The revolutionary temper: Paris, 1748-1789

Introduction: An early information society and collective consciousness

Part one: The mid-century crisis, 1748-1754. War and peace

A prince is mugged by order of the king

Songs bring down the government

Saints are sent to hell

The people seize the city

The politics of tax avoidance

The world of knowledge is mapped and suppressed

Part two: The expanding public sphere, 1762-1764. The peace is rained out

A big idea goes bust

The Jesuits are crushed

Rousseau releases a flood of tears

Voltaire occupies the high moral ground

Recycling royal mistresses

Part three: The turning point in politics, 1770-1775. Enter Marie-Antoinette, exit Choiseul

A coup d'état

Beaumarchais has the last laugh

The king is dead, long live Maurepas

Four war

Part four: The ideological terrain, 1781-1786. The king's secret is revealed

The taste of victory

What is an American?

Man can fly

Man can cure all disease

Does everything end with songs?

The dark secrets of despotism

Did the cardinal try to cuckold the king?

The poor march on Versailles

Part five: Tremors, 1787. Battles on the Bourse

Despotism in the marriage bed

The notables say no

A minister runs for cover

The parlement plays politics

Part six: The collapse of the régime, 1788. A new coup, an old script

The clergy won't pay

The provinces take fire

Bayonets in the streets

Hailstones big as eggs

The ministers are roasted

Necker to the rescue

The cruelest winter

Part seven: The eruption of the revolution, 1789. Summon the nation

Pamphlets and public noises

The people vote

Paris explodes

The nation seizes sovereignty

The Bastille is stormed

Conclusion: The revolutionary temper

Afterword: What was revolutionary about the French Revolution?