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François Furet (; 27 March 1927 – 12 July 1997) was a French historian and president of the
Saint-Simon Foundation The Saint-Simon Foundation () was a French think tank that was created in 1982 and brought together public intellectuals, Journalist, journalists, senior civil servants, business leaders, trade unionists, and academics. It terminated its activity in ...
, best known for his books on the French Revolution. From 1985 to 1997, Furet was a professor of French history at the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
. Furet was elected to the
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 ...
in March 1997, just three months before he died in July.


Biography

Born in Paris on 27 March 1927 into a wealthy family, Furet was a bright student who graduated from the Sorbonne with the highest honors and soon decided on a life of research, teaching and writing. He received his education at the Lycée Janson de Sailly and at the faculty of art and law of Paris. In 1949, Furet entered the
French Communist Party The French Communist Party (, , PCF) is a Communism, communist list of political parties in France, party in France. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its Member of the European Parliament, MEPs sit with The Left in the ...
, but he left the party in 1956 following the Soviet invasion of Hungary. After beginning his studies at the University of Letters and Law in his native Paris, Furet was forced to leave university in 1950 due to a case of
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
. After recovering, he sat for the ''agrégation'' and passed the highly competitive exams with a focus in History in 1954. After a stint teaching in high schools, he began work on the French Revolution at the National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS) in France, supporting himself with a journalist job at the '' France Observateur'' between 1956 and 1964 and '' Nouvel Observateur'' between 1964 and 1966. In 1966, Furet began work at the
École des hautes études en sciences sociales The School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (, EHESS) is a graduate ''grande école'' and '' grand établissement'' in Paris focused on academic research in the social sciences. The school awards Master and PhD degrees alone and conj ...
(EHESS) in Paris, where he would later be president (from 1977 to 1985).David Robin Watson (1999). "Furet, François", ''The Encyclopedia of Historians and Historical Writing, Volume 1, Chicago Fitzroy Dearborn, p. 426-427. Furet served as Director of Studies at the EHESS in Paris and as a professor in the Committee on Social Thought at the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
. In March 1997, he was elected to the
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 ...
. He died in July 1997 in a
Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
hospital while being treated for head injuries he incurred in an accident on a tennis court. He was survived by his wife Deborah, daughter Charlotte and son Antoine from a previous marriage to Jacqueline Nora. There is now a François Furet school in the suburbs of Paris as well as a François Furet prize given out every year. Furet's major interest was the French Revolution. Furet's early work was a social history of the 18th century
bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted wi ...
, but after 1961 his focus shifted to the Revolution. While initially a
Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...
and supporter of the
Annales School The ''Annales'' school () is a group of historians associated with a style of historiography developed by French historians in the 20th century to stress long-term social history. It is named after its scholarly journal '' Annales. Histoire, S ...
, he later separated himself from the Annales and undertook a critical re-evaluation of the way the French Revolution is interpreted by Marxist historians. He became the leader of the revisionist school of historians who challenged the Marxist account of the French Revolution as a form of
class struggle In political science, the term class conflict, class struggle, or class war refers to the economic antagonism and political tension that exist among social classes because of clashing interests, competition for limited resources, and inequali ...
. As other French historians of his generation like Jacques Godechot or Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, Furet was open to ideas of English language historians, especially Alfred Cobban. Likewise, Furet frequently lectured at American universities and from 1985 onwards taught at the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
. In his first work on the Revolution, 1966's ''La Révolution'', Furet argued that the early years of the Revolution had a benign character, but after 1792 the Revolution had skidded off into the blood lust and cruelty of the
Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the French First Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and Capital punishment in France, nu ...
. The cause of the Revolution going off course was the outbreak of war in 1792 which Furet controversially argued was intrinsic to the Revolution itself, rather than being an unrelated event as most French historians had argued until then. The other major theme of Furet's writings was its focus on the political history of the Revolution and its relative lack of interest in the Revolution's social and economic history. Other than a study of ''Lire et écrire'' (1977), a study co-edited with Jacques Ozouf concerning the growth of literacy in 18th century France, Furet's writings on the Revolution tended to focus on its historiography. In a 1970 article in ''Annales'', Furet attacked "the revolutionary catechism" of Marxist historians. Furet was especially critical of the "Marxist line" of Albert Soboul which Furet maintained was actually more
Jacobin The Society of the Friends of the Constitution (), renamed the Society of the Jacobins, Friends of Freedom and Equality () after 1792 and commonly known as the Jacobin Club () or simply the Jacobins (; ), was the most influential political cl ...
than Marxist. Furet argued that
Karl Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...
was not especially interested in the Revolution and that most of the views credited to him were really the recycling of Jacobinism. Furet considered
Bolshevism Bolshevism (derived from Bolshevik) is a revolutionary socialist current of Soviet Leninist and later Marxist–Leninist political thought and political regime associated with the formation of a rigidly centralized, cohesive and disciplined p ...
and
fascism Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...
totalitarian twins Various historians and other authors have carried out a comparison of Nazism and Stalinism, with particular consideration to the similarities and differences between the two ideologies and political systems, the relationship between the two re ...
in terms of violence and repression. From 1995 until his death on 12 July 1997 in
Figeac Figeac (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the southwestern French Departments of France, department of Lot (department), Lot. Figeac is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Figeac is on the via Podiensis ...
, Furet's views about
totalitarianism Totalitarianism is a political system and a form of government that prohibits opposition from political parties, disregards and outlaws the political claims of individual and group opposition to the state, and completely controls the public s ...
led to a debate via a series of letters with the German philosopher Ernst Nolte. The debate had been started by a footnote in Furet's ''Le passé d'une illusion'' criticising Nolte's views over the relationship between Bolshevism and fascism, leading Nolte to write a letter of protest. Furet defended his view about totalitarian twins sharing the same origins while Nolte argued that fascism was a response to Bolshevism. The Parisian newspaper ''
Le Figaro () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It was named after Figaro, a character in several plays by polymath Pierre Beaumarchais, Beaumarchais (1732–1799): ''Le Barbier de Séville'', ''The Guilty Mother, La Mère coupable'', ...
'' called him "a revolutionary of the Revolution". According to the newspaper, "One could even say that there is a Furetian school (of the Revolution)," with a "galaxy" of professors and writers, influenced by Furet, living in France, the United States and the United Kingdom. Furet was a member of both the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...
and the
American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...
.


