When was Alfred Cobban born and where did he attend university?
Alfred Bert Carter Cobban entered the world on the 24th of May 1901 in London. He attended Latymer Upper School before moving to Gonville and Caius College at Cambridge University.
Questions about Alfred Cobban
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What major work did Alfred Cobban publish in 1955 regarding the French Revolution?
Cobban published The Myth of the French Revolution in 1955 after delivering an inaugural lecture as Professor of French History at University College London in 1954. This work directly challenged the orthodox Marxist school which viewed the revolution as a rise of the bourgeoisie against the nobility.
How did Alfred Cobban describe the economic conditions in France during the eighteenth century?
Cobban noted that probably some 95 per cent of France's 26 million people lived in isolated farms or small country towns. Industry remained largely domestic within small workshops employing around four people while large-scale production facilities like those in Anzin employed only 4000 workers.
Why did Alfred Cobban argue that women lost rights following the revolutionary period?
Women were still considered the lesser sex throughout this era and they lost rights gained during the Revolution under the reign of Napoleon I. Society still held significant inequality as many nobles retained leadership under the collective title Notables alongside the bourgeois.
Which historical schools did Alfred Cobban inspire with his revisionist views on class conflict?
His views inspired what became known as Revisionism or Liberalism in historical schools. George V. Taylor joined him in attacking traditional Marxist conceptions of class conflict.