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The French Revolution summary
Thomas Carlyle
A History
20 mins
Brief summary
The French Revolution by Thomas Carlyle offers a vivid, dramatic account of the tumultuous events and formidable figures during the revolutionary period in France, emphasizing the chaos, energy, and passion that fueled profound social upheaval.
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The French Revolution
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Louis the Beloved
In the year 1744, Louis XV of France nearly dies of illness. The nation weeps. Churches overflow with prayers. Sobs echo in chapels. When it becomes clear he will survive, the grateful French bestow upon him the title Bien-Aimé – Beloved.
Thirty years later, the same king lies sick again. But this time, the churches are quiet. People shrug. He is Bien-aimé no longer.
A court of parasites surrounds the dying monarch. Among them are a disgraced duke, a ruthless chancellor, and a financial minister who shamelessly defaults on debts. They’ve all won their power by cozying up to Madame du Barry: former courtesan, now the king’s mistress. Her influence is vast; she installs ministers, destroys rivals, and builds her own palace of luxury and control. Yet her power hangs by a thread. If the king dies, so does her empire.
The rot has spread far beyond Versailles. Once a warrior class, the nobility has become ornamental – draped in silk, obsessed with duels and feasts, stripped of all meaningful function. The Church mumbles dogma to empty pews. In the salons and coffee houses, a new nobility emerges – not of blood, but of ink. Philosophers and pamphleteers speak openly, asking dangerous questions. Skepticism, not faith, now rules.
Outside the palace, France festers. Taxes crush the poor. Hunger gnaws at the countryside. In Paris, police kidnap children off the street in an attempt to rein in beggars. This fuels rumors that the king is bathing in the blood of the young to heal himself. Though authorities quell the gossip, the fear behind it – of a parasitic elite draining the nation – isn’t so easily snuffed.
On May 10, 1774, the king finally dies. In the next room, the Dauphin – his grandson – and the young Dauphine, Marie Antoinette, fall to their knees, weeping, “We are too young to reign!” They are, yet they must. The courtiers rush to proclaim the new king. Louis XV’s body is shoved into two lead coffins and carted off to Saint-Denis under the cover of night. The procession is jeered by Parisians lining the route.
The world shifts. France is fermenting. With the dying breath of Louis XV, the Revolution begins to stir.
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What is The French Revolution about?
The French Revolution (1837) is a seminal work that presents the revolutionary period as a series of dramatic episodes told in vivid, often chaotic prose. Through its unconventional style and prophetic tone, it established a new approach to historical writing that emphasized the spiritual and symbolic dimensions of political upheaval, rather than merely documenting events.
Who should read The French Revolution?
- History buffs who love a story with extra flair and drama
- Political philosophers interested in frameworks for understanding societal collapse
- Literature lovers curious about Carlyle’s unique and dramatic storytelling techniques
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