The Einlightenment: a comparative social history 1721-1794

Three great cities (Paris, London and Hamburg) are central to the study, but comparisons range widely across much of Europe. The book begins with the publication of Montesquieu´ s "Persian Letters" in 1721 and ends not with the start of the French Revolution but rather with its change of direction in 1794, and with a reassessment of enlightened absolutism in the light of changing relationships between state and citizen.