The French Revolution and What Went Wrong

Contents

About the Author

Also available by Stephen Clarke

Introduction (and Justification)

Part I Pourquoi la Révolution?

1 Creating Europe’s Grandest Palace

2 Enslaving the Aristocracy

3 Moral and Financial Bankruptcy

4 Louis XV, the Worst of Both Worlds

5 A Glimmer of Enlightenment

6 Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette Are an Early Flop

7 Marie-Antoinette, the Queen of Royal Excess

8 Louis XVI Tries His Hand at Politics

9 Louis XVI’s Revolutionary Reformers

Part II The Revolt Sets In

10 Was Everyday Life Really that Bad in 1789?

11 Louis XVI’s Final Gamble

Part III The Revolution Goes Astray (for the First Time)

12 French Populism Par Excellence

13 France Perfects Its Talent for Fake News

14 The Sun Goes Down on Versailles

Part IV Towards Terror Firma

15 A Short Honeymoon in Paris

16 A Double-Headed Threat

17 The King and Queen Try to Take French Leave

18 ‘The Homeland Is in Danger’

19 If You Can Keep Your Head …

20 Crimes and Punishments

Part V Plus Ça Change, Plus C’est la Même Chose

21 How the Revolution Failed to Help the Poor, Women and Slaves

22 The Revolution Smoulders On

Epilogue: Why Modern France Is Suffering from ‘Regis Envy’

Picture Section

A Timeline of the French Revolution

Victims of the Revolution

Select Bibliography

Picture Permissions