1789

October 13, 2008
Guiding readers on a journey across the “three interlocked powers of the late 18th century”—France, Britain and the new United States—historian Andress (The Terror
) regales with stories of such leaders as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine and Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès, who stoked the flames of revolution, and Edmund Burke, who tried to extinguish the blaze. Looking at the social, economic, political and imperial factors coming together in 1789, Andress weighs the ironies of that revolutionary moment: the Bill of Rights and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man both appeared in that year, but Andress points out the familiar truth that the freedoms proclaimed by these documents were often compromised by the very governments that trumpeted them. A new language had emerged to confront those holding power, but that language too often licensed aggression against slaves, women and others seen as not subject to guarantees of liberty. Although Andress pedantically covers much familiar ground, he reminds us that the struggle between individual rights and oppressive social systems might have begun in 1789, but it is still with us today. Illus., maps.

November 15, 2008
History has some years in which little happens and some in which everything seems to happen. Andress (modern history, Univ. of Portsmouth, England; "The Terror") addresses one of the latter kind. Relying chiefly on secondary sources, he examines the state of affairs in the United States, Britain, and France during 1789. Here, of course, is the French Revolution, but here also is the mutiny on the "Bounty", the establishment of the American federal government, the insanity of George III, William Wilberforce's battles against slavery, American-Indian aggressions, and the British Empire's challenges in India. Some of thise.g., the French Revolution and the "Bounty" mutinyhas been extensively documented already, but "1789" is fresh, revealing, and insightful, particularly in its parallels among the different nations, e.g., the oppression by tax collectors everywhere. Although Andress covers a great deal of material, the narrative never feels rushed or shallow. It leaves you wanting more. A first-rate book; highly recommended for all libraries.Michael O. Eshleman, Kings Mills, OH

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2009
Author of The Terror (2006), a popular history about the most radical phase of the French Revolution, Andress is more ambitious in this prequel. Setting events in France alongside contemporaneous politics in Britain and the U.S., Andress tests how Enlightenment ideals of liberties and rights met with the ancien r'gime of traditional privileges. In all three countries, this contest was made more acuteby a common problem they faced: heavy debt incurred by the American War of Independence. Whose ox would be gored to pay it stressed existing political institutions to the limit andagitated botheliteand popular grievances against existing states of affairs. Andress evokes theanxious atmosphere of the 1780s, while his presentation of schemes offered to master the financial crises illustrates an Atlantic world on itsway toward constitutional democracy. With in-depth narrative and analysis about 1789s events surrounding the new government of the U.S.; the Estates-General in France; and Parliament in Britain, Andress will intrigue readers piqued by this crucial year in history.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)