Kurt Reichenbaugh’s Reviews > Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution > Status Update
Kurt Reichenbaugh
is on page 96 of 948
"For a long time now, historians have argued that what ministers of the French crown did or didn't do about the debt is of minor importance. For it was the nature of the old-regime monarchy itself that was the real problem. Hamstrung by privilege, how could a government consisting of men who bought or inherited their offices hope for even a modicum of bureaucratic efficiency?" - um, yeah, it's going to be a long one.
— Oct 21, 2026 02:46PM
2 likes · Like flag
Kurt’s Previous Updates
Kurt Reichenbaugh
is on page 203 of 948
"In other words, literacy rates in the late 18th century France were much higher than in the late 20th century United States. It was only in the pools of unskilled, day-wage labor (...) that illiteracy predominated. By contrast, domestic servants, who also came from the countryside, were virtually all literate, able to read their contracts of employment." So, this surprised me. Literacy to Revolution? We'll see.
— Oct 27, 2026 06:14AM