The Constitutional Monarchy in France, 1814-48

"Historians in France assume that the restoration of Monarchy after the defeat of Napoleon was doomed, but Pamela Pilbeam reveals that, although the French experimented with two Monarchies and a republic (1814-48), there was substantial stability. The institutional framework constructed during the Revolutionary years (1789-1814) remained intact and the ruling elites retained basic control. Books in this Seminar Studies in History series bridge the gap between textbook and specialist survey and consists of a brief "Introduction" and/or "Background" to the subject, valuable in bringing the reader up-to-speed on the area being examined, followed by a substantial and authoritative section of "Analysis" focusing on the main themes and issues. There is a succinct "Assessment" of the subject, a generous selection of "Documents" and a detailed bibliography. This is the first compact recent history of the period in English and contains extracts from diaries, memoirs, novels, and cartoons which explore the events through eye witnesses. For those interested in French history.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [127]-136) and index.