A Concise History of France

530 Pages·2014·21.121 MB·English

by  Roger Price

A Concise History of France
Thisisthemostup-to-dateandcomprehensivestudyofFrenchhistory
available,rangingfromtheearlyMiddleAgestothepresent.Among
itscentralthemesaretherelationshipsbetweenstateandsociety,the
impactofwar,competitionforpowerandthewaysinwhichpower
hasbeenused.WhiletakingfullaccountofmajorfiguressuchasPhilip
Augustus,HenriIV,LouisXIV,NapoleonanddeGaulle,itsetstheir
activitieswithinthebroadercontextofchangingeconomicandsocial
structuresandbeliefs,andoffersrichinsightsintothelivesofordinary
menandwomen.Thisthirdeditionhasbeensubstantiallyrevisedand
includes a new chapter on contemporary France – a society and
politicalsystemincrisisasaresultofglobalisation,risingunemploy-
ment,afailingeducationalsystem,growingsocialandracialtensions,
corruption, the rise of the extreme right and a widespread loss of
confidenceinpoliticalleaders.
roger price is Emeritus Professor of History at Aberystwyth
University. He has written extensively on French history; his more
recentpublicationsincludeTheFrenchSecondEmpire:AnAnatomy
of Political Power (2001) and People and Politics in France, 1848–
1870(2004).
CAMBRIDGE CONCISE HISTORIES
Thisisaseriesofillustrated‘concisehistories’ofselectedindividual
countries,intended bothasuniversityandcollegetextbooksandas
general historical introductions for general readers, travellers, and
membersofthebusinesscommunity.
Foralistoftitlesintheseries,seeendofbook.
A Concise History
of France
third edition
ROGER PRICE
UniversityPrintingHouse,Cambridgecb28bs,UnitedKingdom
PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyCambridgeUniversityPress,NewYork
CambridgeUniversityPressispartoftheUniversityofCambridge.
ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof
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www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107017825
©CambridgeUniversityPress1993,2005,2014
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
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noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished1993
Reprinted1993,1994,1995,1999,2001,2004
Secondedition2005
Thirdedition2014
PrintedandboundintheUnitedKingdombyTJInternationalLtd.Padstow
Cornwall
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isbn978-1-107-01782-5Hardback
isbn978-1-107-60343-1Paperback
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CONTENTS
Listofplates pagevi
Listoffigures xii
Listoftables xiv
Acknowledgements xvi
Introduction 11
PART I MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN FRANCE 13
1 Populationandresourcesinpre-industrialFrance 15
2 SocietyandpoliticsinmedievalFrance 30
3 SocietyandpoliticsinearlymodernFrance 54
PART II THE DUAL REVOLUTION: MODERN
AND CONTEMPORARY FRANCE 97
4 RevolutionandEmpire 99
5 Thenineteenthcentury:continuityandchange 165
6 Atimeofcrisis:1914–1945 240
7 Reconstructionandrenewal:thetrenteglorieuses 316
8 Asocietyunderstress 383
Ashortguidetofurtherreading 485
Index 493
v
PLATES
Theauthorandpublishersacknowledgethefollowingsourcesofcopyright
materialandaregratefulforthepermissionsgranted.Whileeveryefforthas
been made, it has not always been possible to identify the sources of all
materialused,ortotraceallcopyrightholders.Ifanyomissionsarebrought
toournotice,wewillbehappytoincludetheappropriateacknowledgements
onreprinting.
1.1 Peasantploughing,endtwelfthcentury.Bibliothèque
nationale,Paris. page17
1.2 Misery:wars,faminesandepidemicsoftheHundredYears
War.Bibliothèquedel’écoledesbeaux-arts,Paris.Photo:
Giraudon/theBridgemanArtLibrary. 22
2.1 CoronationofakingofFrance.Mid-eleventh-century
miniature.Bibliothèquenationale. 36
