What do you think?
Rate this book
Conscripts and Deserters: The Army and French Society During the Revolution and Empire
Between the outbreak of war with Austria in 1792 and Napoleon's final debacle in 1814, France remained almost continously at war, recruiting in the process some two to three million frenchmen--a level of recruitment unknown to previous generations and widely resented as an attack on the liberties of rural communities. Forrest challenges the notion of a nation heroically rushing to arms by examining the massive rates of desertion and avoidance of service as well as their consequences on French society--on military campaigns and the morale of armies, on political opinion at home, on the social fabric of local villages, and on the Napoleonic dream of bringing about a coherent and centralized state.
- GenresMilitary History
304 pages, Hardcover
First published November 23, 1989
23 people want to read
About the author
Alan Forrest
40Ìýbooks14ÌýfollowersAlan Forrest is Emeritus Professor of Modern History at the University of York. He works on modern French history, especially the period of the French Revolution and Empire, and on the history of modern warfare.
He serves on the editorial boards of French History and War in History, and is a member of the advisory committee for Annales historiques de la Revolution Francaise. He also co-edits a series for Palgrave-Macmillan on 'War, Culture and Society, 1750-1850'.
He serves on the editorial boards of French History and War in History, and is a member of the advisory committee for Annales historiques de la Revolution Francaise. He also co-edits a series for Palgrave-Macmillan on 'War, Culture and Society, 1750-1850'.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 12, 2012
This book is somewhat hard to find, but it is very much worth it. It details the effects of conscription upon the common French soldier from the start of the Revolution through the Empire. Forrest argues that rather than uniting France under one nation or one empire, it pitted the people and the local dissenters and draft dodgers against the recruiting forces and the national army. Examples of ancient wives, mysterious burnt down town halls, and fundraisers for replacements are provided. Getting a local son out of the army was a communal past time. Forrest also addresses the trends of dissenters -- who where they, what did they do, where did they go, etc. This isn't an overwrought "face of war" book, however.
Forrest relies upon his research to make his case, but the fact that he is a good writer doesn't hurt either. For me, this book finally flipped the mental switch -- suddenly, military history made sense. I'd struggled for a semester trying to "get it," and this book "got it." It's very accessible, as is his next work, Soldiers of the French Revolution. In that book, He comes to the table with other writers and does well in making a very concise, middle-of-the-road account. Conscripts is much more partisan, but no less excellent. The villagers' ultimate opinion on Napoleon may not be found here, but what they thought of their boys going off to war is evident.
Forrest relies upon his research to make his case, but the fact that he is a good writer doesn't hurt either. For me, this book finally flipped the mental switch -- suddenly, military history made sense. I'd struggled for a semester trying to "get it," and this book "got it." It's very accessible, as is his next work, Soldiers of the French Revolution. In that book, He comes to the table with other writers and does well in making a very concise, middle-of-the-road account. Conscripts is much more partisan, but no less excellent. The villagers' ultimate opinion on Napoleon may not be found here, but what they thought of their boys going off to war is evident.
Displaying 1 of 1 review
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.