The Giant of the French Revolution: Danton, A Life

The Giant of the French Revolution: Danton by David Lawday is the best book I have read about the French Revolution. It's not the most detailed or complete, ending as it does with Danton's death, but it combines a relentless forward momentum with a clear description of the factions, policies and events of the time. Not only could I only put the book down reluctantly, but I now can also tell you the names and activities of the various factions, from Les Cordeliers and Les Feuillants to who pushed for the establishment of the fearsome Committee for Public Safety and which generals were secret royalists. That's an accomplishment. It was confused time, with internal strife competing for attention with the foreign powers who immediately show more invaded France.

France was ready for revolution long before it began. With a system that gave all of the power to a small percentage of the population, the Church and the Nobility, and then exempted them from all taxation, and an empty treasury, it took only a bad harvest or two to send the people into the streets, ready to die fighting instead of waiting to starve. The small middle class were the children of the enlightenment and proved willing to call for reform.

As things simmered, a young man named Danton came to Paris to become a lawyer. The book focuses tightly on Danton, which simplifies the story enormously, for all that he was one of the two towering figures of the Revolution. Danton was gigantic in everything he did. Larger and uglier than everyone else, he had a voice that carried and a talent for public speaking. He also was free of the blind ideology that sent so many of his contemporaries into dead ends. What did him in, in the end, was his out-sized personality which both threatened and annoyed his rivals, as well as his realization that the Terror had to be limited. show less

I chose this book because I'm planning to read Hilary Mantel's A Place of Greater Safety this year and I know very little of the details of the French Revolution. Most of my knowledge embarrassingly comes from A Tale of Two Cities or my knowledge of American politics at the time (Jefferson vs. Adams, Washington's relationship with LaFayette, etc.). This book fit the bill. It's an exciting, fast-paced look at Danton's life, death, and impact on the Revolution. I liked the writing style. Lawday is a journalist and he has a way with words. I suspect he took some liberties in imagining some of Danton's thoughts and reactions. He admits that Danton left few clues to his life because he left almost no written record. He was, however, an show more amazing orator and many of his speeches were preserved by those who witnessed them.

Just as a side note, I don't know how well you can see the cover, but wow Danton was an ugly man! He used his physical attributes to command respect and, to some degree, fear from those he led. A very interesting man who blazed into Paris and the revolution, helped inspire the storming of the Bastille in 1789 and was guillotined just 5 years later. It's an amazing and horrifying time in history and this book captures it well. show less

In college I took a class on the French Revolution, and I remember the figure of Danton, who was just as important and compelling as the more infamous Robespierre, being particularly fascinating. This biography hints at this interesting man, who exercised enormous influence over the course of the revolution, even setting off the Reign of Terror that would ultimately end his own life. Danton is a less extreme figure than Robespierre, who he was initially allied with before becoming adversaries. This biography is an excellent introduction to a fascinating man who deserves as much attention as his rival Robespierre receives.