The French Revolution sent shockwaves across the world.

Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were beheaded, and in their wake came The Terror, where many more thousands of people lost their heads to the guillotine.

Yet, the repercussions of this moment event did not subside with the execution of Robespierre and other key figures in this murderous revolution.

Instead, it set in motion the rise to power of a young Corsican artillery officer, who would lead his seemingly unbeatable armies across the breadth of the Europe and become the new terror of the continent.

Charles Downer Hazen’s fascinating history, The French Revolution and Napoleon begins with a thorough study of France prior to 1789, explaining how a revolutionary fervor could grip the nation.

Through analyzing the development of the new French constitution and political system, Hazen uncovers how Enlightenment ideals underpinned the monumental changes that occurred through this period.

These ideals were, however, rarely met and Hazen goes onto discuss why the initial idealism of the revolution descended into anarchy, providing Napoleon the perfect opportunity to take power for himself.

The French Revolution and Napoleon is fascinating history of the period from 1789 to 1815, when the events in France shook the globe to its core and have cast a long shadow over the world we know today.

“a clear insight into the character of the development of the world’s history” American Historical Review

“The work of Professor Hazen is admirably done. He has a rare talent for the clear and compact statement of complex facts. His sense of historical perspective is just and his power of connected narrative is highly developed” New York Times

Charles Downer Hazen, born 1868, was a professor of European History at Colombia University. He died in 1941.