Words of Fire, Deeds of Blood: The Mob, the Monarchy, and the French Revolution

by Olivier Bernier

This is a popular history of the French Revolution, a recounting of the monumental events that occured from Bastille Day until the Terror. In the space of these few years, the French monarchs, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinettte, sank from immense popularity to a place on the scaffold.

Genres: History, France, Nonfiction, French Revolution

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another general overview of the French Revolution as it seems i need multiple retellings to be able to keep the events, moods and people straight (and this won't be my last general history either). This book covers the topic admirably. Straightforward, written for clarity and not to score author points, i appreciated his viewpoint and story stresses. For the whole story - soup to nuts in 400 pages- can't be beat.

[Ellen Chavez · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a very informative book that cleared up some points that I had been missing from other books about the French Revolution.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read in years. Great vacation book for nerds. Covers the first four years of the French Revolution.

Taught me a lot about how revolutions progress, in the sense that once the bottle is open controlling the situation becomes difficult. Also good for describing the process of the "reaction" from the powers that be.

Basically, it looks how the country is broke so the King calls the Estates General to get the aristoctrats to start paying taxes (other methods had failed). So first, the liberal aristocrats take over, then the upper middle class, then the middle class, and finally, the Paris Mob basically takes over and floods the french Constitutional Convention/congress with thousands of armed men and women everyday. Since the Army won't shoot at them, they rule the day. And so on....

[Dan Rheingans · Rating 4 out of 5]

This work by Bernier was very enlightening. I learned a ton about a period I knew only a little about. His writing style was very approachable, and while repetitive in some arguments, kept the narrative going smoothly. The drama between King, Queen, the Mob and the various political groups was fascinating and depressing. It was amazing to see how many moments were missed that led to the devolution of the ancien regime. Definitely a worthy read. It may be an older book, and I have not a clue as to what the historiography has said in response to Bernier's arguments or latter investigations have built on this work from 1990, as it is not an area of expertise for me, but I learned a lot from it and would suggest to others who have an interest in the French Revolution.