Uncovering the Legacy of America's Greatest Generation: The Untold Story of the New World

Das Licht: I enjoyed how clear and concise all the many concepts were. It was a fun and informative read. Awesome book!

United States on Jul 09, 2023

Neil S.: I enjoyed this book. Having not studied the French Revolution since my degree, to many years to mention!, this book provides the detail that I really needed. I would recommend this to anybody interested in this subject.

United Kingdom on Apr 02, 2023

Weid: As the title suggests, the French Revolution reverberated far outside the place and time in which it occurred. Popkin takes an overall favorable view of the FR and its impact, emphasizing the positive aspects of its legacy relevant to the political world we inhabit today. A significant miss is that Popkin doesn't make his case for why liberal democracy and republicanism in his "new world" begins with the FR; these can more accurately be attributed to the American Revolution. The US Declaration of Independence predates France's Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen by 13 years; the US Constitution by one year. Not just ideas: even some of the same actors who had already made history in the American Revolution return for an encore during the FR. Thomas Paine and Marquis de Lafayatte come to mind as they are featured throughout this book. In the US, these two are part of a pantheon celebrated for their contributions to the founding of the republic. Contrast that with revolutionary France, where Lafayette was forced into exile to avoid arrest and likely execution and Paine was imprisoned for a time - not by the ancien regime but by their erstwhile revolutionary allies! This...

United States on May 09, 2022

Keith Hansen: After struggling with Doyle and Schama's books on the French Revolution, I tried one more time with Popkin's book and am extremely glad I did. The other two, I could not get through.

Schama is a horrifically idiosyncratic writer and Doyle is a dull writer but Popkin gets it just right.

Everything was perfect about this book. It slowly unfolded the story in linear fashion and clearly elucidated the causes, activities, and personalities around the revolution. Popkin was neither boring nor opinionated nor verbose; neither did he go off on tangents but kept everything focused and moving along. I now have a solid grasp on this critical event in human history.

This, thus, is the BEST modern, one-volume academic coverage of the French Revolution. Once you have read this, you will be ready to now delve into more specific and detailed books on whatever fits your fancy (such as the Vendee, the Terror, the military aspects, etc.)

Don't waste time with Doyle or Schama. Start here on your French Revolution adventure.

Finally - it is incumbent to understand the French Revolution as history repeats itself so not only is this book recommended - the very topic is...

United States on Oct 31, 2021

Keith E.: Open this book anywhere and start reading...you will be immediately caught up in the flow of the story, and its place in the overall context of the French Revolution...after a while, you'll have to make yourself stop reading; it's that well written! Possibly the most pleasing accomplishment of this book is the lucid consideration of "cause and effect": the causes of the French Revolution are examined in a clear manner, and the effects of the Revolution, the ramifications, are thoroughly laid out as well--the whole book flowing in a smooth linear fashion through those tumultuous years. Although not overflowing with pictures, there are timely illustrations that serve to highlight topics of discussion or key moments of the story: the writing itself is a great combination of contemporary observations by, and of, people great and small--the unfolding of events in real time--and clear descriptive writing (never overly-academic or convoluted), all blended into a wonderfully lucid, absorbing and compelling presentation of the era.

Canada on May 18, 2021

Christopher: An impressive work of scholarship, but not a great introduction to the subject of the French Revolution - especially if you have no prior background in it. If you’ve already read a few books on the French Revolution and are looking for some recent scholarship that draws on primary sources you likely haven’t been exposed to before and which more explicitly ties in events in France’s New World possessions (especially Saint-Domingue (Haïti)), this book will probably be informative and enjoyable for you. If you’re new to the subject, like I am, you’ll likely find it dry, meandering, and at times strangely light on explanation.

For example, my first action upon finishing this 550 page book on the French Revolution was to Wikipedia the causes of the French Revolution, because that really wasn’t made clear to me. Somehow, for me, that got lost in the noise. Instead, the reader is treated to many blow-by-blow accounts of the politicking and thinking of various key actors at various key assemblies and debates. So, while there are some awesome, highly granular breakdowns of some key events, I found the narrative had a way of flitting from one thing to another, getting...

Canada on May 16, 2021

Ian William McQuigg: I had to study the French Revolution for an A level years ago and loved this period of history then, and ever since. This book is superb. You feel transported into the times with the amount of incredible detail given about what people at all levels of society were thinking and discussing. If you are looking for gory details about the September massacres you won’t find it here because it is dealt with concisely but if you want to get into the minds of the people who changed this dramatic time of history, this book will do that for you. The issue of slavery and the Colonies has been expertly woven in and is engrossing and illuminating, as are all the other issues of framing a Constitution for the people that was at the same time workable for the hugely diverse and complex factions which Jeremy Popkin describes in such detailed brilliance.

United Kingdom on May 01, 2021

Bill Words: Don’t be discouraged by the small number of negative reviews claiming this book is dull: yes, it’s rather long, and yes, it goes into great depth in places, but if you want snappy, buy the Very Short Introduction title instead. I don’t mind admitting I struggled with parts of it – I’m not a historian, and the French Revolution is a period I know very little about – but that’s no fault of the book, which at over 600 pages is clearly intended to be a comprehensive account, not just an introduction (although it’s served very well as that).

What Popkin offers is a reflective, fascinating study that takes its time with each major event – 1789 is covered across a number of chapters, for instance, month by month – and it abounds with rich detail. He ensures the Revolution is seen in a wider context of revolutions, too, examining the influence of early American politics on France, France’s effect on Haiti, and so on. He also gives room to the lives of women and of people of colour, revealing parallel narratives many readers won’t have read before, myself included. Popkin’s focus on the miserable irony of a revolution pursuing liberty in a country so...

United Kingdom on Jan 15, 2021

William J. Bahr: Another title: "A Tale of Two Men"? This is a gem of a book about the French Revolution based upon Dr. Popkin’s lifetime study of that immensely historic event. His previous seven editions of “A Short History of the French Revolution” dealt with the Revolution’s most important events within a space of around 160 pages. Now, in what may be called one of the French Revolution’s “definitive histories,” he provides some 640 pages of interesting information, four times the earlier page count. This expanded page count allows him to delve deep into the interesting background that forced the major events. It also allows him to tell how the Revolution developed from the perspective of two interesting characters, King Louis XVI and the artisan glasscutter Ménétra, one of the very few commoners who wrote a memoir of his life during the Revolution.

Extremely well-written and documented, it’s truly a joy to read and an excellent example of how otherwise dry history can be “turned” into a page-turner.” A must-read for those wishing to understand the underpinnings of man’s quest for a just society. Highly recommended!

NB: In consideration of Dr. Popkins'...

United States on Dec 13, 2019