Rex Wade presents a new account of one of the pivotal events of modern history, combining his own long study of the revolution with the best of contemporary scholarship. Wade recasts the political history of the revolution while giving due space to its social history. He incorporates people often omitted, including women, national minority peoples, and peasantry front soldiers, enabling a richer and more complete history to emerge. The story is narrated with pace, verve, and exceptional clarity; the chronology, maps and illustrations give further support to the reader.