William Doyle (1)Recensioni

Helpful book which aids in understanding the French Revolution.

Not so much an account of the chief characteristics of the Ancien Regime, as an account of the Historiography of said Regime. Still a useful work though, casting useful insight on the government, culture and society of France, among other things.

A clear, concise account of popular images of the French Revolution (Carlyle, Dickens, Orczy), what led to it, the events, the aftermath, and scholarship surrounding the bicentennial and afterwards.½

To most historians, the French Revolution is the key event defining the emergence of the modern world in which we live today. Its bicentenary in 1989 was the occasion for a slew of books that examined its causes, personalities, and consequences from several different ideological and chronological perspectives. Among the most prominent was William Doyle’s survey of the French Revolution. A noted historian of the period, Doyle offered something provided in few other works produced that year: a narrative that ranged from the accession of Louis XVI to the Treaty of Amiens and Napoleon Bonaparte’s confirmation as First Consul in 1802. In doing so, he offered an analysis of the origins, events, and historical impact of the Revolution within a single interpretive framework, one that serves as a starting point for anyone seeking an introduction to this historically critical event.

Doyle’s analysis begins with a survey of France under Louis XVI. Here he portrays a country under strain, governed by a monarchy ill-equipped to face the challenges before it. Though he identifies the cause of the Revolution as the economic crisis created by the bad harvests of the 1770s and 1780s, these exposed many of the long-term systemic problems of the French government. Uppermost among them was the ineffectual king, Louis XVI, a man whose vacillation and weakness Doyle frequently highlights as key to the ineffectual response to the events that followed. He also takes the times to describe the rich intellectual ferment of the time, as the Enlightenment provided many of the ideas and concepts that were introduced in an effort to address the problems plaguing the country.

The core of Doyle’s account, though, is the period between 1789 and 1794. This period takes up nearly half of the book, containing as it does the pivotal events of the Revolution itself. One of the great strengths of Doyle’s presentation of these years is his inclusion of events outside of Paris, which provides a more comprehensive understanding of the revolution as a national event and how the reaction of the provinces influenced events within the capital. Yet his account makes clear that it was the Paris commune that was the single most important factor driving events, as representatives continually were forced to make decisions with the reactions of the Paris mob uppermost in their considerations. The men who emerged as leaders during this period were the ones who could win over these crowds, yet Doyle makes it clear that men such as Robespierre were more often driven by events than driving them themselves.

Doyle concludes his history with the Directory, the emergence of Bonaparte, and the contemporary impact of the Revolution upon Europe. His incorporation of a European perspective is another of the book’s strengths, illuminating the role of international affairs on the Revolution while also providing a fuller account of its broader impact outside of France itself. By this point military affairs were a paramount consideration, aiding to both the government’s survival and the exportation of revolutionary ideas. Yet curiously Doyle does not dwell on this part in his conclusion, which nonetheless explains just how the Revolution came to shape so much of the political landscape, down to the very concepts and language used today.

The comprehensive and insightful nature of Doyle’s examination is one of the main reasons why, two decades after its publication, his book remains the best single-volume study of the French Revolution. Though somewhat dry in its presentation, it nonetheless gives readers a clear narrative of events and a framework for understanding the origins and developments of the revolution, both within France and Europe. For anyone seeking to understand such a pivotal event in history, this is a good place to start.

As far as I can tell, this is one of the definitive contemporary histories, well written and exhaustive, at least on political history. But basically it was too hard for me. If you're super into the French Revolution you probably own this book already; if you're not, I wouldn't recommend it as a place to start, although it might be a good book to keep around the house for reference, I don't know.

Doyle provides a very compact and dense summary of the French Revolution. He summarizes the causes which started the revolution, the events which happened during the revolution, and the effects it caused, some of which have reverberated down to the modern day. The short chapters make the book easy to read in a few sittings, and the chapter titles give the reader the direction for the chapter (Why it happened, how it happened, what it ended, what it started). Doyle mentions all the key players, political parties, and the international incidents the revolution impacted.

Also included is a very detailed timeline, a note on the Revolutionary calendar, and a nice selection of suggestions for further reading. As always the Very Short Introductions pack a heavy punch in spite of their small size (this one is just 100 pages).

