Lynn Hunt

In Search of Steady Reform

Fareed Zakaria seeks lessons for the present in various European revolutions, but the “liberal” English and Dutch examples he singles out as exemplary barely qualify as revolutionary at all.

A New Force Set Loose

A new history of pre-1789 France by Robert Darnton examines the emergence of a “revolutionary temper” produced by salacious and scandal-mongering newsletters, pamphlets, songs, and even gossip and graffiti. But did it really bring down the ancien régime?

The Orphan Among Revolutions

Christopher Clark’s history of the 1848 revolutions highlights the destinies of individuals and the legacy of the tumults.

‘A Great Democratic Revolution’

Alexis de Tocqueville left France to study the American prison system and returned with the material that would become “Democracy in America.”

I, the People

Was Robespierre proof that violent revolution in the name of rights and social justice could only result in terror and authoritarianism?

From the Local to the Global

Something seemingly small and insignificant—a provincial family, a signed slip of paper—can open up onto much wider worlds.

Marie Antoinette: Why Was She So Hated?

How Marie Antoinette tried to save the monarchy.

More Fraternité Than Liberté

The Man Who Questioned Everything

Diderot started from a place that hardly any of his contemporaries ever reached.

Can a Chameleon Grieve?