“The legacy of the French Revolution has remained a fascinating and contentious subject for over two centuries. Instead of seeing the revolution as an aberrant bloodbath on the path to a liberal society, this new book, the first significant history of the French Revolution in over twenty years, maintains that it fundamentally changed the Western world. Looking at history from the bottom up, the history of working people and peasants, Hazan asks: How did they see their opportunities? What were they fighting for? What was the Terror and could it be justified? And how was the revolution stopped in its tracks? This is vivid historical writing – the multitude of voices of the Revolution come to life. Hazan shows how only through the people can we fully understand the legacy of the French Revolution.”