Royalist Political Thought During the French Revolution

(Hardback)

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Description

This book treats two basic subjects: (1) royalist explanations of the causes of the French Revolution, and (2) royalist defenses of royalist political positions. The royalists began with a simplistic conspiracy theory of history - the Old Regime was right. But then they came up with increasingly sophisticated explanations, thereby making an important contribution to historical explanation. In political thought, they eventually offered a tempered defense of the Old Regime, a call for political elitism in the face of the chaos unleashed by the Revolution, and an early explanation of the organic theory of history, a true contribution to political thought.

Reviews

Osen's book adds to the understanding of rightist rationales. Upper-division undergraduates and above.-Choice
"Osen's book adds to the understanding of rightist rationales. Upper-division undergraduates and above."-Choice

Author Bio

JAMES L. OSEN is Professor of History at Beloit College.