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

by Alexis de Tocqueville

"The State of Society in France Before the Revolution of 1789" by Alexis de Tocqueville is a historical analysis published in 1856. The book examines French society under the Ancien Régime and explores what forces triggered the Revolution. Tocqueville presents his theory of continuity, arguing that despite revolutionary efforts to break from the past, France ultimately returned to centralized autocratic rule. He analyzes the Revolution as political and social reform rather than religious upheaval, and explores how complete class separation bred the hatred that fueled 1789.