TPR Recommends... The French Revolution

For TPR, few events in history quite match the excitement and the philosophical majesty of the French Revolution. Indeed, TPR is likely one of the many fans of this period of history who have a tendency to over-romanticise the bloody events of the 1790s and the tyranny of Napoleon in the 1800s. However, with so much of the political consensus we know today inspiring the French Revolution (Montesquieu) or formed in reaction to it (Burke), it's certainly a topic worth knowing about.


The seminal book on this topic is by British historian Simon Schama. Here he offers one the definitive account of the French Revolution. More than likely too heavy to take on the beach for your summer holidays, and too dense to be read whilst taking notes, this is a book that best sits on the side of the desk for digesting chapter-by-chapter for the broadest narrative and some interesting analysis. Purchase here.


Politicians just ain't as good as they used to be. Ever feel this way? Maximillian Robespierre will compound and challenge your view all at the same time. Potentially the most interesting revolutionary figure (whose time of dominance of the Committee for Public Safety brought in the 'Reign of Terror') his time of authority went from the aforementioned bloodiness of the terror to the bizarre attempt to create his own pagan religion, the Cult of the Supreme Being. To think it all ended with an attempted suicide (in which he managed only to shatter his own jaw with a pistol) before he was guillotined without trial. Purchase here.



Edmund Burke was the founder of modern conservative ideology (which would later be applied to the party, the founding of which in its modern form is attributed to Robert Peel). It is fitting, therefore, that he wrote a book about the management of change. Few times were so fitting for such a book to be written - France was in revolution, America had revolted and formed an independent nation and the industrial revolution had brought about significant change in Britain itself. Reflections on the Revolution in France remains a classic of British political philosophy. Purchase here.

TPR Recommends... The Coalition Government

Welcome to our first 'TPR Recommends...' - a section for highlighting some of the must-read books if you want to understand a certain topic in politics. This week, we're starting with Britain's coalition government; how it came about, what it's done so far and what we can expect from it in the future.


When a book is published by Palgrave Macmillan, it can mean one/both of two things: it's going to be expensive or it will be too academically focused for most of us to easily engage with. Thankfully, Simon Lee and Matt Beach strike a decent balance for the wallet and the brain in this book, a must read if you want an over-arching view of the priorities and the foci of this government to date. This government is likely to run a lot longer than its first year - if the coalition survives, the next election is set for May 2015 - but as one of the most active governments in living memory, for good or ill, its first year is certainly note-worthy. A top choice. Purchase here.


The 2010 election, encouraged by the three television debates, was perhaps the election when Sky declared its near-parity with the BBC and ITV in media terms. It is perhaps fitting therefore to include a book by two of Sky News' most recognisable faces, Adam Boulton and Joey Jones. In this book, they provide an account of how the coalition came about over the five days of negotiations resulting in David Cameron's walk through the doors of Number 10. The most interesting five-days in May since 1939, some may say, is deserving of something better than Boulton and Jones' account. Yet its accessibility makes it worth a read - although perhaps on the beach rather than in the library... Purchase here.


In the five months leading up to the 2010 General Election, David Cameron and his team decided that "the Big Society" should be the centre-piece of their campaign. However, the political establishment felt it sounded more Orwell than cuddly-Conservatives and the country simply didn't engage with the idea. Despite this, and at times because of this, the Big Society is at the heart of David Cameron's vision for the state, recently undergoing its forth re-launch. Jesse Norman, a Conservative MP of the 2010 intake, provides what is to date the seminal book on the matter. A must read if you want to flesh out the murky depths of the Big Society. So worth a read, in fact, that it will soon form the basis of a TPR review. Purchase here.

Next time, we turn our eyes state-side and discuss the top books to understanding the Obama administration so far and what his first two and a half years mean for his 2012 re-election bid.