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The Forgotten Constitution discusses the world historical importance of the little-known French Constitution of 1791. It shows how the Constitution of 1791 gave birth to constitutionalism in the nineteenth century and the establishment of human rights in the twentieth. It also gave birth to electoral democracy.
List of contents
- Introduction
- PART I. THE CREATION OF A BOURBON STYLE OF GOVERNMENT
- 1. The Rebuilding of Royal Authority
- 2. Louis XV: Transition and Discord over Monarchy-Centered Government
- PART II. THE TERMINAL CRISIS OF THE OLD REGIME
- 3. The Descent into Crisis
- 4. The Erosion of Monarchy-Centered Government
- 5. Toward the Estates-General
- PART III. THE REALIZATION OF THE CONSTITUTION
- 6. The Pledge of a Constitution
- 7. The Collapse of Monarchy-Centered Government
- 8. The Expansion of the Constitution
- 9. The Completion and Consolidation of the Constitution
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
About the author
Michael P. Fitzsimmons is Professor of History Emeritus at Auburn University at Montgomery. His previous books include
The Place of Words: The Académie Française and Its Dictionary during an Age of Revolution,
The Night the Old Regime Ended: August 4, 1789 and The French Revolution, and
The Parisian Order of Barristers and the French Revolution.
Summary
The Forgotten Constitution discusses the world historical importance of the little-known French Constitution of 1791. It shows how the Constitution of 1791 gave birth to constitutionalism in the nineteenth century and the establishment of human rights in the twentieth. It also gave birth to electoral democracy.
