France and Its Empire Since 1870

This is the best book on French history at college level - speaking from a customer's perspective. Don't be deceived by the 1870 and Empire in the tile - there is sufficient treatment of years before the Third Republic and the coverage is finely balanced between the domestic and the foreign. I read Jeremy Popkin's book for intro class and I very much wish that this book had been the one assigned. The writing is livelier and and the approach is interpretive. Well done to the authors

"This is a truly daunting undertaking as there is arguably no otherperiod in French history in which such profound changes took place during such a relatively short spanof time: the transformation from an agrarian-based society to a modern, industrial state; the acquisitionof a colonial empire and its violent dénouement; two world wars largely fought on French soil, one ofwhich nearly led to the nation's demise; and the incorporation of France into the EU to name but only afew. Thus, the authors are to be commended for producing a work that is remarkably lucid and easilyaccessible for students and non-specialists alike.While much of the material is well known to scholars, there are enough unique insights interspersedthroughout the narrative to engage the specialist. Indeed, given its breadth and surprising depth thistext surpasses other such treatments and is likely to serve as the text of choice for those engaged in thestudy and teaching of modern France and the Francophone world."(Stephen A. Toth, Arizona State University, on h-france.net, [...]