Traumatic Politics by Barry M Shapiro
Examines the ramifications of the fear of imminent death that many National Assembly deputies felt as they anticipated an attack from the soldiers of Louis XVI in the days preceding the fall of the Bastille, at the beginning of the French Revolution.“Barry Shapiro addresses in original fashion a classic question about the failure of constitutional monarchy in Revolutionary FranceHe has mastered the events and debates of the Revolution’s first years, but he replaces traditional political and ideological explanations with insights from trauma research. In a work of creativity and daring, he explores the logic and illogic of political decision making in stressful times.”
—David G. Troyansky, Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York
“Barry Shapiro’s provocative psychological analysis of the ‘trauma’ induced by the French Revolution may not convince every reader. But the analysis itself is both careful and creative. Shapiro is simply too well acquainted with the history of the French Revolution—and too good a historian—to be taken lightly.”
—Darrin M. McMahon, Florida State University
“Shapiro has taken an innovative approach, and his arguments are compelling. His coverage of the important debates in the Assembly is impressive.”
—Leigh Whaley American Historical Review
“Shapiro's interdisciplinary analysis opens new perspectives. He notes that the same momentum is observable in modern-day revolutions, this lending credence to his thesis. While most of the material is quoted in English, he has faithfully consulted French sources. His work is readable and persuasive, and hopefully will join the recent scholarship on the French Revolution.”
—Mary Helen Kashuba French Review
“Traumatic Politics is an important book that expands current understanding of the Constituent Assembly. Shapiro is undoubtedly correct in recognising and attempting to explain the deputies’ ambivalent and constantly shifting attitudes toward Louis XVI. His sophisticated and careful analysis of the representatives’ letters and diaries and the assembly proceedings provides considerable insight into the deputies’ attitudes toward the king. His interpretation of the important political debates regarding monarchical authority is illuminating. . . . He has demonstrated the extent of the deputies’ fear of royal retribution in the early summer of 1789. He makes a convincing case that one cannot discount the memory of this experience in explaining the deputies’ conduct in the Constituent Assembly.”
—Kenneth Margerison French History
Barry M. Shapiro is Professor of History at Allegheny College.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780271035574 |
| ISBN 10 | 0271035579 |
| Title | Traumatic Politics |
| Author | Barry M Shapiro |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Pennsylvania State University Press |
| Year published | 2014-01-15 |
| Number of pages | 216 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |