Perhaps histories most famous, yet least understood, milestone
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A brilliant, and insightful account of one of histories most famous, yet least understood milestones.
Many of the causes of The Revolution were examined, such as the rising cost of bread, the large middle class population that was hurt significantly by the policies of Louis XVI's finance minister, and the early events within the revolution, such as the Royal Family's failed flight to Varennes, and Austria's invasion, that only exacerbated events.
Very little culpability rests with one person, or even group of people. In many ways it was as though a Pandora's box had been opened, and many people were caught in the eye of the storm. There were many tragedies, the September Massacres of prisoners, the king and queen, and many people who were suspected of being insufficiently revolutionary.
The execution of the king, and later the queen, struck a chord with me. Little culpability falls on the royal family, perhaps only insufficient reaction to the events causing the revolution and failure to accomodate themselves to the constitutional reforms. The King accepted his death sentence calmly, and in a Christian manner told his children to forgive the men who had condemned him to die.
This essentially wa the event that opened the Pandora's box, as the Revolution descended into a vicious power struggle. Soon the Girondin's were suspect of foreign influence, and with foreign royalties enraged by the King's death, France simultaneously declared war on Holland, Spain, Austria, and of course England.
With foreign threats, and the constant suspicion of counter revolutionaries, this was essentially when the reign of terror began.
France essentially became a totalitarian state, with people being arrested and guillotined without trial, rumor being sufficient grounds for conviction, and many deeds constituting a capital crime, such as mourning for a counter revolutionary, refusing to take the oath of allegiance, or being suspect of hoarding, as the economic conditions worsened.
The anti-clerical, and even atheisic views of certain revolutionaries brought out a vicious attack on the Church. Members of the clergy perished for refusing to take the oath of allegience to the state, rather than the Pope, Churches were converted into Temples of Reason, and many places were renamed, in an attempt to purge the saintly or otherwise religious names.
Perhaps the only modifying voice in this dispute was Robespierre, who despised atheism and tried to implement a new monotheistic belief, the cult of the supreme being, based largely on the deistic views of philosophers such as Jean Jacques Rousseau.
To what extent Robespierre was culpable for the terror is one of those great historical misunderstanding. He is portrayed by Hibbert as a modest man, almost shy, and viewed capital punishment as a regretful, but necessary evil. Many of the victims of the terror were a result of zeal by individual people in authority, or even just sheer mob violence. True Robespierre was the mastermind of the overthrow of the Girondin's, but to assign further blame is difficult.
While the French Revolution brought a violent end to absolute monarch, established the Universal Rights of Man, and perhaps echoed in nationalism as a potent political force, it achieved very little with regard to that universal ideal, human freedom.
As Vergniaud remarked "It is to be feared that the Revolution will end like Saturn, by devouring it's own children."
It did just that, if moderation had been applied, a more lasting form of government, like say, the United States, could have been created, and France would probably not now be on its 5th Republic.
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A really well written book
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I found this book very interesting and well written. If you want to have a complete vision of the French Revolution it's absolutely the best buy.
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A real eye-opener to a romanticised period
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This book is a fascinating account of the real forces driving the French Revolution: not huddled masses rising up against a despot but a mixture of lawyers and merchants on the make who were eventually consumed by the monster that they created. The level of violence throughout is unbelievable, mobs, looters, and gangs of self-styled "assassins" roamed free summarily lynching anyone considered an enemy of whichever faction held sway in the government. It is shocking that the Revolution,given the tens of thousands of innocent victims that it claimed is still celebrated today; it is like the Russians celebrating the Gulags,or the British celebrating the anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Each key revolutionary leader, Robespierre, Marat, Danton, are given a brief biography before we learn of their inevitable demise, as infighting, graft, and factionalism destroy the Revolution's goals. An excellent read and a great introduction to the subject.
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Great narrative, easy read
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This entertaining work concisely untangles the confusing succession of events, actors and institutions between 1789 and 1799. At the vivid depiction of the “journées” and the public serial guillotining, I could imagine myself being part of the haranguing crowd. A disturbing feeling. However, I was disappointed that the book does not explore the ideas that catalysed this quest for new forms of government and social order.
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A fine introduction to the subject
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Well written and easy to read, Hibbert's account of the French revolution is an ideal starting point for those unfamiliar with the period. He makes understanding the shifting political groupings easy and his portraits of the protagonists breathe life into the whole. The description of the rising tide of mob violence is particularly effective.
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