A History of Modern France

by Jeremy D. Popkin

A History of Modern France offers a framework to understand modern French history through a survey of the dramatic events that have punctuated its history from the eighteenth century to the present day. Covering events such as the French Revolution, the two World Wars and the more recent election of Emmanuel Macron and the "yellow vest" movement, the book takes a balanced approach to the competing interpretations of modern France inspired by its history. This edition has been thoroughly updated to incorporate the most recent scholarship on topics including French imperial history and the empire’s postcolonial legacy, the history of women and gender, and the French experience of World War I. A new section extends the narrative into mid-2019, and additional emphasis has been given to the role of historical memory in the making of French identity. Taking a chronological approach, the book is approachable for students and provides a clear and understandable picture of the history of modern France. Supported by further reading that has been updated to include the most recent publications, the book is the ideal introduction to the history of modern France for students of this fascinating country.

Genres: History, France, Nonfiction

394 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Jeremy D. Popkin received his B.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley and holds an A.M. degree from Harvard University. When he was hired on a one-year contract at the University of Kentucky in 1978, the History Department secretary put him in what was then the department's conference room, saying, "Since you won't be staying long, it won't matter." Popkin is still occupying the same office.
Popkin's scholarly interests include the history of the French and Haitian revolutions, autobiographical literature and American Jewish history.

Reviews

[Sean Chick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough overview of French history from the end of the Seven Years War to the Iraq War, and one that gives fair play to issues of politics, economics, and culture. A few themes emerge...

1. France is a robust nation, able to come back from disaster, yet it also has trouble staying on top.

2. Strongmen, with a military background (or militant style) can rise to the top in times of stress. Napoleon is the most famous of these.

3. The French have an intense desire to go their own way in culture (with much success) and diplomacy (far less success). It goes beyond the normal run of "national self interest." Tellingly, their last military victory came when they were fully integrated in an alliance system: World War I.

4. Centrist politics often rule the day. The most successful leaders balance the unstable left against the reactionary right. Neither right nor left has had a great track record in France. The right tried from 1794-1871 to limit the republican tradition. This explains the instability of the governments in this period and the sudden collapse of these governments in a crisis moment. The left is good at bringing about reform, but is too apt to squabble, as shown in 2002 when they sabotaged their best chance at elected power.

[Pony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A basic but thorough and very readable overview of French history from the nascent trends of the first French revolution up through the end of the twentieth century. Excellent choice for survey history courses.

[Victor Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly good overview of French history from the medieval period to the 2000s. That being said, as it is so broad, it is extremely helpful that Popkin provides many further readings at the ends of every chapter so that one can get a deeper grasp of each period. He provides a decent account of the myriad of economic, political and social changes that affected French society across and while the text is quite dry at times (it is a textbook after all), there many interesting nuggets that warrant further study.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview for a class syllabus that MUST be supplemented by extra readings. The absence of extensive quotations prevents the reader from getting a taste of the values and rhetoric of the truly interesting power brokers running around in this country. The further reading in the back is very helpful and the author is nevertheless obviously well-informed and loves his subject. I also enjoy his historiographical tidbits. A clear but brief foundation for further reading on French history for anglophones.

[Megan Gillahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great history book that is easy to follow. I highly recommend for anyone interested in an introduction to modern France.

[Christian Dittlau · Rating 3 out of 5]

hectic, crazy, and at times comical.

[Reko Wenell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dry yet easy to read. Delivered what I was looking for: a short but comprehensive picture of French history to serve as a bedrock of knowledge for future readings.

[Kaleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely get why this is one of, if not the, textbook for the history of modern France. Reading this book feels like I'm riding in a train car, in which every significant political and cultural turn in Paris plays out during the journey. But if you are concerned with events in France outside the city of Paris and the Prime Minister/President of the week--nevermind what's going on in the empire--you best look out the window to catch those glimpses before you pass them by.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This textbook covers 1750-1995, from Louis XV through Mitterand. It is very dense and covers a lot of ground, but is clear and well-written. In addition to politics, it covers economic and social developments, and a sprinkling of arts and culture. I learned a tremendous amount from reading it.

[Valerie Chamorro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, basic survey of modern French history. Covers all your basics and throws some good cultural history to boot. Useful for situating yourself in the major historical arguments/themes of modern France.

[AskHistorians]

Exactly what it sounds like. It's not one where you can just sit down and read for fun, like these other ones are - it's a textbook, and it's written like one. Very dense and not much verve, but extremely useful in providing context for a lot of other books and clearing up their ambiguities.