Fair Shares for All
Fair Shares for All
This study explores the egalitarian policies pursued in the provinces during the radical phase of the French Revolution, but moves away from the habit of looking at such issues in terms of the Terror alone. It challenges revisionist readings of Jacobinism that dwell on its totalitarian potential or portray it as dangerously utopian. The mainstream Jacobin agenda emphasised 'fair shares' and equal opportunities for all in a private ownership market economy. It sought to achieve social justice without jeopardising human rights and tended thus to complement, rather than undermine, the liberal, individualist programme of the Revolution. The book stresses the relevance of the 'Enlightenment legacy', the close affinity between Girondins and Montagnards, the key role played by many lesser-known figures and the moral ascendancy of Robespierre. It reassesses the basic social and economic issues at stake in the Revolution, which cannot be understood solely in terms of political discourse.
- A concise study which challenges the revisionist orthodoxy on the basic aims of the French Revolution
- Stresses the importance of the social and economic ideas at stake in the Revolution
- Discusses central issues beyond the shadow of 'the Terror', and highlights democratic attempts to achieve social justice
Reviews & endorsements
"This book is a welcome addition to the historiography of the French Revolution on a number of counts. It has been well researched, utilizing both local and national archives and libraries; it is a well-conceived and well-organized study; the author is both economical and eloquent in his prose; and the book has been well produced. It will be essential reading for those interested in the Jacobin political project, the activities in the provinces of the 'representatives on mission' and the 'other side' of the Terror." Paul R. Hanson, Journal of Interdisciplinary History
"This short and pithy book is one of the refreshing and stimulating essays on the Terror of the French Revolution to appear in many years, if only because it challenges so much of the dominant recent scholarship." Gary Kates, American Historical Review
Product details
February 2011Adobe eBook Reader
9780511822124
0 pages
0kg
This ISBN is for an eBook version which is distributed on our behalf by a third party.
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Table of Contents
- Introduction
- 1. The Jacobin mainstream and the Robespierrist conspiracy
- 2. The family ethos and the common happiness
- 3. Food rationing, collectivism and the market economy
- 4. Land tenure, shelter and the right of ownership
- 5. Progressive taxation and the fair distribution of wealth
- 6. Jobs for all and to each a fair deal
- 7. A place at school and a time for rejoicing.