French Revolution

Furet was the leading figure in the rejection of the classic or Marxist interpretation. Desan (2000) concluded he "seemed to emerge the victor from the bicentennial, both in the media and in historiographic debates". Furet, an ex-
French Communist Party The French Communist Party (, , PCF) is a Communism, communist list of political parties in France, party in France. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its Member of the European Parliament, MEPs sit with The Left in the ...
member, published his classic ''La Révolution Française'' in 1965–1966. It marked his transition from revolutionary
left-wing politics Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...
to
moderate Moderate is an ideological category which entails centrist views on a liberal-conservative spectrum. It may also designate a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. Political position Canad ...
centre-left Centre-left politics is the range of left-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre. Ideologies commonly associated with it include social democracy, social liberalism, progressivism, and green politics. Ideas commo ...
position and reflected his ties to the social-science-oriented
Annales School The ''Annales'' school () is a group of historians associated with a style of historiography developed by French historians in the 20th century to stress long-term social history. It is named after its scholarly journal '' Annales. Histoire, S ...
. Furet then re-examined the Revolution from the perspective of 20th-century totalitarianism as exemplified by
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
and
Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
. His ''Penser la Révolution Française'' (1978), translated as ''Interpreting the French Revolution'' (1981), was a breakthrough book that led many intellectuals to reevaluate Bolshevism and the Revolution as inherently totalitarian and anti-democratic. Looking at modern French communism, he stressed the close resemblance between the 1960s and 1790s, with both favoring the inflexible and rote ideological discourse in party cells where decisions were made unanimously in a manipulated direct democracy. Furet further suggested that popularity of the far left to many French intellectuals was itself a result of their commitment to the ideals of the Revolution. Furet set about to imagine the Revolution less as the result of social and class conflict and more a conflict over the meaning and application of egalitarian and democratic ideas. He saw Revolutionary France as located ideologically between two revolutions, namely the first egalitarian one that began in 1789 and the second the authoritarian coup that brought about
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
's empire in 1799. The egalitarian origins of the Revolution were not undone by the Empire and were resurrected in the July Revolution of
1830 It is known in European history as a rather tumultuous year with the Revolutions of 1830 in France, Belgium, Poland, Switzerland and Italy. Events January–March * January 11 – LaGrange College (later the University of North Alabama) ...
, the
1848 1848 is historically famous for the wave of revolutions, a series of widespread struggles for more liberal governments, which broke out from Brazil to Hungary; although most failed in their immediate aims, they significantly altered the polit ...
Revolution and the Commune of Paris in 1871. Working much of the year at the University of Chicago after 1979, Furet also rejected the Annales School with its emphasis on very long-term structural factors and emphasized intellectual history. Influenced by
Alexis de Tocqueville Alexis Charles Henri Clérel, comte de Tocqueville (29 July 180516 April 1859), was a French Aristocracy (class), aristocrat, diplomat, political philosopher, and historian. He is best known for his works ''Democracy in America'' (appearing in t ...
and Augustin Cochin, Furet argues that Frenchmen must stop seeing the Revolution as the key to all aspects of modern French history. His works include ''Interpreting the French Revolution'' (1981), a historiographical overview of what has preceded him and ''A Critical Dictionary of the French Revolution'' (1989).Donals Sutherland, "An Assessment of the Writings of François Furet", ''French Historical Studies'', Fall 1990, Vol. 16 Issue 4, pp 784–91 Because of his influence in history and historiography, Furet was granted some of the field's most prestigious awards, among them: * Tocqueville Award, 1990 * The European Award for Social Sciences, 1996 * The Hannah Arendt Award for Political Thought, 1996 * An honorary diploma (''Honoris Causa'') from Harvard University


Methodology

Furet's concerns were not only historical, but historiographical as well. He attempted particularly to address distinctions between history as grand narrative and history as a set of problems that must be dealt with in a purely chronological manner.


