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Article: The Terror: The Shadow of the Guillotine, France, 1792-1794.(Book review)
- Article from:
- The Historian
- Article date:
- March 22, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Phi Alpha Theta, History Honor Society, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The Terror: The Shadow of the Guillotine, France, 1792-1794. By Graeme Fife. (New York, N.Y.: St. Martin's Press, 2006. Pp. 417. $30.00.)
Although the author does not provide a specific thesis statement in introducing his book, it is nonetheless altogether clear that he accepts neither the Terror nor one of its major leaders, Maximilien Robespierre. It is obvious, at least to this reviewer, that he understands neither. The revolution was faced, simultaneously, with two desperate crises and, in order to survive, it had to resort to draconian measures. Graeme Fife does not seem to understand the severity of either, much less both.
First came a foreign war ...