Project Gutenberg 1998-06-01 Public domain in the USA. 59 Kingsley, Charles 1819 1875 Kingley, Charles Kingsley, C. (Charles) The Ancien Régime Preface -- Caste -- Centralization -- The explosive forces. Transcribed from the 1902 "Historical Lectures and Essays" Macmillan and Co. edition by David Price "The Ancien Régime" by Charles Kingsley is a historical account written in the mid-19th century. This work critically examines the political and social structures of pre-revolutionary France, particularly focusing on the concept of caste and the class dynamics that led to the French Revolution. Kingsley contrasts these French conditions with those of Britain, stressing the latter's relative stability due to its lack of a rigid caste system. The opening of the text sets the stage for an examination of the Ancien Régime by discussing the limitations placed on the author during the Royal Institution lectures, notably around topics of religious and political controversy. Kingsley reflects on the differences between British society and France, emphasizing that England's legislative efforts have benefited the poor without creating widespread misery, which he argues is crucial for societal stability. He identifies the dangers of a centralized power structure that can arise from a decaying aristocracy, suggesting that the absence of a strong middle class may lead to a revolution similar to what occurred in France. The narrative suggests that the issues stemming from a neglectful aristocracy and bureaucratic overreach are central to understanding the societal pressures that eventually contributed to the upheaval of the Ancien Régime. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en France -- History France -- Politics and government France -- Social conditions DC Text Browsing: History - European 199246 199121 2024-09-01T09:21:20.817975 2023-10-01T08:35:05.066456 text/html text/html 198380 2020-12-31T12:41:46 text/html 75259 2020-12-31T12:41:46 text/html application/zip 125270 2024-09-01T09:21:24.724958 application/epub+zip 127395 2024-09-01T09:21:22.059976 application/epub+zip 127394 2024-09-01T09:21:21.285985 application/epub+zip 251383 2024-09-01T09:21:26.944951 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 239651 2024-09-01T09:21:24.248953 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 239635 2022-09-01T10:32:37.402853 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 191050 190968 2024-09-01T09:21:20.571001 2023-10-01T08:35:04.858463 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 190795 2020-12-31T12:41:46 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 73944 2020-12-31T12:41:46 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 18382 2024-09-01T09:21:27.075944 application/rdf+xml 13623 2024-09-01T09:21:21.647989 image/jpeg 3524 2024-09-01T09:21:21.470979 image/jpeg 126770 2024-09-01T09:21:20.836983 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia