Surviving the French Revolution A Bridge across Time [Paperback]

In Surviving the French Revolution, Bette Oliver tells the story of an eclectic selection of aristocrats, revolutionaries, politicians, writers, and artists who sought to escape the violence and terror of the Revolution in the years between 1789 and 1795. By focusing on victims as well as survivors of the Revolution, Oliver vividly captures for her readers a sense of what it was like to live through an event like the French Revolution. This readable and well-documented book will appeal to scholars and readers interested in the French Revolution and its aftermath.From the beginning of the French Revolution in July 1789 until the end of the Terror five years later, those involved sought to devise survival strategies according to their personal beliefs and goals. The acceleration of time coupled with the lack of reliable information made it extremely difficult to choose the wisest course of action, causing some to flee into exile, while others remained in France. Surviving the French Revolution: A Bridge across Time, by Bette Oliver, is an essential contribution to our understanding of the struggle to survive during the French Revolution.The unleashing of the French Revolution in 1789 resulted in the acceleration of time coupled with an inability to predict what might happen next. As unprecedented events outpaced the days, those caught up in the whirlwind had little time to make judicious decisions about which course of action to follow. The lack of reliable information and delays in communication between Paris and the provinces only exacerbated the situation. Consequently, some fled into exile in Europe and the United States, while others remained to take advantage of new opportunities provided by the revolutionary government. Between 1789 and 1794, the government moved from a position of hopeful cooperation to one of desperate measures instigated during the Terror of 17931794. As a result, those French citizens who had fled early in the revolution, including many arlc)