1789: The French Revolution Begins

The first comprehensive study of the complex events and debates through which the 1789 French National Assembly became a sovereign body.

Robert H. Blackman (Author)

9781108716673, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 6 August 2020

297 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm, 0.443 kg

'This excellent book provokes the reader to wonder 'what if' the delegates' fail-safes had worked, if moderate voices continued to place a check on radicalism, and terror did not eventually become the order of the day.' Caroline Hackett, H-Nationalism

The French Revolution marks the beginning of modern politics. Using a diverse range of sources, Robert H. Blackman reconstructs key constitutional debates, from the initial convocation of the Estates General in Versailles in May 1789, to the National Assembly placing the wealth of the Catholic Church at the disposal of the nation that November, revealing their nuances through close readings of participant and witness accounts. This comprehensive and accessible study analyses the most important debates and events through which the French National Assembly became a sovereign body, and explores the process by which the massive political transformation of the French Revolution took place. Blackman's narrative-driven approach creates a new path through the complex politics of the early French Revolution, mapping the changes that took place and revealing how a new political order was created during the chaotic first months of the Revolution.

Introduction: building a national assembly
1. The long slumber of the Estates General
2. The Estates General sitting as a National Assembly
3. The king responds
4. The king resists
5. Toward a defensive constitution
6. A truly national Assembly
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: French Revolution [HBTV2], European history [HBJD]