Reviews for The first expatriates

The average rating for The first expatriates based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-09-16 00:00:00 David Brown This was an interesting mass-market overview of philosophy and the French Revolution. The chapters and subsections are short, and the text is richly illustrated. When discussing politics and history Hampson performs admirably in discussing major currents, especially the reaction of other nations to the Revolution. He nicely shows Napoleon's transition from egalitarian towards a more balanced approach between his earlier radicalism and the ancien regime. However, the crux of the book is the philosophy; and this is where Hampson is weakest in communicating with the reader. The first chapter tries to discuss major philosophers of the time, Rousseau, Diderot, and Montesquieu. In trying to summarize their philosophies and their attractiveness to both the urban class and the urban poor, Hampson confuses the reader. Even readers with a basic understanding of Montesquieu's views on social hierarchy and Rousseau's views on individualism will be confused. As the book progresses, Hampson goes back and forth between historical events and philosophical influences. In order to have any understanding, the reader must first be familiar with the French Revolution beyond the basic introduction. Otherwise, discussion on the Terror, Directory, or even Robespierre are vague and not put into a historical context. Hampson tries to fit the work into the style of the Library of World Civilization series with brief passages, illustrations, social-political thought, and basic overview; but in this case, the casual reader will be left in a daze without the ability to fully appreciate the bursts of information hurled at him. A week after reading this book, I am still trying to imagine a "metaphysical Jacobin," and what one of them is doing in Prussia.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-04-05 00:00:00 Thomas Guendelsberger This wonderful book provides a context for understanding the strategic events that emanated from the French Revolution, Napoleonic wars, and rise of German thought. The book provides a perspective on how Burke, Locke, Rousseau, and Kant influenced the sign of our times in the 21st century.