A New World Begins

The History of the French Revolution

By: Jeremy D. Popkin

Narrated by: Pete Cross, Jeremy D. Popkin

The principles of the French Revolution remain the only possible basis for a just society - even if, after more than 200 years, they are more contested than ever before. In A New World Begins, Jeremy D. Popkin offers a riveting account of the revolution that puts the listener in the thick of the debates and the violence that led to the overthrow of the monarchy and the establishment of a new society.

We meet Mirabeau, Robespierre, and Danton, in all of their brilliance and vengefulness; we witness the failed escape and execution of Louis XVI; we see women demanding equal rights and Black slaves wresting freedom from revolutionaries who hesitated to act on their own principles; and we follow the rise of Napoleon out of the ashes of the Reign of Terror.

Based on decades of scholarship, A New World Begins will stand as the definitive treatment of the French Revolution.

©2019 Jeremy D. Popkin (P)2020 Dreamscape Media, LLC

A great and engaging story

I’ve been looking for a comprehensive introduction to the French Revolution and this book finally meets my needs.

It is well written and easy to follow. As someone who listens to a lot of books on history, I especially appreciate that the author frequently gives dates (it’s a little thing, but goes a long way).

The author is not without his biases (excusing Robespierre and his colleagues, while being critical of Napoleon), but it doesn’t detract from this sweeping story.

Very good.

About as good a one volume history of the French Revolution you’ll find, and with a very nice reader.

The French Revolution, good and bad

A comprehensive picture of the revolution and its aftermath. Not much color in setting the scenes. The facts are there but little feeling for the people and their motivations.

Great details and well organized

This fine work is probably the best modern work on the French Revolution for experts and nonexperts alike.

Good modern history of the French revolution

Everything I'm curious about is in here. Louis XVI's life, the life of an average Frenchman (from the memoirs of a Parisian traveling artisan), and descriptions of French life and society (including women's). It feels as close by as if someone wrote a history of the 90s civil war in Bosnia, because of the writer's skill, and because of the large amount of writing that was becoming available due to the popularization of newspapers, memoirs, and other writing.