A narrative well researched history for anyone who wants to know the events of this period of history. Lots of detail and some analysis. Very readable

I would agree with the other reviewer: : to understand the French Revolution, start here.

This is an avid work, indeed. Doyle's clear scholarly prose is friendly to the newcomer, and as Suva states, the amount of research _is_ staggering. Start with this one!

Doyle tells us in his introduction that he was surprised to find that this book has become a standard text on the revolution as it was intended to be a popular work to coincide with the bicentenary of 1989.
This may be false modesty on his part but this book certainly did not strike me as courting the popular history market with its scholarly prose and lack of illustrations. Far more striking is the astounding amount of research and insight contained on every page of the book. When you consider Doyle is writing about one of the most contentious, important and complex events in human history his achievement is even more astonishing.
This is rightfully regarded as the best overview of the revolution in English and Doyle's conclusion that the revolution can only be seen as a tragedy is as enlightening as it is sobering.

This small-format paperback is only 108 pages ("very short") but packs a wallop. The French Revolution is a hugely complex topic, not least because it remains to this day highly controversial, there are 100s of tomb-length books including the flood of books on the 200th anniversary in 1989. Where to start? Here. Doyle gives an overview of the basic events but that is not his main purpose. Rather his chapter titles explain: "Why it happened", "How it happened", "What it ended", "What it started" and "Where it stands." In other words, he uses historiography to put it into historical context. In the end the actual events are curious and interesting, but they were so confusing and full of contingencies that even contemporaries had trouble keeping track of what was happening around them. The bigger questions of Doyle's chapter titles provide a higher-level understanding that rises above the trees and gives an understanding that would take years of reading specialized books to arrive at. Doyle himself is well known for the Oxford history of the French Revolution, respected for its even-handed treatment, representing all sides and taking a neutral point of view. It can be read in an evening and the reader will come away with a clear understanding of why it's important and where the main axis of debate is today.

--Review by Stephen Balbach, via CoolReading (c) 2008 cc-by-nd½

Il Settecento è un secolo caratterizzato da quattro rivoluzioni che portarono l’umanità nel “mondo nuovoâ€?. La fine delle crisi produttive, l’innalzamento del tasso di natalità e la diminuzione di quello di mortalità sono i fattori alla base della prima, quella demografica, la quale, di fatto, fornì i numeri perché potesse verificarsi la successiva, avviata nella seconda metà del secolo: quella industriale.
A questa seguirono due rivoluzioni politiche: una lontana, che portò all’indipendenza americana, e una molto vicina, la Rivoluzione Francese.
Attraverso un’approfondita analisi dei dati economici, delle strutture della società e dell’organizzazione degli Stati, il volume accompagna il lettore fino alla definitiva crisi dei vecchi ordini, alla fine del secolo, e all’inesorabile trionfo della borghesia.
Un’attenzione particolare è dedicata anche alla produzione culturale, alla rivoluzione delle idee e ai suoi protagonisti: Newton, Locke, l’Illuminismo francese e i suoi padri. A loro, infatti, va il merito di aver mostrato e celebrato il diritto e la forza della ragione, giacché – scrisse Kant nel 1784 – “Illuminismo è l’uscita dell’uomo dallo stato di minorità che egli deve imputare a se stessoâ€? e “minorità è l’incapacità di servirsi del proprio intelletto senza la guida di un altroâ€?.

Beginning with a discussion of familiar images of the French Revolution, garnered from Dickens, Baroness Orczy, and Tolstoy, as well as the legends of let them eat cake, and tricolours, Doyle leads the reader to the realization that we are still living with developments and consequences of the French Revolution such as decimalization, and the whole ideology of human rights. Continuing with a brief survey of the old regime and how it collapsed, Doyle continues to ellucidate how the revolution happened: why did the revolutionaries quarrel with the king, the church and the rest of Europe, why this produced Terror, and finally how it accomplished rule by a general. The revolution destroyed the age-old cultural, institutional and social structures in France and beyond. This book looks at how the ancien regime became ancien as well as examining cases in which achievement failed to match ambition. Doyle explores the legacy of the revolution in the form of rationality in public affairs and responsible government, and finishes his examination of the revolution with a discussion of why it has been so controversial.