Choice 评论
Perhaps the first full and exclusively political history of the July Monarchy written in English. Although other historians have examined specific issues erupting during the reign of Louis Philippe I (e.g., labor unrest, the rise of utopianism/socialism/republicanism, Bonapartism), Collingham has provided the primer to go along with these specialized studies. There are chapters dealing with the press, diplomacy, foreign policy, history, philosophy, religion, society, and other concerns, but each of these is subordinated to politics. Collingham obviously likes neither the king nor his ministers, particularly Guizot and Thiers, but he makes clear that these men presided over a political structure that was thrusting France into the modern world. Art, industry, technology, and science prospered as never before during these 18 years. Politics worked, despite the "placemen" and the venality characteristic of the Orleanist years. Collingham understands well the relationship behind the politican and politics. Occasional misprints aside, the book has truly great value. Inclusive if not exhaustive bibliography. A must for every student of 19th-century France. B. Rothaus University of Northern Colorado