Power and politics in old regime France 1720-1745

A 180,000 word (double-length) monograph which is the first research book on French politics 1720-1745 in English or French, based upon a very large documentary basis. It reconstructs the period's politics in a detailed way almost entirely upon a documentary basis, many never used before, and is widely used by authors of books on eightenth-century France. It offers a diferent analysis of the state, which I call the 'baroque stae' and how power functions in terms of patronage and clientage. Political management is shown to be of key iportance in resolving crises. Part 2 offers a new analysis of relations between crown and parlement that is credited with renewing the subject in France and has been influential elsewhere. It was in RAE 2000.