Fitzsimmons’s command of the Old Regime is also impressive.
This book will quickly have an impact on our general understanding
of the Revolution.” —Jack R. Censer, Journal of Social
History
“There is no dispute that Fitzsimmons’s book is both
interesting and essential not only for study of the early part
of the French Revolution, but also for an accurate understanding
of modernity, as the author provides in his book a useful and workable
model of that often overused term. Thus, it has a timely double
appeal and utility and, therefore, it has a place in any academic
library and many private ones as well. In both important areas,
Fitzsimmons has made timely and valuable contributions.” —Eric
A. Arnold Jr., History
“(A) superbly documented and clearly written book.... It
is typical of the perceptiveness that will make The Night the Old
Regime Ended an indispensable book for any student of the early
part of the Revolution.”—Nigel Aston, European History
Quarterly
"Historians have tended to dismiss or underplay the importance
of the night of August 4 and to be somewhat cynical about the motives
of those involved. In this well-researched study, Fitzsimmons shows
that the events of this night had momentous consequences across
a wide area of revolutionary policy and played a key role in forging
French national identity."—Alan Forrest, University
of York
If
the Fall of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, marks the symbolic
beginning
of the French Revolution, then August 4 is the day the Old Regime
ended, for it was on that day (or, more precisely, that night)
that
the National Assembly met and undertook sweeping reforms that ultimately
led to a complete reconstruction of the French polity. What
began
as a prearranged meeting with limited objectives suddenly took
on a frenzied atmosphere during which dozens of noble deputies
renounced
their traditional privileges and dues. By the end of the night,
the Assembly had instituted more meaningful reform than had
the
monarchy in decades of futile efforts. In The Night the Old
Regime Ended, Michael Fitzsimmons offers the first full-length
study in English of the night of August 4 and its importance to
the French
Revolution.
