Reinterpreting the french revolution a discussion of francois furet, interpreting the french revolution cambridge. Norman hampson friend robespierre lrb 5 august 1982. This may seem a strange observation to make of someone who spent much of his life teaching in universities and whose writings consisted for the most part of a series of scholarly studies of the french revolution. Instead, furet s political interpretation portrayed the revolution as. It is a ambitious, personally inflected overview of the french revolution and its extended aftermath,originally written in french by a major french historian of the period, and intended originally for a sophisticated general. Furet refuted marxist theory and resurrected the idea that the french revolution might have been driven by political aims as much as by social conditions or class dissatisfaction.
In the french revolution revisited, furet begins by considering the extensive and diverse historiography that has been written on the subject. There have been many accounts of the french revolution, and though their. Thus, we discuss his professional career and examine his writings on the french revolution between 1965 and 1989, year of the bicentennial. Many histories of the french revolution, beginning with those written in the era itself, assumed, almost axiomatically, that the ideas of the philosophes had caused the coming of the event. This book assembles for the first time all that marx wrote on this subject.
He is considered throughout the world to be the most outstanding living historian of the french revolution. Intellectual history and the causes of the french revolution. Interpreting the french revolution francois furet pdf by. Thus, we discuss his professional career and examine his writings on the french revolution.
Online shopping from a great selection at books store. In 1989 french pundits proclaimed him king of the bicentennial celebrations for the french revolution. Goldstone 1789 is often taken as the date of the great divide between the old world and the new, as the point at which modern society the society of the bourgeoi. Read interpreting the french revolution pdf by francois furet cambridge university press the french revolution is an historical event unlike any other. Project muse an antitotalitarian history of the french. Francois furet author visit amazons francois furet page. Even georges lefebvre, one of the historians whom furet most admired uniquely for furet, there is an old copy of a set of lefebvres lecture notes in his archives, made the french revolution into an element within a story that was developing, and in the process of achieving the promises that the great founding event had offered. It was a splendid idea to compile a critical dictionary of the french revolution, and the idea has been splendidly executed a great work. Introduction by mona ozouf reprinted here by permission of the publishers from a critical dictionary of the french revolution, edited by francois furet and.
A crtitical dictionary of the french revolution, eds. Francois furet and the family feud of the french left, 1978 to the fall of communism. Widely considered one of the leading historians of the french revolution, he was a maverick for his time, shining a critical light on the entrenched marxist interpretations that prevailed during the midtwentieth century. In 1978, francois furet published one of the most important books on the. In this book, francois furet analyses how an event like the french revolution can be conceptualised, and identifies the radically new changes the revolution. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Historian of the french revolution, he challenged the social interpretation that presented the uprising as an expression of class struggle, a symptom of the transition from feudalism to capitalism. Colin lucas and one must initially examine the marxist interpretation of the french revo and the postwar. Analyzing the new politics of contestation that transformed the traditional political culture of the old regime during its last decades, baker revises our historical map of the political. For a very long time, what professor soboul likes to describe as the classical interpretation provided the frame of reference for all the arguments.
The french revolution is an historical event unlike any other. The french revolution 44 colin lucas part ii the revisionist orthodoxy 3 the french revolution revisited 71 francois furet 4 the idea of a declaration of rights 91 keith michael baker part iii neoliberal responses to revisionism 5 a rhetoric of bourgeois revolution 143 william h. The crux of francois furet s look at the french revolution differs from sobouls economic interpretation. Inventing the french revolution by keith michael baker. Revolutionary france 17701880, by francois furet utp journals. Francois furet looms large among the most influential intellectuals of late twentiethcentury france. Francois furet, a prominent historian who challenged the popular marxist interpretation of the french revolution and reshaped french thinking about subsequent events, died on saturday in a. Marxism altogether, the study of the old regime and the french revolution lacks a center. Interpreting the french revolution the french revolution is an historical event unlike any other.
Reinterpreting the french revolution assets cambridge. Throughout his life karl marx commented on the french revolution, but never was able to realize his project of a systematic work on this immense event. Francois furet interpreting the french revolution pdf, the twentieth century, interpretations of the revolution were implicitly tied to competing conceptions of democracy, social and liberal. His work as a historian of the french revolution was aimed. Soboul and furet on the french revolution ben snook. Challenges and potential ways forward charles walton university of warwick this paper aims to identify some challenges facing the field of french revolutionary studies and. Pdfs of issues 1200 hosted at content license 2020. The french revolution is not over prospect magazine. Francois furet s book, which appeared in france in 1978, reopens the debate on the nature and significance of the french revolution. English by elborg forster as interpreting the french revolution. This volume not only presents the reader with the research of a wide range of international scholars on those questions, but also brings one into the heart of the issues still under lively debate. Read interpreting the french revolution pdf by francois furet cambridge university press the french revolution is an historical event.
Interpreting the french revolution by francois furet. A decree of june 1794 introduced by robespierre declared that the tribunal is instituted to punish the enemies of the people furet, 1996, p. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how and why he achieved this position. In fact, furet s most formidable opponents today are not historians of the french revolution at all. The historiography of the french revolution youtube.
Bien in the last years francois furet has been writing almost faster than i can read. Primary and secondary sources offer a variety of perspectives on the decades that permanently changed europe opposing viewpoints series includes bibliographical references pages 214217 and index. Francois furet interpreting the french revolution pdf. This is the text of the first government and opposition public lecture given at the london school of economics and political science on 4 december 1980. Since furet s death, the gap dividing social and cultural historians has narrowed. Split into two distinct parts, furets work savagely critiques the classical or marxist interpretation of the revolution, which, until the books publication in 1978, had. Furet is currently the most important and polemic french revolution historian. It is more than just a topic of intellectual interest. The law of suspects defined enemies of the people under a catchall description as those who showed themselves to. Two centuries later, the french revolution that event that founded modern democracy continues to give rise to a reevaluation of essential questions. Article bourgeois revolution, francois furet, french revolution, georges lefebvre, historiography, history, marxist history, philosophy of history, richard cobb. The coming of a new interpretation of the french revolution.
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