Rethinking the French Revolution: Marxism and the Revisionist ChallengeHistorians generally—and Marxists in particular—have presented the revolution of 1789 as a bourgeois revolution: one which marked the ascendance of the bourgeois as a class, the defeat of a feudal aristocracy, and the triumph of capitalism. Recent revisionist accounts, however, have raised convincing arguments against the idea of the bourgeois class revolution, and the model on which it is based. In this provocative study, George Comninel surveys existing interpretations of the French Revolution and the methodological issues these raise for historians. He argues that the weaknesses of Marxist scholarship originate in Marx’s own method, which has led historians to fall back on abstract conceptions of the transition from feudalism to capitalism. Comninel reasserts the principles of historical materialism that found their mature expression in Das Kapital; and outlines an interpretation which concludes that, while the revolution unified the nation and centralized the French state, it did not create a capitalist society. |
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Contents
Introduction | 1 |
The Marxist Response | 28 |
A Liberal Concept | 53 |
A Marxist Critique of Marxist Theory | 77 |
Liberal Ideology and the Politics of the Revolution | 104 |
Marxs Early Thought | 121 |
Historical Materialism | 133 |
Revolution | 179 |
| 208 | |
| 219 | |
Other editions - View all
Rethinking the French Revolution: Marxism and the Revisionist Challenge George C. Comninel No preview available - 1991 |
Common terms and phrases
actual agrarian agriculture alienation analysis ancien régime appears argued aristocracy articulation basis bourgeois revolution bourgeoisie capitalism capitalist capitalist society central century character class relations class society class struggle clearly Cobban conception conservative continued course created critical critique of political determinism division of labor dynamic emergence Engels English entirely essential evidence existence exploitation expression extraction fact feudal followed forces formation France French Revolution fundamental hand historians historical materialism human idea ideology important industry interests issue land less liberal logic Marx Marx's Marxist materialist means mode of production movement natural necessary nobility offered origins Paris particularly peasant perspective political economy popular positions pre-capitalist precisely progress question recognized remains rent revisionist revolutionary Robin role ruling sans-culottes seen sense simply Soboul social interpretation social relations specific stages structuralist structure surplus taken theory thought tion transition whole
Bibliographic information
| Title | Rethinking the French Revolution: Marxism and the Revisionist Challenge |
| Author | George C. Comninel |
| Edition | reprint |
| Publisher | Verso, 1987 |
| ISBN | 0860918904, 9780860918905 |
| Length | 225 pages |
| Subjects | › › History / Europe / France |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |