Thurs. 1-3,
Office hrs: Mon., 1:30-3, Tues. 9:30-10:30 and by appointment (7-1415)
Professor’s email address: popkin@uky.edu
Professor’s Web site: http://www.uky.edu/~popkin
Introduction to the course: More than two centuries after they ended, the
French and Haitian Revolutions remain among the most dramatic and controversial
events of world history. Basic to any
understanding of the history of
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to major
aspects of the history of the French Revolution, and to some of the issues in
the historiography of the Revolution. We
will also cover major aspects of the Haitian Revolution and its impact in
This course is meant to be of use both to graduate students planning to concentrate in French or European history and to students whose main interests are in other fields, particularly American history. It should be of value for anyone who may have to teach courses in Western Civilization or European history. All required readings for this course will be in English.
Attendance and class participation, 33%; papers 67%.
There will be some additional xeroxed readings on reserve in the History Dept.
26 Aug: Introduction to the French and Haitian Revolutions
2 Sept. Overview of the French Revolution: Popkin, Short History (all)
9 Sept.: Overview of the Haitian Revolution: Dubois, Avengers of the New World (all)
*16 Sept. Political Origins of the Revolutions: Doyle, Origins, all; selection from S.
King, Blue Coat or Powdered Wig, “Planter Elites,” pp. 205-25 (on
reserve). 1st essay due
23 Sept. Cultural Origins of
the Revolutions:
30 Sept.: The Revolution of the Rights of Man: Baker, “Idea of a Declaration,” on reserve; Popkin, “Revolution and Changing Identities,” (on reserve); Sewell, “Le citoyen/la citoyenne,” (on reserve); R. Blackburn, Destruction of Colonial Slavery, pp. 161-91, 215-26 (on reserve).
7 Oct. Revolutionary political culture: Hunt, Politics, Culture, and Class (all); D. Geggus, “Racial Equality, Slavery, and Colonial Secession during the Constituent Assembly,” American Historical Review 94 (1989), 1290-1308.
*14 Oct.: The revolutionary
politician: Jordan, Revolutionary Career of Maximilien Robespierre
(all); Tackett, “Nobles and Third Estate,” on reserve; G. Tyson, Toussaint
L’Ouverture, pp. 1-3, 12-22 (on reserve). 2nd Essay due
21 Oct.: Revolution and the peasantry: P. Jones, The Peasantry in the French Revolution (all); selection from C. Fick on Saint-Domingue (on reserve)
28 Oct.: Revolutionary reform: Isser Woloch, The New Regime, all except pp. 266-96, 355-79; selection on colonies TBA
4 Nov.: Women and the revolutions: Godineau, Women of Paris (all); Colwill, “Sex, Savagery, and Slavery” (on reserve)
11 Nov.: Reign of Terror and violence: Colin Lucas, “Revolutionary Violence, the People and the Terror” (on reserve); Palmer, “The Culmination,” (ch. 13 of Twelve Who Ruled) (on reserve); Furet, “Terror,” (from Furet and Ozouf, Critical Dictionary of the French Revolution) (on reserve); Cobb, “The Popular Movement in its Prime,” in Police and the People, 172-211 (on reserve); Hunt, “Many Bodies of Marie Antoinette,” on reserve; L. Dubois, “Violence,” (on reserve). Third essay assignment due,
*18 Nov.: Critique of the
Revolutions: McMahon, Enemies of the
Enlightenment, all; Popkin, “Facing Racial Revolution,” (on reserve). 3rd
essay due
25 Nov.: Thanksgiving holiday. No seminar meeting
2 Dec.: Thermidor and
afterward: S. Desan, “Reconstituting the Social,” Past and Present
(1999), 81-121 (on reserve); S. Mason, “The Reactionary Song,” (on reserve);
Popkin, “The Right-Wing Journalists’ Social Theory,” in Popkin, Right-Wing
Press in France, 100-23 (on reserve); selection from Baczko (on reserve);
reading on Saint-Domingue TBA (on reserve)
9 Dec.: The
Napoleonic Period: Lyons, Napoleon
Bonaparte, all;
*13 Dec.: Final essay due
Course Policies
1. Late Work and
Make‑Up Exams: Late papers are
not accepted and make‑up exams are not administered unless students
requesting them can produce documented evidence of illness, accident or
other cause beyond their control accounting for absence. Students who will miss an exam or assignment
because of a scheduled university activity must make arrangements to make up the
work before the scheduled due date.
2. Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is defined in the UK Student Handbook. Students submitting work which is not their
own will receive an 'E' for that assignment and will not be allowed to make it
up. Plagiarism includes not only the
copying of material from printed sources but also copying from sources on the
Internet; it also applies to any work submitted under a student’s name that is
not in fact his or her own writing and for which a source is not acknowledged.
UK History faculty routinely use advanced Internet search engines to check
dubious papers. In other words: do your own work! You’ll learn more, and you’ll avoid painful
grade penalties or worse.
3. Modern
Technology: Recording devices are not permitted during lectures and
discussions, except for students who have a valid physical reason for needing
them (e.g., inability to take written notes).
Students wearing earphones during class will be invited to go be bored
somewhere else. Beepers, cellular phones and other devices which may cause a
distraction must be turned off during class.
4. Note on
textbook: One of the textbooks
assigned for this course is one that I have written myself. I assign it because I believe it suits the
purpose of providing a short overview of the subject. Since you are required to buy the book for
this course, however, I would be guilty of a conflict of interest if I made a
profit off your purchase of the book. I
will therefore refund to each student remaining in the course after the final
day for textbook returns and showing me that they have purchased a new
copy of the book, an amount equal to my royalties (approx. $1.00). Alternatively, students may designate their
royalty refund as a donation to the UK Library, to be made in the name of the
class. Please understand that I do not
receive any royalties from the sale of used copies of the textbook.
Book/Article: ________________________________________________
In one sentence, summarize the principal thesis
or argument of the book/article:
In one sentence, explain why this thesis or
argument is important to our understanding of the French and/ or Haitian
Revolutions:
In one short paragraph, explain how the author
develops or supports his/her thesis:
Briefly explain the principal sorts of sources used in
the book/article. In what ways do they
support the argument?
Is the author’s thesis persuasive? Why, or why not?
What is the most important question raised in your mind
by reading this book/article?
(Form created by Professor Jeremy Popkin, Dept. of History,