Answer the following questions for the sources listed /provided:
1a. What is Elisabeth Eisenstein’s criticism on Georges Lefebvre’s The Coming of the French Revolution (1947; translation of Quatre-Vingt-Neuf, 1939)? Point out the essence of her argument.
1b. What is the similarity between Eisenstein’s and Alfred Cobban’s criticism of the Marxist interpretation of the French Revolution?
1c. Does Colin Lucas, in his article on the role of nobles and ‘bourgeois’ in the outbreak of the French Revolution, support or reject Cobban’s and Eisenstein’s criticism of the Marxist viewpoint?
2. As explained in the introduction of the skills-training book, for a proper understanding of a source it is crucial to consider some basic questions:
Which different kinds (types) of sources can be distinguished among those listed above?
In which context were the sources created and what was their function at the time of its creation?
Who’s voices, viewpoints and perspectives can be heard in the sources?
Were the authors of the documents involved in the happenings or situation described or referred to and were they inspired by an intention?
Were the sources aimed at a particular audience?
What is the meaning of the contents of the sources and to what do they refer (or: what sort of historical questions can be answered by analysing these sources)?
Try to answer these questions for each type of source listed in this assignment. It is not necessary to answer these questions for each source separately. Find out which sources are similar and then you can answer the questions for categories of sources.
3. How are these sources related to Elisabeth Eisenstein’s and Colin Lucas’ interpretations of the preparatory stage of the French Revolution? Do the sources (separately or some of them together) provide evidence to confirm or discard the views of Eisenstein and Lucas?
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