François Crouzet
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

François Crouzet (20 October 1922 – 20 March 2010) was a French historian. Considered the greatest French historian of Britain of his generation, he was Professor Emeritus of Modern History at the Université de Paris-Sorbonne at the time of his death.Barjot, Dominique (2010)
"Hommage François Crouzet"
''Entreprises et histoire'', No. 41, pp. 219-221. Retrieved 27 January 2016 .
Harte, Negley (9 June 2010)

''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
''. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
Reisz, Matthew (24 June 2010)
"Francois Crouzet, 1922-2010"
''
Times Higher Education Supplement ''Times Higher Education'' (''THE''), formerly ''The Times Higher Education Supplement'' (''The THES''), is a British magazine reporting specifically on news and issues related to higher education. Ownership TPG Capital acquired TSL Education ...
''. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
Poussou, Jean-Pierre (2010)
"In memoriam François Crouzet (1922-2010)"
. ''Histoire économie & société''. Vol. 2010, No. 02, pp 1-6. Retrieved 1 February 2016 .


Life and career

Crouzet was born in Monts-sur-Guesnes, the son of who served as the Inspector General for History under France's Ministry of National Education. After graduating with his
Baccalauréat The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...
from the Lycée Hoche in 1939, he was admitted to the
École Normale Supérieure École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by Secondary education in France, secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing i ...
which his father had also attended. He passed his ''
Agrégation In France, the () is the most competitive and prestigious examination for civil service in the French public education A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all stu ...
'' in history with full marks in 1945 and began teaching at a lycée in
Beauvais Beauvais ( , ; ) is a town and Communes of France, commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise Departments of France, département, in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, north of Paris. The Communes of France, commune o ...
. Between 1946 and 1949 he was in the UK on fellowships to carry out research in British history that would ultimately form the basis of his doctoral dissertation. Based at the
London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...
and the
Institute of Historical Research The Institute of Historical Research (IHR) is a British educational organisation providing resources and training for historical researchers. It is part of the School of Advanced Study in the University of London and is located at Senate Hou ...
and spending much of his time in the
Public Record Office The Public Record Office (abbreviated as PRO, pronounced as three letters and referred to as ''the'' PRO), Chancery Lane in the City of London, was the guardian of the national archives of the United Kingdom from 1838 until 2003, when it was m ...
, he became a life-long
Anglophile An Anglophile is a person who admires or loves England, its people, its culture, its language, and/or its various accents. In some cases, Anglophilia refers to an individual's appreciation of English history and traditional English cultural ico ...
. During his London years, he met and married Françoise Dabert-Hauser, the granddaughter of the French historian Henri Hauser. On his return to France in 1949 he worked as a
lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...
at the
Paris Institute of Political Studies Sciences Po () or Sciences Po Paris, also known as the Paris Institute of Political Studies (), is a public research university located in Paris, France, that holds the status of ''grande école'' and the legal status of . The university's unde ...
until 1956 and was also a teaching assistant in contemporary history at the Sorbonne (1949–1953) and a professor at the Lycée Janson de Sailly (1953–1956). He received his doctorate in 1956 with his dissertation, ''L'économie britannique et le blocus continental (1806-1813)'', a two-volume study on the economic impact of the Napoleonic blockade of Britain. The thesis, which received the unanimous congratulations of the jury, was published two years later and made an immediate impact. It was awarded the ''Prix Georges Mauguin'' by the
Académie des sciences morales et politiques An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
and was published in a revised and expanded second edition in 1988. Much of his subsequent work and research stemmed from the ideas that he explored in the book. From 1956 to 1968, he held successive professorships at the universities of
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
,
Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...
, and
Nanterre Nanterre (; ) is the prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located some northwest of the centre of Paris. In 2018, the commune had a population of 96,807. The eastern part of Nanterre, b ...
. In 1969 he was appointed to the Chair of Northern European History at the Sorbonne, a position he held until his retirement in 1992. Throughout his career he also held a variety of visiting professorships:
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
(1961),
University of California Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkeley ...
(1964),
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
(1981–1982),
University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...
(1996), and the
University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public university, public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a Theology, theological seminary. It rema ...
(1970–1973). He was also a visiting fellow at
Wolfson College, Cambridge Wolfson College () is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The majority of students at the college are postgraduates. The college also admits "mature" undergraduates (aged 21 and above), with around ...
in 1969 and
All Souls College, Oxford All Souls College (official name: The College of All Souls of the Faithful Departed, of Oxford) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full me ...
in 1976 and 1985. François Crouzet died in 2010 at the age of 87, survived by his wife Françoise (1923–2014) and their three children, Marie-Anne Dalem ''née'' Crouzet and Denis Crouzet (both historians) and Joël Crouzet (a
molecular biologist Molecular biology is a branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecule, molecular basis of biological activity in and between Cell (biology), cells, including biomolecule, biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactio ...
). He dedicated the final years of his life to writing his memoirs. They were published posthumously in 2012 as ''De mémoire d'historien: Chroniques d'un XXe siècle disparu'' with an introduction by Denis Crouzet.


