[1] The study shows how a movement which began with optimism and general enthusiasm soon became a tragedy, not only for the ruling orders, but also for the millions of ordinary people whose lives were disrupted by religious upheaval, economic chaos, and civil and international war.

He described The Oxford History of the French Revolution as "sober, lucid and authoritative", adding that he expected it to "become the standard textbook for the period" and that Doyle approached the subject fairly.

However, he considered Doyle "stronger on judicious description than on analysis and exegesis", believing that he offered "political chronology in its tactical and quotidian dimensions rather than an interpretation of the Revolution in terms of wider processes", and that his arguments were sometimes inconsistent.

He agreed with Doyle's view of the French Revolution as "an essentially political event" and his emphasis on "the importance of the patriot revolt in the United Provinces".

He also credited Doyle with providing a "clear and comprehensive" discussion of the French Revolution, including a careful and fair critique of Marxist interpretations.

He considered it familiar from Doyle's previous work, noting that the book repeated material from Origins of the French Revolution (2nd edition, 1988).