Societies in Upheaval - (Contributions to the Study of World History) by Linda S Frey & Marsha L Frey (Hardcover)

About the Book

As nation states consolidated their power in the early modern period, Europe witnessed tragic economic dislocations, oppression, and wars leading to waves of terrorism and revolution that mirror our contemporary world situation in striking ways. Current perceptions of the dynamics of revolution, however, are largely determined by theoretical models that fail to account for the realities of the early modern peiod. This volume, the first comparative study of the three insurrections that erupted almost simultaneously during the War of the Spanish Succession, addresses that problem. Using their careful review of historical events as a focus, Linda Frey and Marsha Frey explore the nature and causes of revolution and examine the preconceptions and mythology surrounding that term.

Book Synopsis

As nation states consolidated their power in the early modern period, Europe witnessed tragic economic dislocations, oppression, and wars leading to waves of terrorism and revolution that mirror our contemporary world situation in striking ways. Current perceptions of the dynamics of revolution, however, are largely determined by theoretical models that fail to account for the realities of the early modern peiod. This volume, the first comparative study of the three insurrections that erupted almost simultaneously during the War of the Spanish Succession, addresses that problem. Using their careful review of historical events as a focus, Linda Frey and Marsha Frey explore the nature and causes of revolution and examine the preconceptions and mythology surrounding that term.

Review Quotes

?A short but suggestive study that seeks common elements in three early-18th-century revolts. The uprisings in question are those of the Camisards, the Protestant-led insurrection that erupted in Cevennes in 1705; the 1705 revolt of the kingdom of Aragon against the new Spanish king, Philip V; and the Hungarian uprising known as the Rakoczi revolt.... The authors, both specialists in Central European history, offer brief narrative accounts of each of these uprisings together with a discussion of explanatory theories of revolution. Their conclusion suggests that these very different revolts were actually quite similar.... The authors also argue that the revolts should be considered as attempts to defend traditional local rights and provincial liberties against the encroachments of the modern state. This is not a new ... interpretation of early modern revolts, but the book affords its readers--most of whom will be history students--an opportunity to review these three uprisings from a comparative perspective. Included is an up-to-date bibliography of each of the three revolts. Upper-division undergraduates and above.?-Choice

"A short but suggestive study that seeks common elements in three early-18th-century revolts. The uprisings in question are those of the Camisards, the Protestant-led insurrection that erupted in Cevennes in 1705; the 1705 revolt of the kingdom of Aragon against the new Spanish king, Philip V; and the Hungarian uprising known as the Rakoczi revolt.... The authors, both specialists in Central European history, offer brief narrative accounts of each of these uprisings together with a discussion of explanatory theories of revolution. Their conclusion suggests that these very different revolts were actually quite similar.... The authors also argue that the revolts should be considered as attempts to defend traditional local rights and provincial liberties against the encroachments of the modern state. This is not a new ... interpretation of early modern revolts, but the book affords its readers--most of whom will be history students--an opportunity to review these three uprisings from a comparative perspective. Included is an up-to-date bibliography of each of the three revolts. Upper-division undergraduates and above."-Choice

About the Author

LINDA FREY is Chairman and Professor in the Department of History, University of Montana.

MARSHA FREY is a Professor of History at Kansas State University.