Bibliography

* ''La Révolution française, en collaboration avec Denis Richet'' (''The French Revolution'', 2 volumes, 1965) * ''Penser la Révolution française'' (''Interpreting the French Revolution'', 1978) * ''L'atelier de l'histoire'' (''In the Workshop of History'', 1982) * "Beyond the Annales", ''The Journal of Modern History'' Vol. 55, No. 3, September 198
in JSTOR
* "Terrorism and Democracy". ''
Telos Telos (; ) is a term used by philosopher Aristotle to refer to the final cause of a natural organ or entity, or of human art. ''Telos'' is the root of the modern term teleology, the study of purposiveness or of objects with a view to their aims, ...
'' 65 (Fall 1985). New York
Telos Press
* ''Marx and the French Revolution'' with Lucien Calvié, (University of Chicago Press, 1988) * "The Monarchy and the Procedures for the Elections of 1789", ''The Journal of Modern History'' Vol. 60, No. 3, September 198
in JSTOR
* "The French Revolution Revisited" ''Government and Opposition'' (1989) 24#3 pp: 264–282
online
* ''Dictionnaire critique de la Révolution française'' (coedited with Mona Ozouf, 1992, 2 vol.) ** ''A Critical Dictionary of the French Revolution'' (Harvard U.P. 1989) * ''Le Siècle de l'avènement républicain'' (with Mona Ozouf, 1993) * ''Le Passé d'une illusion, essai sur l'idée communiste au XXe siècle'' (1995) ** ''The Passing of an Illusion: The Idea of Communism in the Twentieth Century'', (translated by Deborah Furet, University of Chicago Press, 1999). * co-written with Ernst Nolte ''Fascisme et Communisme: échange épistolaire avec l'historien allemand Ernst Nolte prolongeant la Historikerstreit'', translated into English by Katherine Golsan as ''Fascism and Communism'', with a preface by Tzvetan Todorov, Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 2001, . * ''La Révolution, Histoire de France'' ** ''Revolutionary France, 1770–1880'' (translated by Antonia Nevill) (Oxford U.P., 1995). * ''Reading and Writing: Literacy in France from Calvin to Jules Ferry'' * ''Lies, Passions, and Illusions: The Democratic Imagination in the Twentieth Century'', (translated by Deborah Furet, University of Chicago Press, 2014).


Notes


Further reading

* Anderson, Perry
"Dégringolade"
''London Review of Books'', Vol. 26 No. 17 · 2 September * * Christofferson, Michael Scott. "An Antitotalitarian History of the French Revolution: François Furet’s Penser la Révolution française in the Intellectual Politics of the Late 1970s", ''French Historical Studies'' (1999) 22#4 pp 557–61

* Kaplan, Steven. ''Farewell, Revolution: The Historians’ Feud: France, 1789/1989'' (Cornell U.P., 1995)
excerpt and text search
* Khilnani, Sunil. ''Arguing Revolution: The Intellectual Left in Postwar France'' (Yale U.P. 1993), pp 155–78 * Prochasson, Christophe. "François Furet, the Revolution and the past future of the French Left", ''French History'' (2012) 26#1 pp 96–117 * Schönpflug, Daniel. ''Histoires croisées'': François Furet, Ernst Nolte and ''A Comparative History of Totalitarian Movements'', pp. 265–290 from '' European ginge'', Volume 37, Issue # 2, 2007. * * Shorten, Richard. ''Europe’s Twentieth Century In Retrospect? A Cautious Note On The Furet/Nolte Debate'', pages 285-304 from ''European Legacy'', Volume 9, Issue #, 2004. * * Watson, David Robin ''Furet, François'', pp. 426–427 from ''The Encyclopedia of Historians and Historical Writing'', Volume 1, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1999. {{DEFAULTSORT:Furet, Francois 1927 births 1997 deaths Historians of France Historians of Europe Writers from Paris French anti-communists Historiographers Historians of the French Revolution Members of the Académie Française Knights of the Legion of Honour French Communist Party members Lycée Janson-de-Sailly alumni 20th-century French historians 20th-century French male writers French male writers Members of the American Philosophical Society University of Paris alumni