Sunday, May 15, 2005

The French Revolution

by Christopher Hibbert

It's always good to read a history book that's entertaining and not too difficult to read. This one focuses on the important figures at the time of the Revolution and describes their personalities in detail. Its only real flaws are that, in typical old-school British historian style, it assumes you understand basic French, and that it gets very confusing trying to keep track of the minor characters who are always popping in and out of the narrative.

As for the subject matter itself, it's always a bit sobering to be reminded of the savage and bloodthirsty acts carried out in the name of freedom and reason during the French Revolution. It's also curious to note how readily the mob was ready to execute one leader and elect another once the Revolution was underway. I guess once they guillotined the king, ending over 1000 years of monarchy in Europe, the mob weren't likely to take any kind of authority very seriously after that.

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