Timothy Tackett

Tells the story of the kings Flight to Varennes and the consequences of the event. Tackett starts off with the end of the flight when the king reached Varennes and his stopped by the local citizens. He then goes back to the beginning and discusses the King and the initial planing of the flight. After that he goes on to look at the the rest of the flight. The rest of the book looks at how the different groups reacted to the event ranging from the citizens of Paris, the national assembly, the provincial citizens, and the eventual verdict of the assembly. The book ends with a synopsis of events that happened that would culminate into the Terror and the kings eventual execution.

Tackett's main argument was that the Flight to Varennes shocked the people of France to the point that they no longer had any faith in the monarchy or the constitutional monarchy that the National Assembly was trying to implement. Furthermore, the Kings actions sparked the divisive rivalry between the members that lead to the factionalism and rise of the Terror while playing into the paranoid feelings of members who feared a counter revolution.

I liked Tacketts book as it reminded me a lot of the writing style of Christopher Hibbert in that he presents loads of information but in a style that is accessible to a wider audience and doesn't bog you down with the usual dense academic analysis of events. In addition I liked how he was rather even handed when dealing with the different factions, showing their reactions without stating that one group had more legitimacy then another. If you are interested in the constitutional monarchy period of the French Revolution or how a single event could alter the course of history, Tucketts book is a good place to start.… (meer)