Free and Equal: Emancipating France's Jews, 1789-1791
About this book
"A well-written, balanced historical study which examines all aspects of the gradual emancipation of France's Jews during the Revolution. Comprehensive and comprehensible, this study investigates the various political intrigues which determined the ebb and flow of Jewish expectations." -THE FRENCH REVIEW "Badinter's Free and Equal is an important contribution to the history of the Jews, French history and the history of human rights. It combines cogent analysis with a gripping narrative. Adam Simms' translation preserves the eloquence of the French original, and his introduction and explanatory footnotes provide the necessary context to make this work accessible to a broad audience of Anglophone readers." -Ronald Schechter, Professor of History, The College of William and Mary, and author of Obstinate Representations of Jews in France, 1715-1815 "This splendid translation explores the origins and evolution of the momentous proclamation of September 27, 1791, that all Jews in France were full citizens. On that date, there was no other country in Europe where Jews were acknowledged by law to enjoy the rights equal to other citizens." -Thomas Bird, Professor of European Languages and Literatures, Queens College, City University of New York "One of the world's most notable jurists offers in these pages a deeply informed and original view of one of history's most important-and controversial-moments, the emancipation of the Jews by revolutionary France in 1789-1791." -Lynn Hunt, Eugen Weber Professor of Modern European History, UCLA, and author of Inventing Human A History