Bibliography in English

Several of Crouzet's key books have been published in English or in English translation. These include: * ''Capital Formation in the Industrial Revolution'' (Methuen, 1972) *''The Victorian Economy'' (Methuen, 1982), published in French as ''L'Économie de la Grande-Bretagne victorienne'' (Société d'édition d'enseignement supérieur, 1978) *''Britain Ascendant: Comparative Studies in Franco-British Economic History'' (Cambridge University Press, 1985), published in French as ''De la Superiorite de l'Angleterre sur la France'' (Perrin, 1985) *''The First Industrialists: The Problem of Origins'' (Cambridge University Press, 1985) *''Britain, France, and International Commerce: From Louis XIV to Victoria'' (Ashgate Variorum, 1995) *''A History of the European Economy, 1000-2000'' (University Press of Virginia, 2001), published in French as ''Histoire de l’économie européenne 1000-2000'' (Albin Michel, 2000)


Awards and distinctions

François Crouzet received honorary doctorates from the
University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...
(1977),
University of Kent The University of Kent (formerly the University of Kent at Canterbury, abbreviated as UKC) is a Collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom. The university was granted its roya ...
(1985),
University of Leicester The University of Leicester ( ) is a public university, public research university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park, Leicester, Victoria Park. The university's predecessor, Univ ...
(1989), and the
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
(1993). His other awards and distinctions include: *1959 Prix Georges Mauguin,
Académie des sciences morales et politiques An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
for ''L'économie britannique et le blocus continental'' *1973 elected Fellow of the
British Academy The British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical and Philological Studies is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the sa ...
*1980 Honorary Commander of the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
*1985 Commandeur,
Ordre des Palmes académiques A suite, in Western classical music, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes; and grew in scope so that by the early 17th century it comprised up to ...
Poussou, Jean-Pierre (2000)
"Avant-Propos "
pp. 1–14 in Jean-Pierre Poussou (ed.). ''L'économie franc̜aise du XVIIIe au XXe siècle'' (essays in honour of François Crouzet). Presses Paris Sorbonne.
*1987 Grand Prix d'Histoire de la Ville de Paris *1995 Chevalier,
Légion d’honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
*2001 Prix Guizot,
Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
for ''Histoire de l’économie européenne 1000-2000''
Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

François Crouzet
Retrieved 1 February 2016 .
*2008 Prix Rossi, Académie des sciences morales et politiques for ''La guerre économique franco-anglaise au XVIIIe siècle''
Académie des sciences morales et politiques An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

Prix Rossi: Les lauréats
Retrieved 3 February 2016 .


References


Further reading

*''
Libération (), popularly known as ''Libé'' (), is a daily newspaper in France, founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968 in France, May 1968. Initially positioned on the far left of Fr ...
'' (17 August 1999)
"L'Histoire naturelle. François Crouzet"
(Crouzet discussing his early life and career) {{DEFAULTSORT:Crouzet, Francois 20th-century French historians 21st-century French historians Historians of the United Kingdom Academic staff of the University of Paris University of Paris alumni Knights of the Legion of Honour Fellows of the British Academy 1922 births 2010 deaths Honorary commanders of the Order of the British Empire Corresponding fellows of the British Academy