he became the deputy vice-chancellor for academics and in 2007 was appointed as the inaugural provost. As part of this role he has been responsible for planning and introducing the university's controversial new Melbourne Model, which is designed to maintain consistency with the Bologna Accords' structure for European higher education.

In 2003 he was awarded the Centenary Medal for services to education.

McPhee retired from the University of Melbourne on 14 June 2009 but continues to serve as a professorial fellow.

In 2014 Peter McPhee, with the University of Melbourne and Coursera, developed a free online course on the French Revolution. The course follows the chapters in his eBook, The French Revolution.

Reviews

[David Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took a lot longer to read than many of the more narrative French history books I've been plowing through, but not because it was less interesting. (Though you might think that.) Rather, as a textbook-style summary of an era, McPhee's book is a condensed distillation of the most interesting and important facts and examples from hundreds of independent sources — so I could barely read a page without opening my laptop to take notes for my forthcoming French history podcast, The Siècle .

In a refreshing contrast to many other histories, McPhee puts the political events — all those revolutions and coups, empires and republics — into the background and focuses on the lived experiences of ordinary people: rich, poor and in between, urban and rural, early and late. This surprisingly rich field gives him plenty of material to draw on, from nationwide government statistics to carefully researched microhistories of particular villages. McPhee weaves it all together into a few chapter-length essays focusing on particular groups and periods. You can learn about how much food peasants ate, when agriculture modernized, what kind of contraception women practiced, the economic impact of the Revolutionary seizure of property, and more.

McPhee also adds a helpful "Further Reading" section at the end, listing many of his most helpful sources in both English and French.

My only real complaint is that I think the book would have been improved by some aggressive sub-headers, breaking up his long chapters which otherwise just flowed organically from topic to topic. This would enable both more casual reading as well as making the book more useful as a reference (though it has a helpful and ample index). (It's also a little light on the years after 1880 — a reflection of the fact that this was originally published as a social history of France from 1780 to 1880, and then expanded to 1914 for a second edition.)

If you're looking for an overview of France in the "Long 19th Century" this could be an excellent first start, especially if you want to get beyond the politics and war that often dominate discussions of the period (without ignoring them entirely).

[Reed Claxon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very strong survey that made statistical narratives tolerable. Clearly McPhee has a thorough knowledge of the subject matter and did a tremendous amount of research. I also think he handled the prose very well.

[Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An essential read for the lover of French literature.

[Yunis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The hundreds year after the Revolution changed and in certain extent all of French society, but the real change to for the average person might not have had a lot changed. The book layout the different changes in society.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably a graduate level (?) social survey of the 19th century. It is a solid work, and nice because it doesn't dwell on political developments to the exclusion of everything else, but it is dry reading, and dense. There are much worse things to be assigned to read, but I wouldn't recommend it as a leisurely read.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily my favorite book about the French Revolution. It is one of the only I have read that is not defined by it's opposition to a Marxist reading. This one incorporates class analysis with a more contemporary, post-modern understanding of the 1789 revolution and beyond. Would highly recommend.

[Lin_P · Rating 3 out of 5]

I purchased this book used. It is part of research for a particular period covered within the book. Quite thorough, a bit more than I need but good to keep in one's library.