2.2 ReturnofPhilipAugustustoParisafterhisvictoryatBouvines.
Fifteenth-centuryminiature.BibliothèqueroyaleAlbertI,
Brussels. 44
2.3 ThesiegeofOrléans.Latefifteenth-centuryminiature.
Bibliothèquenationale. 52
3.1 Thesackingofafarm:aclassicimageofthemisfortunesof
war.MuséeBargoin,Clermont-Ferrand.Photo:Giraudon/the
BridgemanArtLibrary. 62
3.2 LouisXIVin1660,agedtwenty-two,alreadymarkedbya
senseofhispersonaldignity.EngravingbyP.vanSchuppen,
afterapaintingbyW.Vaillant.©Roger-Viollet/TopFoto. 68
vi
Listofplates vii
3.3 Constructionofaroad.PaintingbyJ.Vernet,1774.Muséedu
Louvre,Paris.Photo:Giraudon/theBridgemanArtLibrary. 76
3.4 ThebattleofFontenoy,11May1745.PaintingbyH.Vernet.
©RMN-GrandPalais(ChâteaudeVersailles)/ChristianJean. 88
4.1 LouisXVIinhiscoronationrobes.PaintingbyJ.-S.Duplessis.
MuséeCarnavalet,Paris.©Roger-Viollet/TopFoto. 102
4.2 ThetakingoftheBastille,14July1789.Anonymouspainting.
MuséenationalduchâteaudeVersailles.Photo:Giraudon/the
BridgemanArtLibrary. 120
4.3 Châteauxburningastheirownersflee,1789.Anonymous
engraving.MuséeCarnavalet.Photo:Giraudon/theBridgeman
ArtLibrary. 121
4.4 Thenightof4August1789:asocialrevolution.Engravingby
I.S.Helman,afterapaintingbyC.Monnet.Bibliothèque
nationale.Photo:Giraudon/theBridgemanArtLibrary. 123
4.5 TheattackontheTuileries,10August1792.Paintingby
J.Bertaux.MuséenationalduchâteaudeVersailles.Photo:
Giraudon/theBridgemanArtLibrary. 136
4.6 TheexecutionofLouisXVI,21January1793.Photo:the
StapletonCollection/theBridgemanArtLibrary. 138
4.7 Emergenceoftheconservativerepublic,Thermidor,yearII(28
July1794).EngravingbyI.S.Helman,afterapaintingby
C.Monnet.Bibliothèquenationale,CabinetdesEstampes.
Photo:Giraudon/theBridgemanArtLibrary. 147
4.8 ThebattleofAusterlitz,2December1805,confirmedFrench
militarypredominance.EngravingbyJ.L.RugendasII.©
Paris–Muséedel’Armée,Dist.RMN–GrandPalais. 155
4.9 NapoleondistributingEuropebetweenhisbrothers.
EngravingbyJ.Gauthier.MuséeCarnavalet.©
Roger-Viollet/TopFoto. 156
4.10 ThecrossingoftheBerezina,25–29November1812:acrucial
momentinthedisastrousretreatfromMoscow.Lithographby
V.Adam.Bibliothèquenationale,CabinetdesEstampes.
Photo:Giraudon/theBridgemanArtLibrary. 160
viii Listofplates
4.11 Thebeginningsofindustrialisation:acoalminenearLiège,
1812.MuséeCarnavalet.Photo:Giraudon/theBridgemanArt
Library. 164
5.1 TheroyalfamilyinMay1814.MuséeCarnavalet.Photo:
Giraudon/theBridgemanArtLibrary. 183
5.2 TheSolemnBlessingofaCross.Therestorationofmoral
order,orCatholicreconquest,1826.EngravingbyJ.Massard.
Bibliothèquenationale. 186
5.3 FightingintheboulevarddesItaliens,28July1830.
LithographbyV.Adam.MuséeCarnavalet.Photo:Muséesde
laVilledeParis.©SPADEM. 191
5.4 LafayettereceivingLouis-PhilippeattheHôtel-de-Ville,Paris,
31July1830.PaintingbyE.-F.Féron.©RMN–GrandPalais
(ChâteaudeVersailles)/Droitsréservés. 192
5.5 June1848:barricadeintherueSaint-Antoine.Lithographby
E.deBeaumontandE.Ciceri.©RMN–GrandPalais/Agence
Bulloz. 203
5.6 NapoleonIII,theempressandthePrinceImperial,surrounded
bytheirpeople.EngravingbyL.Flaming.Bibliothèque
nationale,CabinetdesEstampes. 209
5.7 TheSchneiderworksatLeCreusot.WatercolourbyI.F.
Bonhommé.Photo:DEA/G.DAGLIORTI/DeAgostini/Getty
Images. 216
5.8 Paris,4September1870:republicansproclaimtheoverthrow
oftheBonapartedynasty.PaintingbyJ.Guiaud.Musée
Carnavalet.©MuséeCarnavalet/Roger-Viollet/TopFoto. 220
5.9 TheburningofParis,May1871.MuséeCarnavalet.Photo:
MuséesdelaVilledeParis.©SPADEM. 223
5.10 Peasantstravellingbyrail.Photo:Popperfoto. 228
5.11 Thethreshingmachine.PaintingbyA.Rigolot.Muséedes
beaux-arts,Rouen.Photo:Giraudon/theBridgemanArt
Library. 231
5.12 ‘Afamilydinner’.CartoonbyC.d’Ache.Bibliothèque
nationale,CabinetdesEstampes. 233