THE ANCIENT REGIME
by Hippolyte A. Taine
Text Transcriber's Note: The numbering of Volumes, Books, Chapters
and Sections are as in the French not the American edition.
Annotations by the transcriber are initialled SR.
Svend Rom, April 2000.
HTML Producer's Note: Footnote numbering has been changed to
include as a prefix to the original footnote number, the book and
chapter numbers. A table of contents has been added with active
links.
David Widger, June 2008
CONTENTS
[ THE ANCIENT REGIME ]
[ INTRODUCTION ]
[ PREFACE: ]
[ PREFACE BY THE AUTHOR: ON POLITICAL IGNORANCE AND WISDOM. ]
[ BOOK FIRST. THE STRUCTURE OF THE ANCIENT SOCIETY. ]
[ CHAPTER I. THE ORIGIN OF PRIVILEGES. ][ I. Services and Recompenses of the Clergy. ]
[ CHAPTER II. THE PRIVILEGED CLASSES. ]
[ II. Services and Recompenses of the Nobles. ]
[ III. Services and Recompenses of the King. ][ I. Number of the Privileged Classes. ]
[ II. Their Possessions, Capital, and Revenue. ]
[ III. Their Immunities. ]
[ IV. Their Feudal Rights. ]
[ V. They may be justified by local and general services. ]
[ CHAPTER III. LOCAL SERVICES DUE BY THE PRIVILEGED CLASSES. ][ I. Examples in Germany and England.—These services are not rendered by ]
[ CHAPTER IV. PUBLIC SERVICES DUE BY THE PRIVILEGED CLASSES. ]
[ II. Resident Seigniors. ]
[ III. Absentee Seigniors. ][ I. England compared to France. ]
[ BOOK SECOND. MORALS AND CHARACTERS. ]
[ II. The Clergy ]
[ III. Influence of the Nobles.. ]
[ IV. Isolation of the Chiefs ]
[ V. The King's Incompetence and Generosity. ]
[ VI. Latent Disorganization in France. ]
[ CHAPTER I. MORAL PRINCIPLES UNDER THE ANCIENT REGIME. ][ The Court and a life of pomp and parade. ]
[ CHAPTER II. DRAWING ROOM LIFE. ]
[ I. Versailles. ]
[ The Physical aspect and the moral character of Versailles. ]
[ II. The King's Household. ]
[ III. The King's Associates. ]
[ IV. Everyday Life In Court. ]
[ V. Royal Distractions. ]
[ VI. Upper Class Distractions. ]
[ VII. Provincial Nobility. ][ I. Perfect only in France ]
[ CHAPTER III. DISADVANTAGES OF THIS DRAWING ROOM LIFE. ]
[ II. Social Life Has Priority. ]
[ III. Universal Pleasure Seeking. ]
[ IV. Enjoyment. ]
[ V. Happiness. ]
[ VI. Gaiety. ]
[ VII. Theater, Parade And Extravagance. ][ I. Its Barrenness and Artificiality ]
[ BOOK THIRD. THE SPIRIT AND THE DOCTRINE. ]
[ II. Return To Nature And Sentiment. ]
[ III. Personality Defects. ]
[ CHAPTER I. SCIENTIFIC ACQUISITION. ][ I. Scientific Progress. ]
[ CHAPTER II. THE CLASSIC SPIRIT, THE SECOND ELEMENT. ]
[ II. Science Detached From Theology. ]
[ III. The Transformation Of History. ]
[ IV. The New Psychology. ]
[ V. The Analytical Method. ][ I. Through Colored Glasses. ]
[ CHAPTER III. COMBINATION OF THE TWO ELEMENTS. ]
[ II. Its Original Deficiency. ]
[ III. The Mathematical Method. ][ I. Birth Of A Doctrine, A Revelation. ]
[ CHAPTER IV. ORGANIZING THE FUTURE SOCIETY. ]
[ II. Ancestral Tradition And Culture. ]
[ III. Reason At War With Illusion. ]
[ IV. Casting Out The Residue Of Truth And Justice. ]
[ V. The Dream Of A Return To Nature. ]
[ VI. The Abolition Of Society. Rousseau. ]
[ VII: The Lost Children. ][ I. Liberty, Equality And Sovereignty Of The People. ]
[ BOOK FOURTH. THE PROPAGATION OF THE DOCTRINE. ]
[ II. Naive Convictions ]
[ III. Our True Human Nature. ]
[ IV. Birth Of Socialist Theory, Its Two Sides. ]
[ V. Social Contract, Summary. ]
[ CHAPTER I.—SUCCESS OF THIS PHILOSOPHY IN FRANCE.—FAILURE OF THE SAME ][ I. The Propagating Organ, Eloquence. ]
[ CHAPTER II. THE FRENCH PUBLIC. ]
[ II. Its Method. ]
[ III. Its Popularity. ]
[ IV. The Masters. ][ I. The Nobility. ]
[ CHAPTER III. THE MIDDLE CLASS. ]
[ II. Conditions In France. ]
[ III. French Indolence. ]
[ IV. Unbelief. ]
[ V. Political Opposition. ]
[ VI. Well-Meaning Government. ][ I. The Past. ]
[ BOOK FIFTH. THE PEOPLE ]
[ II. CHANGE IN THE CONDITION OF THE BOURGEOIS. ]
[ III. Social Promotion. ]
[ IV. Rousseau's Philosophy Spreads And Takes HOLD. ]
[ V. Revolutionary Passions. ]
[ VI. Summary ][ CHAPTER I. HARDSHIPS. ]
[ CHAPTER II. TAXATION THE PRINCIPAL CAUSE OF MISERY. ]
[ I. Privations. ]
[ II. The Peasants. ]
[ III. The Countryside. ]
[ IV. The Peasant Becomes Landowner. ][ I. Extortion. ]
[ CHAPTER III. INTELLECTUAL STATE OF THE PEOPLE. ]
[ II. Local Conditions. ]
[ III. The Common Laborer. ]
[ IV. Collections And Seizures.—Observe the system actually at work. It ]
[ V. Indirect Taxes. ]
[ VI. Burdens And Exemptions. ]
[ VII. Municipal Taxation. ]
[ VIII. Complaints In The Registers. ][ I. Intellectual incapacity ]
[ CHAPTER IV. THE ARMED FORCES. ]
[ II. Political incapacity ]
[ III. Destructive impulses ]
[ IV. Insurrectionary leaders and recruits ][ I. Military force declines ]
[ CHAPTER V. SUMMARY. ]
[ II. The social organization is dissolved ]
[ III. Direction of the current ][ I. Suicide of the Ancient Regime. ]
[ END OF VOLUME ]
[ II. Aspirations for the 'Great Revolution.' ]