Review

". . . [B]est and most original in the comparative study betweeen France and England." -- French History - Oct. 1996

'...very readable and impressive book.' - Donald Lowndes Sanderson, Socialist History Reviews UL

'A valuable synthesis of recent work on seventeenth-century France.' - - David Hardman,Times Literary Supplement

'Challenging, meaningful and immensely interesting ... Parker has given us a better understanding of French society.' - William Beik, Koninklijke Brill NV, 2001

...very readable and impressive book. - Donald Lowndes Sanderson, Socialist History Reviews UL

A valuable synthesis of recent work on seventeenth-century France. - - David Hardman,Times Literary Supplement

Challenging, meaningful and immensely interesting ... Parker has given us a better understanding of French society. - William Beik, Koninklijke Brill NV, 2001

Product Description

Class and State in Early Modern France explores the economic, social, ideological and political foundations of French Absolutism. David Parker's challenging interpretation presents French Absolutism as a remarkably successful attempt to preserve the politcal and ideological structures of the traditional order and rejects the widespread tendency to treat French Absolutism either as an instrument of capitalism or political modernization. It also discusses a number of contentious issues such as the agrarian foundations of capitalism and the relationship between class and status.