Review by Choice Review
Fitzsimmons (Auburn Univ., Montgomery) maintains that the dramatic activities during the night of August 4, 1789, produced a major turning point in the French Revolution, and that this episode has not received the attention it deserves from historians, even though the documents have long been available. He corrects this oversight by detailing the evening's events, which gave the Revolution new momentum. Carefully examining the delicate privilege question, Fitzsimmons convincingly demonstrates that clergy and noble representatives were divided over this issue. However, several of them were eventually elected to newly created local government offices and subsequently supported the work of the National Assembly to its conclusion in 1791. Separate chapters focus on the complex consequences that the August event had on the church, the nobility, rural regions, and cities. The author's reflections on such matters as the development of religious toleration, abolition of the nobility, and elimination of the guilds are penetrating, as is his discussion of the peasants, whom he suggests were more politically aware than previously recognized. This volume is a valuable addition to the historiography of the French Revolution. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. T. M. Keefe Saint Joseph's University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
