The French Revolution

by Nesta H. Webster

Astrologers tell us that the history of the world moves in cycles; that from time to time the same forces arise producing eras that strangely resemble one another. Between these eras a close affinity exists, and so it is that we, in looking back to the past from the world crisis of today, realize that periods which in times of peace have soothed or thrilled us have now lost their meaning, that the principles which inspired them have no place in our philosophy. The Renaissance is dead; the Reformation is dead; even the great wars of bygone days seem dwarfed by the immensity of the recent conflict. But whilst the roar of battle dies down another sound is heard-the angry murmur that arose in 1789 and that, though momentarily hushed, has never lost its force. Once more we are in the cycle of revolution. The French Revolution is no dead event; in turning over the contemporary records of those tremendous days we feel that we are touching live things; from the yellowed pages voices call to us, voices that still vibrate with the passions that stirred them more than a century ago-here the desperate appeal for liberty and justice, there the trumpet - call of " King and Country "; now the story told with tears of death faced gloriously, now a maddened scream of rage against a fellow-man. When in all the history of the world until the present day has human nature shown itself so terrible and so sublime? And is not the fascination that amazing epoch has ever since exercised over the minds of men owing to the fact that the problems it held are still unsolved, that the same movements which originated with it are still at work amongst us? " What we learn to-day from the study of the Great Revolution," the anarchist Prince Kropotkin wrote in 1908, " is that it was the source and origin of all the present communist, anarchist, and socialist conceptions."

Genres: Nonfiction, French Revolution

548 pages, Paperback

Published March 15, 2005

About the author

Nesta Helen Webster, 1876-1960, was an outstanding English scholar who did pioneering work in Secret Society research. Her books are meticulously researched and documented, so her work is cited by many other researchers. Her special areas of expertise include the French Revolution, revolutionary movements throughout Europe in the 19th century, and the history of secret societies. She was raised in "High Church" Protestantism.

Reviews

[Christian Johansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know many people get turned of by seeing the author of this book is Nesta Webster, but personally this one of her more scholarly works compared with her later works like secret societies that just reeks with jewbaiting. This book exposes many uncomfortable truths about the french revolution that is verboten to modern scholars that often fetishises the french revolution and minimizes crimes like the september massacres and ignore that men like danton had a play in organizing them. I would give this book five stars if the author was not the infamous Webster.

[Davy Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know I had this very book and I think I read it
Seems like it was very good. Around this time I remember watching Danton on Showtime or similar and thought it was tremendous. Seems like it was Polish made. This was 1989 the bicentennial, so it was a thing.
I was caught up in some radical right stuff at the time, but I don't remember this Webster book being overboard in that direction. I always was on the verge of reading Dickens Tale of Two Cities but didn't. Same with Edmund Burkes Reflections on the French Revolution. I did read a bunch of stuff on Napoleon at war, and have read War and Peace twice. First time I was maybe late 20s and didn't even realize Nap was traipsing around my paternal grandmother's homeland of Lithuania. Once I grasped Lithuania and got a handle on the archaic place names I reread it. Seems like I didn't digest much of the last 20% either time.
Just dug out Mary Wollencrofts Defense of Thomas Paines The Rights of Man which I think is a counter to the Burke Reflections book. I am probably more open to these ideas these days. My thinking has shifted some over the years. The Bushes Patriot Act and 9/11 wars and stuff, some Trumpishness and my current project of solving the JFK Assassination have all changed my view somewhat. I try to give the Dem's a chance but they are worse, and are making things worse, and trending towards 1984.