A sharp, accessible look at the French Revolution and its constitutional promise, from a British observer’s perspective.
This nonfiction work surveys the key questions raised by the French Revolution and its impact on other nations. It frames the debate around rights, government, and the balance between tradition and reform, using contemporary events to test ideas about liberty and rule.
- Explore how early calls for a new constitution and the rights of man shaped political thought in 1789.
- Consider the roles of the National Assembly, finances, and the structure of governance in a changing nation.
- Compare different views on how a constitution should be built, debated, and implemented.
- Reflect on religion, public virtue, and the relationship between church, state, and society.
Ideal for readers of political history, constitutional theory, and debates about liberty and governance.
Edmund Burke, III is Professor of History at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is the editor of "Rethinking World History: Essays on Europe, Islam and World History" by Marshall G.S. Hodgson (1993) and co-editor (with Ira Lapidus) of "Islam, Politics, and Social Movements" (California, 1988).