A Socialist History of the French Revolution

'Tantalizing prose' - TLS

'Brilliant .. As refreshing and controversial today as it was over a century ago' - Peter McPhee, Emeritus Professor, University of Melbourne

'A classic of historical writing which laid the foundations for so many later accounts. Jaurès vividly depicts the drama, the triumphs and the setbacks, the bloodshed and the hope, but always with an eye to the future, to how the Revolution opened the way to human emancipation' - Ian Birchall, historian and author of The Spectre of Babeuf

We're delighted to be working with our friends at Pluto Press to bring you the first paperback edition of this hugely acclaimed classic by celebrated French Socialist Party leader Jean Jaurès.

Jaurès was assassinated in 1914 for trying to use diplomacy and industrial action to prevent the outbreak of war. Published just a few years before his death, his magisterial A Socialist History of the French Revolution has endured for over a century as one of the most influential accounts of the French Revolution ever to be published.

Written in the midst of his activities as leader of the Socialist Party and editor of its newspaper, L'Humanité, Jaurès intended the book to serve as both a guide and an inspiration to political activity; even now it can serve to do just that.

Jaurès's verve, originality and willingness to criticise all players in this epic drama make this a truly moving addition to the shelf of great books on the French Revolution. Mitchell Abidor's abridged translation of Jaurès's original six volumes makes this exceptional work truly accessible to an Anglophone audience.