A Social History of the French Revolution

The revolutionary movement which began in 1787 disrupted every aspect of French society. The Revolution was the product of social tensions that developed throughout France in the second half of the 18th century. Norman Hampson analyzes the nature of these social conflicts within their political framework. With enough background information to satisfy the general reader with no previous knowledge of the subject, the book devotes particular attention to provincial France. The result is both a picture of the supreme crisis in French society and an examination of social attitudes and aspirations.