The Jacobin Clubs in the French Revolution, 1793-1795

"...prodigious research ...results in a perceptive analysis ...the outcome is an exemplary work and a major contribution in understanding the role of the Jacobin clubs in the history of the French Revolution." * Choice "...a solidly researched and well-written book. Kennedy has done much to provide new information regarding the inner workings of the Jacobin clubs in the Revolution." * Labour/Travail A pendant to two well-received books by the same author on the departmental clubs during the early years of the Revolution, this book is the product of thirty years of scholarly study, including archival research in Paris and in more than seventy departments in France. It focuses on the twenty-eight months from May 1793 to August 1795, a period spanning the Federalist Revolt, the Terror, and the Thermidorian Reaction. The Federalist Revolt, in which many clubs were involved, had momentous consequences for all of them and was, in the local setting, the principal cause of the Reign of Terror, a period in which more than 5,300 communes had clubs that reached the zenith of their power and influence, engaging in a myriad of political, administrative, judicial, religious, economic, social, and war-related activities. The book ends with their decline and final dissolution by a decree of the Convention in Paris. Michael Kennedy is Chair of the History Department at Winthrop University.