French Political and Intellectual History (Social Science Classics Series)

In this collection of remarkable essays, initially published in 1955 and now available in paperback for the first time, Samuel Bernstein elucidates the meaning of human striving for improvement with regard to the problems raised by one of the most turbulent periods of history. Written with profound conviction and literary acumen, these essays will give the reader, in the author’s words, a sense of a “kinship of ideas and the mutual sympathies of peoples in matters concerning human betterment.”

These essays represents the fruits of twenty years of careful research in the political and intellectual history of the Atlantic civilization, particularly as it relates to the leading movements and men of France. Bernstein’s expert knowledge of the history of political movements and social policies places him among the ranking authorities in that field.

Contents: “Marat, Friend of the People”; “Robespierre and the Problem of War”; “British Jacobinism”; “Jefferson on the French Revolution”; “Babeuf and Babouvism”; “Saint-Simon’s Philosophy of History”; “From Social Utopia to Social Science”; “French Democracy and the American Civil War”; “The First International in France, 1964-1871”; “The Paris Commune”; “The American  Press Views the Commune”; “The First International and a New Holy Alliance.”