France 1789-1815: Revolution and counterrevolution

by Donald M.G. Sutherland

Challenging classical histories of the French Revolution, this revisionist work argues that any history and analysis of the period must give as much weight to counterrevolution as to revolution itself. Sutherland demonstrates that the effects of the Revolution varied greatly according to regional economies, social structures, and religious affiliations. The book examines how massive counterrevolutionary movements profoundly affected the course of the Revolution, leading to the failure of constitutional government and, ultimately, to an elitist dictatorship that paved the way for many of the struggles of the 19th century. Synthesizing an abundance of information in a refreshingly new light, students and scholars will welcome this bold study on a decisive twenty-five years in French and world history.

Genres: History, France, Nonfiction, French Revolution, European History

493 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Professor Sutherland's first monograph, The Chouans: The Social Origins of Popular Counterrevolution in Upper Brittany, 1770-96 (1982), earned Honorable Mention in the Wallace K. Ferguson Prize competition of 1981-82 awarded by the Canadian Historical Association. It has been translated into French. His second monograph, France, 1789-1815: Revolution and Counterrevolution, vol. 1 of Douglas Johnson (ed.) The Fontana History of Modern France (1985) has been translated into French, Dutch, and Italian. A new version appeared in 2003. Professor Sutherland has also published twenty-seven articles, two of which won the Koren prize (1975, 1985), awarded by the Society for French Historical Studies for the best article in French history by an American or Canadian. He has given papers to scholarly conferences around the world, has been an editor of French Historical Studies, reviews manuscripts and books for leading journals and scholarly presses, and has made a number of TV and radio appearances where he was interviewed about his work. In 2002, the French government made him a Chevalier des palmes académiques for his contributions to French culture. He has also received awards from the National Council of Jewish Women, the Canada Council, the SSHRC, and the General Research Board, and the Guggenheim Foundation. He has just completed a manuscript entitled Lynching, Law, and Justice: Murder in Aubagne. Finally, Historical Refelctions/Réflexions historiques (2003) published the papers of a major conference he organized on violence and the French Revolution at College Park in October 2001.

Reviews

[Lauren Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very confusing and definitely an academic text. I found constant references to things that most people would not understand, with no explanation. An example is his tossing out the word "Gallicanism" which I knew from reading but most people (I think) would not understand was the belief in the limitation of papal power in favor of the power of the monarch or the state. In a couple of years, I may not have remembered what it meant but I had read about it recently enough to understand. I would definitely only read this if I were already familiar with the period. There were many times I was lost even with all of my past reading.

[Ruby]

I switched exam so I don't need to read this anymore L O L

[Bert Huisman]

7 t7

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great supplement to my French Revolution class