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How Did The Bourgeoisie Play In The French Revolution

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How Did The Bourgeoisie Play In The French Revolution
FRENCH REVOLUTION-HISTORIOGRAPHY

It is this decisive role played by the Bourgeoisie that some of the early writers on the French Revolution declared it to be a “Bourgeoisie Revolution”. Prominent among them was George Lefebvre. He claimed that the origins of the French Revolution can be traced back to the rise of the bourgeoisie and 1789 was the year when this class took power in France. He argued that it was possible for the bourgeoisie to take power only because of the destruction of the ancien regime, which was due to the aristocratic class thwarting the reform efforts of the monarchy. However, Albert Cobban has criticised this view point on the grounds that the term ‘bourgeoisie’ was too broad and ambiguous. Moreover, Elizabeth

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