It’s Bastille Day. I know at least one person who looks forward to this day all year long, but I also know that many don’t know the history of their own country, ( in my case the U.S.) never mind that of France. For those from the U.S., it’s OK if you don’t know U.S. History, pathetic and embarrassing, but OK, after all The Bachelorette is still running, and you’re still studying the names of those vying to become engaged to some women the last Bachelor didn’t chose. Priorities, priorities.
For me, because I find history fascinating, and can’t imagine anyone not wanting to know more than a little something about it, and for you, I’ve concocted a random list to help out.
History is no indicator of the future. It is a record of the past, a learning tool, and sometimes entertainment, as in “HE DID WHAT”. The French Revolution has something for everyone in this regard.
Books on the French Revolution are comprehensive and necessarily voluminous. I can’t blame the casual reader for shunning volumes of something they feel useless minutia. That attitude might deserve a rethink.
The reasons for the Revolution aren’t minute, or set in stone, but worth noting is that during the Revolution France’s economic and intellectual development was not matched by social and political change, and this should strike a note of familiarity, and with that interest, to anyone living in and aware of what is going on in these equally tenuous times. We’ve been around a long time. there is always a been there done that to reference. To see how things played out, though hopefully not prognostic, is compelling.
If your bored, and consider this kind of thing fun, explore:
Robespierre, Maximilien Marie Isidore, Marie Antoinette, King Lousie XVI, LaFayette, Georges Jacques Danton, Paul Marat, and as influence
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, (leftover) Napoleone di Buonaparte.
Other musta busta’s:
The Offense: Reflections on the Revolution in France, Edmund Burke.
The Defense: The Rights of Man, Thomas Paine
Declaration of the Rights of Man.
For subsequent release from all this man fighting, an indirect result of it:
Mary Wollstonecraft’s, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman with Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects [1792].
In case you could care less about “The French”, no matter the significance of their revolution on our history and way of life, here’s some good stuff I’ve read recently:
Something we can’t blame the French for:
XXXL: Why are we so fat?
Tonight a film premiering on PBS at 10PM:
The Reckoning: The Battle For The International Criminal Court,by Paco de Onís, Peter Kinoy & Pamela Yates ‚PBS Trailer link.
As for me, the city winery here is having a let them eat (good) cheese, crackers, fruit, and drink wine, Bastille Day, happy (almost free) hour. I do anything for (almost) free (good) cheese.
Peace
If you want to get people interested in the French Revolution, just keep saying “Reign of terror, reign of terror, reign of terror.” Get’s me het up every time.
Doug´s last blog ..The Reformation of Wolfshausen
Eh, They’d just think I was screaming about the last presidency.
Unscheduled Vacation.…… Are you here to rub it in?
I love revolutions. They take too long for anyone to seriously consider one nowadays, if it can’t be done before the second cup of coffee then it can’t be done.
I’m good on the French Revolution I have a humanities minor.…;)
She didn’t say let them eat cheese either.
I did learn something.“A Vindication of the Rights of Woman“
I’ve never read it and I know not much about the author.
G´s last blog ..Young Hearts Run Free
Yeah we don’t have the attention span for revolutions anymore. Wait, Republicans are always Revolutionaries!
Chris´s last blog ..Scoring Affordable Health Bill
That’s for sure.
Yeah I know about the cheese cake.
OK, but can you tell me who the new manager of the Nationals is?
casey´s last blog ..Acta Outta
Umm, no.
I’ve always loved history. My masters is in American history. For some reason I did 20th century American. Looking back I should have done colonial American, since that’s really the only interesting American history. I guess cause I’m more of a current events guy I chose 20th century American. Oh well, too late now. Just glad that degree’s finished.
I can’t believe you didn’t mention the beheadings!
Chris´s last blog ..Scoring Affordable Health Bill
Maybe if things weren’t so damn depressing the now would be more interesting.
Well I think the beheading situation is probably the only thing most people know of, and that only vaguely.
Our history is intermingled, it is the history of mankind. There’D so much of it we don’t live long enough to catch up on it all.
“and this should strike a note of familiarity, and with that interest, to anyone living in and aware of what is going on in these equally tenuous times”
Your right.
Hope the cheese was cheesy.
Viva La France
john´s last blog ..Loneliness My Ass, or Thigh – Whatever
it was winey/cheesy.
I admit it. I don’t know too much about Bastille Day or even French History, for that matter. It’s crazy but I know more about Japanese history than I do of French History, even though I’m not Japanese.
mojo shivers´s last blog ..There Was A Time You Let Me Know, What’s Really Going On Below, But Now You Never Show It To Me, Do You?
Well at least you know something.
I love teaching history to 5th graders, we do very little European History — only as it relates to US history, but it’s fun trying to figure out how to give them a background to prepare them for middle school. We did a Bastille day yesterday, and that gave us a chance to spend this week discussing the French Revolution, superficially.
I don’t envy you the 5th graders.