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Alexis de Tocqueville
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The Ancien Régime and the Revolution (Penguin Classics) Paperback – July 29, 2008

by Alexis de Tocqueville (Author), Gerald Bevan (Translator, Introduction)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 142 ratings
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A powerful new translation of de Tocqueville's influential look at the origins of modern France 

The Ancien Régime and the Revolution is a comparison of revolutionary France and the despotic rule it toppled. Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–59) is an objective observer of both periods – providing a merciless critique of the ancien régime, with its venality, oppression and inequality, yet acknowledging the reforms introduced under Louis XVI, and claiming that the post-Revolution state was in many ways as tyrannical as that of the King; its once lofty and egalitarian ideals corrupted and forgotten. Writing in the 1850s, Tocqueville wished to expose the return to despotism he witnessed in his own time under Napoleon III, by illuminating the grand, but ultimately doomed, call to liberty made by the French people in 1789. His eloquent and instructive study raises questions about liberty, nationalism and justice that remain urgent today.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    307 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Classics
  4. Publication date
    July 29, 2008
  5. Grade level
    12 and up
  6. Reading age
    18 years and up
  7. Dimensions
    7.5 x 5 x 0.9 inches
  8. ISBN-10
    014144164X
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0141441641
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-59) was a historian, social critic, and politician. He is best-known for his keen his insights in Democracy in America, but made equally important observations about the French Revolution.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics (July 29, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 307 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 014144164X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0141441641
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 12 and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 5 x 0.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 142 ratings

About the author

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Alexis de Tocqueville

Alexis de Tocqueville

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Alexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville (French: [alɛksi ʃaʁl ɑ̃ʁi kleʁɛl də tɔkvil]; 29 July 1805 – 16 April 1859) was a French political thinker and historian best known for his works Democracy in America (appearing in two volumes: 1835 and 1840) and The Old Regime and the Revolution (1856). In both of these, he analyzed the improved living standards and social conditions of individuals, as well as their relationship to the market and state in Western societies. Democracy in America was published after Tocqueville's travels in the United States, and is today considered an early work of sociology and political science.

Tocqueville was active in French politics, first under the July Monarchy (1830–48) and then during the Second Republic (1849–51) which succeeded the February 1848 Revolution. He retired from political life after Louis Napoléon Bonaparte's 2 December 1851 coup, and thereafter began work on The Old Regime and the Revolution.

He argued that the importance of the French Revolution was to continue the process of modernizing and centralizing the French state which had begun under King Louis XIV. The failure of the Revolution came from the inexperience of the deputies who were too wedded to abstract Enlightenment ideals. Tocqueville was a classical liberal who advocated parliamentary government, but was skeptical of the extremes of democracy.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Théodore Chassériau [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
142 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Philip
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2017
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Great translation. This book is peerless. Written by one of the wisest observers of politics ever born, with all of the experience of human history behind his observations and a clear, undramatic, persuasive style. There are quotable moments on every page.
4 people found this helpful
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Anna Hitrova
5.0 out of 5 stars Dry but Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2022
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This is a very dry historical read. It is very well researched and will give you a unique and important perspective that you won’t get in other books. This dives into the tax records and other state records in depth. The research that was done is truly incredibly and for anybody interested in learning about this pivotal time in history this is a critical puzzle piece.
2 people found this helpful
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William K. Dearth
5.0 out of 5 stars Still Relevant
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2014
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This may not be the best book that I have ever read, but it is certainly among the most important. The conditions leading up the French Revolution are still alive and well and relevant today. As they say "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose".

This book is not necessarily long or difficult to understand but it is dense. I believe that it is best read once and then studied in detail.
5 people found this helpful
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Janesview
4.0 out of 5 stars Books of note to guide us in a chaotic age
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2018
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The author gives the social, economic and political background of the French Revolution, and/ or the revolutions that followed the first one.
The book becomes tedious at points in the story, but is a worthwhile read if one is has a love for history of the western world.
Alexis de Tocqueville is also the author of Democracy in America, a very important book on our developing a new world order
and his wise advice on maintaining our democratic form of government..
8 people found this helpful
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Andrew Mailer
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Historical Research
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2013
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This inexpensive edition of Tocqueville's perhaps lesser-known work is excellent. I had read "Democracy in America" but was unaware of the existence of this work. The author digs deeply into largely-ignored library resources to document this well-organized investigation of the changes in French cultural from the Manorial System to the French Revolution. What emerges is an explanation of what France lost during the centralized administration of Louis XIV and his successors. The Revolution itself failed to produce democracy because it had lost contact with the roots of local government. Written after Tocqueville had come to see what the emerging democracy in America looked like, this book is an excellent source.
21 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Political junkie?
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2020
Verified Purchase
If you are wondering what is happening in the year 2020, with all of it's chaos; this book, written in the 1800s about the French Revolution and, all of the tyranny and terror that it produced; is like reading a present day News cast.
12 people found this helpful
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M. Brunner
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent translation
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2011
Verified Purchase
Extraordinary book. Detailing conditions immediately before the French Revolution.
Translated into easy-to-read prose.
Full of fascinating facts.
Highly recommended to anyone interested in this subject matter.
It is in marked contrast to the subject as typically treated (if at all) in textbooks.
16 people found this helpful
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B. Berry
5.0 out of 5 stars A must have in any man's library!
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2016
Verified Purchase
What can you say? Everything this man wrote is amazing. This book is not about the Revolution, but the reasons behind the Revolutions.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in India on September 29, 2020
Verified Purchase
This is book gives a very rare view into the 18c france and situations prevailing at that time which led to the revolution.
This book should be read only if your purely interested in historical transistion of France and spirit of revolution
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Mr. Trevor Morgan
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 30, 2015
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A good read
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Philip Hills
1.0 out of 5 stars One Star
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 30, 2018
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This is a classic and has achieved world wide acclaim. Need I say more?
One person found this helpful
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