This concise survey of the French Revolution and Napoleonic period offers an alternative to the long, detailed texts more suited to advanced study. Author Jeremy D. Popkin introduces readers to the major events that comprise the story of the French Revolution, to the different ways in which historians have interpreted them, to the political, social, and cultural origins of the Revolution, and to the latest methodological approaches.

Beginning with the prerevolutionary crisis, Popkin leads readers through the dramatic events that led to the storming of the Bastille in 1789. Along the way, he discusses the effort to create a constitutional regime, the collapse of the new constitution, and the overthrow of the monarchy. This newly revised edition provides expanded discussion of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen and the king's trial.

In addition, A Short History of the French Revolution: explores the Jacobin dictatorship and the Reign of Terror; examines the search for stability under the Directory; features in-depth coverage of Napoleon's Consulate and Empire; and looks at the long-term consequences of the Revolution for France and the world.