1789: The Threshold of the Modern Age
by David Andress
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From the inauguration of George Washington to the birth of the cotton trade in the American South, from the British Empire's war in India to the street battles of the French evolution, Andress shows how the struggles of this explosive year would dominate the Old and New Worlds for the next 200 years.The world in 1789 stood on the edge of a unique transformation. At the end of an unprecedented century of progress, the fates of three nations--France, the nascent United States, and their common show more enemy, Britain--lay interlocked. A year of revolution was crowned in two documents drafted at almost the same time: the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the American Bill of Rights. These texts gave the world a new political language and promised to foreshadow new revolutions, even in Britain. But as the French Revolution spiraled into chaos and slavery experienced a rebirth in America, it seemed that the budding code of individual rights would forever be matched by equally powerful systems of repression and control. David Andress reveals how these events and the men who led them stood at the threshold of the modern world. --From publisher description. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
This is a very good book overall. 3.5 stars is a little harsh. It has flaws though. It starts in a difficult manner. It flies into immense detail straight away. This would be fine if the reader had enough knowledge, but when covering such a vast territory, then it is unlikely they would have the requisite context in their heads. The end, by contrast, is rushed and a little too scant, preventing the author from coming to a strong conclusion. Between those two points, however, is a very good book, weaving different histories, often treated as different narratives by lesser historians, together into one, and brilliantly showing the interconnections between them all. It could be contended that Atlantic history does this anyway, but this show more goes way beyond that, drawing specific attention to the interconnection between ideas and actions in different parts of the world, and highlighting the contradictions that often resulted. Certainly worth a read for the middle section. show less
Chapter 1 was depressingly modern sounding: the haves want to hang on to everything they've got, run the country on credit & avoid taxes except for the have-nots.
Gave up eventually ... the writing is like wading through thick mud.
Gave up eventually ... the writing is like wading through thick mud.
Chapter 1 was depressingly modern sounding: the haves want to hang on to everything they've got, run the country on credit & avoid taxes except for the have-nots.
Gave up eventually ... the writing is like wading through thick mud.
Gave up eventually ... the writing is like wading through thick mud.
4722. 1789 The Threshold of the Modern Age, by David Andress (read 25 Jun 2010) This book discusses with knowledge the coming of the French Revolution, the making of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, the political turmoil in England occasioned by George III's ''madness', the invention of the cotton gin, the mutiny on the Bounty, And demonstrates the importance of these events to the making of the modern world. There are interesting chapters, but the discussion was not overly exciting
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David Andress is Principal Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Portsmouth.
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- 1789: The Threshold of the Modern Age
- Original publication date
- 2008
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- Members
- 154
- Popularity
- 213,231
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.35)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 2
