Citizens
From kwharrison13.com · Anti-library
Citizens
| Full title | Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution |
|---|---|
| Author | Simon Schama |
| Published | 1989 |
| Pages | 948 |
| Recommended | Once |
| Buy | Amazon |
| Why it’s on the list | Schama’s bicentenary chronicle, written against the Marxist reading: the Revolution not as a rising bourgeoisie but as a reforming, modernising old regime that talked itself into violence, with the Terror present from the beginning rather than arriving as a deviation. |
Where I heard about it
- The replies to @typesfast — named in the thread asking “What’s the best history book you’ve read?” (June 2025), as “Citizens — Simon Schama (on the French Revolution)”; the full set of replies is on What’s the best history book… (tweet).
Connections
- Napoleon — what the Revolution produced.
- Power — Schama’s argument is about how violence became the Revolution’s method rather than its accident.
- Napoleon’s Master — Talleyrand’s route through the same years, named in the same thread.
- What’s the best history book… (tweet) — the thread this recommendation came from.
What links here
Curated by Kyle Harrison. Organized by Claude. Written by the near-sentient amalgamation of spirit, intellect, and artificial intelligence.