The State of Society in France Before the Revolution of 1789 And the Causes Which Led to That Event

"The State of Society in France Before the Revolution of 1789" by Alexis de Tocqueville is a historical account written in the mid-19th century. This work explores the social condition of France in the lead-up to the French Revolution, analyzing the political, social, and economic factors that contributed to the uprising. It aims to provide insight into the complexities of pre-revolutionary society and the underlying causes that led to one of the most significant political events in history. The opening of Tocqueville's work sets the stage for an in-depth analysis of the French Revolution, challenging the common perceptions of its motivations and consequences. It emphasizes that, despite the unexpected and revolutionary nature of the events leading to 1789, they were the culmination of gradual societal changes and philosophical developments that had long been underway. Tocqueville addresses the misjudgments of contemporaneous observers and critics, asserting that the Revolution was not merely a spontaneous upheaval, but rather a political evolution spurred by a history of social grievances and class distinctions. He intends to dissect the intertwined fates of religious authority, aristocratic privileges, and the evolving aspirations of the French populace, suggesting that the roots of modern French society were deeply entrenched in its tumultuous past. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Alexis Charles Henri Clérel, comte de Tocqueville, was a French aristocrat, diplomat, sociologist, political scientist, political philosopher, and historian. He is best known for his works Democracy in America and The Old Regime and the Revolution (1856). In both, he analyzed the 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.