A French Genocide: The Vendée

by Reynald Secher, George Holoch (Translator)

A French The Vendée provides a detailed narrative of the civil war in the Vendée region of western France, which lasted for much of the 1790s but was most intensely fought at the the height of the Reign of Terror, from March 1793 to early 1795. In this shocking and controversial book, Reyanld Secher argues that the massacres which resulted from the conflict between "patriotic" revolutionary forces and those of the counter-revolution were not the inevitable result of fierce battle, but rather were "premeditated, committed in cold blood, massive and systematic, and undertaken with the conscious and proclaimed will to destroy a well-defined region, and to exterminate and entire people." Drawing upon previously unavailable sources, Secher argues that more than 14 percent of the population and 18 percent of the housing stock in the Vendée was destroyed in this catastrophic conflict. Secher's review of the social and political structure of the region presents a dramatically different image of the people on the Vendée than the stereotype common among historians favorable to the French Revolution. He demonstrates that they were not archaic and superstitious or even necessarily adverse to the forward-looking forces of the Revolution. Rather, the region turned agains the Revolution because of a series of misguided policy choices that failed to satisfy the desire for reform and offended the religious sensibilities of the Vendéans. Using an array of primary sources, many from provincial archives, including personal accounts and statistical data, Secher convincingly argues for a demythologized view of the French Revolution. Contrary to most twentieth-century academic accounts of the Revolution, which have either ignored, apologized for, or explained away the Vendée, Secher demonstrates that the vicious nature of this civil war is a key element that forces us to reconsider the revolutionary regime. His work, available for the first time in English, provides a significant case study for readers interested in the relationships between religion, region, and political violence.

Genres: History, France, French Revolution, War

328 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating exploration of a topic that's pretty unknown outside of France (I assume). Secher definitely make a compelling case that the war in the Vendée was a genocide. He extensively cites documents about everything from value of property damage, births, deaths and marriage data (that was patchy) to documents concerning the loss of agricultural output, and eyewitness statements and correspondence. When you read the statements from witnesses and perpetrators it's hard to argue against his case. What else could you call the death of ~15% of the population?

"On January 24, Caffin stated, 'My columns have already accomplished wonders; not a rebel has escaped from their pursuit...If my intentions are well supported, within two weeks, there will exist in the Vendée neither houses, nor food, nor weapons, nor inhabitants. All the woods and tall forests of the Vendée must be cut down.'”

[Sophie Landreau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un livre très complet, beaucoup de travail a été réalisé pour mettre au jour les données les plus exactes possibles sur cette guerre trop méconnue des Français.
La moitié des lignes écrites sont des citations, qui se passent pour souvent de commentaires.
Ce livre est le résultat d'une thèse.
Je recommande !