The Old Regime and the Revolution

About “The Old Regime and the Revolution”

The Old Regime and the Revolution is a 1856 work by French historian Alexis de Tocqueville. The book examines French society before the French Revolution, known as the "Ancien Régime," and explores the factors that led to the revolution. It is considered one of the first major historical analyses of the French Revolution. Tocqueville argues that despite efforts to break from the past, the revolution ultimately resulted in a strong central government, reflecting a continuity between the old regime and the new political order.