Revolutionary Ideas

Historians of the French Revolution used to take for granted what was also obvious to its contemporary observers - that the Revolution was shaped by the radical ideas of the Enlightenment. Yet in recent decades, scholars have argued that the Revolution was brought about by social forces, politics, economics, or culture - almost anything but abstract notions like liberty or equality. In Revolutionary Ideas, one of the worlds leading historians of the Enlightenment restores the Revolutions intellectual history to its rightful central role. Drawing widely on primary sources, Jonathan Israel shows how the Revolution was set in motion by radical eighteenth-century doctrines, how these ideas divided revolutionary leaders into vehemently opposed ideological blocs, and how these clashes drove the turning points of the Revolution.

About the author

Jonathan Israel is professor of modern history at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. He is the author of A Revolution of the Mind: Radical Enlightenment and the Intellectual Origins of Modern Democracy (Princeton).

Summary

Historians of the French Revolution used to take for granted what was also obvious to its contemporary observers--that the Revolution was shaped by the radical ideas of the Enlightenment. Yet in recent decades, scholars have argued that the Revolution was brought about by social forces, politics, economics, or culture--almost anything but abstract

Additional text

"Amazingly well-researched. . . . To describe it as a very, very worthy read, would be an understatement of colossal, consequentialist design."

Product details

• Authors: Jonathan Israel, Israel Jonathan
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.09.2015
• EAN: 9780691169712
• ISBN: 978-0-691-16971-2
• No. of pages: 888
• Dimensions: 156 mm x 235 mm x 49 mm
• Subjects: Non-fiction book; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, History of Ideas, France, European History, PHILOSOPHY / History & Surveys / Modern, HISTORY / Social History, HISTORY / Europe / France, 19th century, c 1800 to c 1899, 18th century, c 1700 to c 1799, Revolutions, uprisings, rebellions, c 1789 to c 1799 (French Revolutionary period), Western philosophy: Enlightenment, C 1700 To C 1800, French Revolution, HISTORY / Revolutions, Uprisings & Rebellions