William Doyle has been Professor of History at the University of Bristol since 1986, and is a Fellow of the British Academy. He is author of Origins of the French Revolution (3rd edition, 1999), The Oxford History of the French Revolution (1989), Venality. The Sale of Offices in eighteenth century France (1996), and Jansenism (2000).

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• Introduction ; 1. The economy ; 2. Society ; 3. Culture and religion ; 4. France overseas ; 5. The state and political culture ; 6. Politics: Louis XIV ; 7. Politics: Louis XV ; 8. Politics: Louis XIV ; Conclusion ; Further Reading ; Chronology ; Maps

William Doyle has been Professor of History at the University of Bristol since 1986, and is a Fellow of the British Academy. He is author of Origins of the French Revolution (3rd edition, 1999), The Oxford History of the French Revolution (1989), Venality. The Sale of Offices in eighteenth century France (1996), and Jansenism (2000).

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• Introduction ; 1. The economy ; 2. Society ; 3. Culture and religion ; 4. France overseas ; 5. The state and political culture ; 6. Politics: Louis XIV ; 7. Politics: Louis XV ; 8. Politics: Louis XIV ; Conclusion ; Further Reading ; Chronology ; Maps