A detail heavy history that focuses on politics. If, like me, you know plenty about the culture, but don't really understand how Gaul was so important, this is the book for you. If you know about the politics, but not the culture, you'll find this book pretty much useless--a list of names doesn't really tell you anything about French philosophy, literature or art, and the cultural history more or less peters out in the '70s. If you think knowing about political history is pointless because bottom-up is the only way to really understand things, avoid it. That's not a criticism of the book.

One criticism of the book: Fenby doesn't spend much time explaining how international economic or political events shaped French political actions (aside from Gaul's kind of charming chest thumping). Perhaps they didn't, but it would have been nice to point that out.

And that was unavoidable, because Fenby, despite having written a popular history, also has--gasp!--an argument: that the history of modern France is the playing out of tensions dating back to the revolution. If you think that, you're hardly likely to care much about international affairs. But a charming read, provided you don't expect too much, or too much of the wrong thing. ( )

Fenby is a long-serving foreign correspondent in Paris, and this brisk run-through of French history in the 200 years from Waterloo to Charlie Hebdo really feels like high-quality journalistic writing. Clear, concise storytelling with efficient little sketches of the main actors, issues and events, enough peripheral detail to keep it lively, but no padding. Of course, even on those terms 200 years in the history of a major European power in 500 pages is a tall order, and that means the focus has to stay quite narrow, with little space for anything beyond political events at the centre of power. This is a very useful book for anyone who has trouble sorting out which was Louis-Philippe and which was Louis Napoleon, or can’t remember whether Giscard or Mitterrand came first, but don’t expect more on cultural history than lists of prominent writers and artists.

Fenby is clearly a big fan of Charles de Gaulle (he’s also written a biography), and his account of the period when he was in charge is one of the most interesting parts of the book. But he clearly wishes de Gaulle had stepped down in 1965. And he evidently has as little sympathy for the rebels of 68 as de Gaulle did. He sees them as just another bunch of protesters following the hallowed French tradition of taking to the streets to defend their own special interests at the expense of the rest of French society. A tradition which he feels is responsible for a lot of France’s problems. Governments come into power with reform agendas, get bogged down in conflict with interest groups who resist the proposed changes, and end up doing nothing. I’m not sure that’s a peculiarly French problem...

A good read and a useful book for filling in gaps and working out who’s who, but leaves you wanting something a bit deeper. ( )

The History of Modern France – Definitive & Majestic

Jonathan Fenby former editor of The Observer and the South China Morning Post has written one of the best and most current histories on France. The History of Modern France – from revolution to the present day is the most definitive, majestic and lucid history of modern France that one can read today, written with an eye to the detail presented to the general reader as well as historian. From this book we not only are able to view the past but also understand why the French today are prisoners of their current belief systems, something we British need to understand instead of standing scornfully observing them.

There are many books on the history of France in the English language and this could easily disappear in to that canon but what Fenby does differently is that yes he uses the revolution as his starting point. From ‘Liberté, égalité, fraternité’ we see what Fenby calls the national narrative and gives France its ideological basis today. To us the French are always on strike but taking the view that the French have always had a tension in the republic between the rulers and the ruled, which gives often an angry and disenfranchised population.

In modern Europe we look at the politics of France and its Presidential election and the various swings between the left and right and how both secular views compete and win over every seven years. One thing that you do learn from this book is that one thing both the left and right on the political scale do believe historically is how to dominate every aspect of French life and centralise that and over the course that does not change other than the political leadership.

Fenby takes the view that France and its population is in the throes of a long civil war that started with the revolution and continues through to today, that this went on even through the occupation of the Second World War, European Union will be ongoing. Fenby’s account of the Nazi Occupation is one of the most fascinating that I have read in a long time and he sees it as a new chapter in the long civil war. The splits in the left and right, particular the fascists, is still an ongoing war today.

Fenby argues that throughout the book is that France today is still a prisoner today of its revolution and that is trapped under the weight of history. He produces some excellent observations on the use of Muslims to contain the power of the Catholic Church during the nineteenth century. One does not consider how much the French are in awe and prisoners of their own history until one is shown the evidence.

This is truly an excellent majestic history that should be on the shelves who want to learn more about France and understand her peoples. There is a great sweep of history that is dealt with honesty and an eye for detail and fact which makes this such a wonderful book to read and use. This is the most definitive and majestic histories of France that one can read today, truly excellent. ( )