Plot Summary

The Old Regime and The French Revolution

Alexis de Tocqueville
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The Old Regime and The French Revolution

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1856

Book Brief

Alexis de Tocqueville

The Old Regime and The French Revolution

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1856
Book Details
Pages

300

Format

Book • Nonfiction

Setting

France • 18th Century

Publication Year

1856

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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Super Short Summary

The Old Regime and The French Revolution by Alexis de Tocqueville analyzes the root causes and societal conditions leading to the French Revolution. Tocqueville explores the Ancien Regime's structure, arguing it set ideal conditions for revolt due to its entrenched class divisions and centralized power, which the Revolution aimed to dismantle for equality and freedom. The work also contrasts post-Revolution France with the democratic model of the United States.

Informative

Mysterious

Contemplative

Challenging

Melancholic

Reviews & Readership

4.3

2,462 ratings

76%

Loved it

19%

Mixed feelings

6%

Not a fan

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Review Roundup

Alexis de Tocqueville's The Old Regime and The French Revolution is praised for its profound insights into the causes and consequences of the Revolution. Critics commend its analytical depth and relevance to contemporary studies of political change. However, some point out its dense prose and occasional Eurocentric perspective as drawbacks. Overall, it remains a seminal work in political and historical scholarship.

Who should read this

Who Should Read The Old Regime and The French Revolution?

Readers who relish historical analysis, sociopolitical theory, and revolutionary studies would be captivated by Alexis de Tocqueville's The Old Regime and The French Revolution. Comparable to Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France and Hannah Arendt's On Revolution, this book attracts those interested in the nuanced causes and consequences of revolutions.

4.3

2,462 ratings

76%

Loved it

19%

Mixed feelings

6%

Not a fan

Book Details
Pages

300

Format

Book • Nonfiction

Setting

France • 18th Century

Publication Year

1856

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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