Aimed firmly at the student reader, this handbook offers an overview of the full range of the history of France, from the origins of the concept of post-Roman "Francia," through the emergence of a consolidated French monarchy and the development of both nation-state and global empire into the modern era, forward to the current complexities of a modern republic integrated into the European Union and struggling with the global legacies of its past.

Short, incisive contributions by a wide range of expert scholars offer both a spine of chronological overviews and a diverse spectrum of up-to-date insights into areas of key interest to historians today. From the ravages of the Vikings to the role of gastronomy in the definition of French culture, from Caribbean slavery to the place of Algerians in present-day France, from the role of French queens in medieval diplomacy to the youth-culture explosion of the 1960s and the explosions of France's nuclear weapons program, this handbook provides accessible summaries and selected further reading to explore any and all of these issues further, in the classroom and beyond.

About the Author

David Andress is Professor of Modern History at the University of Portsmouth, UK. His published research on the era of the French Revolution includes The Terror (2004), Beating Napoleon (2012), and The French Revolution: A Peasants' Revolt (2019).

Book Information
ISBN 9781032656441
Author David Andress
Format Paperback
Page Count 648
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 453g