The enlightenment and the origins of the French Revolution
David Garrioch
8 points * 2 lectures and 1 tutorial per week * First semester * Clayton
Understanding the French Revolution is impossible without a knowledge of the society in which it erupted. This subject looks at the changes in French society, culture and politics in the half-century before the revolution. Central themes are the shift from religious to secular politics; changes in government and administration; the development of the new political ideologies and their challenge to the Old Regime state; demographic change and its social impact; the social and political consequences of economic growth and overseas expansion. The subject will conclude with a study of the 1789 Revolution and its immediate causes.
Assessment
Written (4000 words): 70% * Examination (2 hours): 30% * Option of an additional 1500-word essay in place of an examination
Recommended texts
Cranston M Philosophers and pamphleteers OUP, 1986
Darnton R The great cat massacre Random House, 1985
Doyle W Origins of the French Revolution OUP, 1980
Lewis G The French Revolution: Rethinking the debate Routledge, 1993