Revolution and Reaction - 9780521567343

An engaging range of period texts and theme books for AS and A Level history. In many ways the period 1789-1849 saw the birth of the modern world, as the people of Europe grappled with the impact of the new political and social ideas, rapid population growth and the acceleration of the industrialisation. The clash between the forces of change and the forces of conservatism provoked crisis, war, revolution and reaction. The period also produced its share of heroes and villains such as Robespierre, Napoleon, Metternich and Mazzini. Andrew Matthews provides a lively and intelligent account of the key developments of the period, from the causes of the French Revolution to the failure of the revolutions in 1848. In chapters that focus on the French Revolution, Napoleon, Restoration France, Metternich's Europe and the 1848 revolutions, he considers the key individuals, groups and political, social and economic pressures that produced so much revolution, repression and war. This book contains a wide range of visual and written sources and includes an additional document study section, The origins of the French Revolution, 1774-92.