The French Revolution

Hibbert's The French Revolution is an account of the events aimed clearly at the general reader. Easy to read and concise, this book focuses on the events and personalities that forced through revolutionary change, although maybe at the expense of a fuller exploration of the ideologies behind those changes.

Backed up by quotes from contemporary accounts, the Revolution unfolds over 300 odd pages in all it's bloody glory. Hibbert does not shy from the bare facts of the number of people, both aristocrat and peasant, who were guillotined in the name of Liberty. The Revolutionaries were in uncharted waters as soon as they killed the king and the vying for position amongst the various faction became ever more bloody and bitter post 1789.

All the big names are here, Danton, Marat, Robespierre and of course Bonaparte. All the major events are covered in detail, both their build up and outcome. The lurches from Left to Right and back again. The Terror, the final submission to dictatorship as Bonaparte stamps his authority on the remnants of the Revolutionary Councils. It's all here.

There are weightier tomes that delve deeper into the ideologies behind the Revolution, but if you want a straightforward, easy to read account of those momentous years, you can do no worse than this book.