The making of capitalism in France : : class structures, economic development, the state and the formation of the French working class, 1750-1914 / / by Xavier Lafrance.

• Superior document: Historical materialism book series ; 189
• VerfasserIn: Lafrance, Xavier,
• Place / Publishing House: Boston : : Brill,, [2019]
• Year of Publication: 2019
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Historical materialism book series ; 189.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (321 pages).

Very few authors have addressed the origins of capitalism in France as the emergence of a distinct form of historical society, premised on a new configuration of social power, rather than as an extension of commercial activities liberated from feudal obstacles. Xavier Lafrance offers the first thorough historical analysis of the origins of capitalist social property relations in France from a 'political Marxist' or ( Capital -centric Marxist) perspective. Putting emphasis on the role of the state, The Making of Capitalism in France shows how the capitalist system was first imported into this country in an industrial form, and considerably later than is usually assumed. This work demonstrates that the French Revolution was not capitalist, and in fact consolidated customary regulations that formed the bedrock of the formation of the working class.

Table of Contents

Front Matter -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- The Old Regime False Start: Attempts at Liberal Reforms and the Absence of a Transition to Capitalism in Absolutist France -- Non-capitalist Industrialisation in Post-revolutionary France -- The French Revolution and the Customary Regulation of Labour -- The Rise of the French Working Class: Republican and Socialist Struggles against Extra-Economic Exploitation -- The State-Led Capitalist Transformation of French Industry -- Capitalism and the Re-making of the French Working Class -- Conclusion -- Back Matter -- References -- Index.