The Ancient Regime
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Chapters (130)
- THE ORIGINS OF CONTEMPORARY FRANCE, VOLUME 1
- THE ANCIENT REGIME by Hippolyte A. Taine
- INTRODUCTION
- PREFACE:
- THE ANCIENT REGIME
- PREFACE BY THE AUTHOR: ON POLITICAL IGNORANCE AND WISDOM.
- BOOK FIRST. THE STRUCTURE OF THE ANCIENT SOCIETY.
- CHAPTER I. THE ORIGIN OF PRIVILEGES.
- I. Services and Recompenses of the Clergy.
- II. Services and Recompenses of the Nobles.
- III. Services and Recompenses of the King.
- CHAPTER II. THE PRIVILEGED CLASSES.
- I. Number of the Privileged Classes.
- II. Their Possessions, Capital, and Revenue.
- III. Their Immunities.
- IV. Their Feudal Rights.
- These advantages are the remains of primitive sovereignty.
- V. They may be justified by local and general services.
- CHAPTER III. LOCAL SERVICES DUE BY THE PRIVILEGED CLASSES.
- I. Examples in Germany and England.—These services are not rendered by
- II. Resident Seigniors.
- III. Absentee Seigniors.
- CHAPTER IV. PUBLIC SERVICES DUE BY THE PRIVILEGED CLASSES.
- I. England compared to France.
- II. The Clergy
- III. Influence of the Nobles.
- IV. Isolation of the Chiefs
- V. The King's Incompetence and Generosity.
- VI. Latent Disorganization in France.
- BOOK SECOND. MORALS AND CHARACTERS.
- CHAPTER I. MORAL PRINCIPLES UNDER THE ANCIENT REGIME.
- The Court and a life of pomp and parade.
- I. Versailles.
- The Physical aspect and the moral character of Versailles.
- II. The King's Household.
- III. The King's Associates.
- IV. Everyday Life In Court.
- V. Royal Distractions.
- VI. Upper Class Distractions.
- VII. Provincial Nobility.
- CHAPTER II. DRAWING ROOM LIFE.2201
- I. Perfect only in France
- II. Social Life Has Priority.
- III. Universal Pleasure Seeking.
- IV. Enjoyment.
- V. Happiness.
- VI. Gaiety.
- VII. Theater, Parade And Extravagance.
- CHAPTER III. DISADVANTAGES OF THIS DRAWING ROOM LIFE.
- I. Its Barrenness and Artificiality
- II. Return To Nature And Sentiment.
- III. Personality Defects.
- BOOK THIRD. THE SPIRIT AND THE DOCTRINE.
- CHAPTER I. SCIENTIFIC ACQUISITION.
- I. Scientific Progress.
- II. Science Detached From Theology.
- III. The Transformation Of History.
- IV. The New Psychology.
- V. The Analytical Method.
- CHAPTER II. THE CLASSIC SPIRIT, THE SECOND ELEMENT.
- I. Through Colored Glasses.
- III. The Mathematical Method.
- CHAPTER III. COMBINATION OF THE TWO ELEMENTS.
- I. Birth Of A Doctrine, A Revelation.
- II. Ancestral Tradition And Culture.
- III. Reason At War With Illusion.
- IV. Casting Out The Residue Of Truth And Justice.
- V. The Dream Of A Return To Nature.
- VI. The Abolition Of Society. Rousseau.
- VII: The Lost Children.
- CHAPTER IV. ORGANIZING THE FUTURE SOCIETY.
- I. Liberty, Equality And Sovereignty Of The People.
- II. Naive Convictions
- III. Our True Human Nature.
- IV. Birth Of Socialist Theory, Its Two Sides.
- V. Social Contract, Summary.
- BOOK FOURTH. THE PROPAGATION OF THE DOCTRINE.
- CHAPTER I.—SUCCESS OF THIS PHILOSOPHY IN FRANCE.—FAILURE OF THE SAME
- I. The Propagating Organ, Eloquence.
- II. Its Method.
- Owing to this method it becomes popular.
- III. Its Popularity.
- IV. The Masters.
- CHAPTER II. THE FRENCH PUBLIC.
- I. The Nobility.
- II. Conditions In France.
- III. French Indolence.
- IV. Unbelief.
- V. Political Opposition.
- VI. Well-Meaning Government.
- CHAPTER III. THE MIDDLE CLASS.
- I. The Past.
- II. CHANGE IN THE CONDITION OF THE BOURGEOIS.
- III. Social Promotion.
- IV. Rousseau's Philosophy Spreads And Takes HOLD.
- V. Revolutionary Passions.
- VI. Summary
- BOOK FIFTH. THE PEOPLE
- CHAPTER I. HARDSHIPS.
- I. Privations.
- II. The Peasants.
- III. The Countryside.
- Aspects of the country and of the peasantry.
- IV. The Peasant Becomes Landowner.
- CHAPTER II. TAXATION THE PRINCIPAL CAUSE OF MISERY.
- I. Extortion.
- II. Local Conditions.
- III. The Common Laborer.
- Four direct taxes on the common laborer.
- IV. Collections And Seizures.—Observe the system actually at work. It
- V. Indirect Taxes.
- The salt-tax and the excise.
- VI. Burdens And Exemptions.
- Why taxation is so burdensome.—Exemptions and privileges.
- VII. Municipal Taxation.
- VIII. Complaints In The Registers 5272.
- CHAPTER III. INTELLECTUAL STATE OF THE PEOPLE.
- I. Intellectual incapacity
- II. Political incapacity
- III. Destructive impulses
- IV. Insurrectionary leaders and recruits
- CHAPTER IV. THE ARMED FORCES.
- I. Military force declines
- II. The social organization is dissolved
- III.--Direction of the current
- CHAPTER V. SUMMARY.
- I. Suicide of the Ancient Regime.
- II.--Aspirations for the 'Great Revolution.'
- END OF VOLUME
- NOTE 1.
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