Alfred Cobban
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. His early academic career included a position as a lecturer in history at King's College in Newcastle-on-Tyne. This institution is now part of Newcastle University. Before his professorship at University College London, he held various teaching roles that built his reputation.
Cobban secured a Rockefeller Fellowship for research conducted within France. He served as a visiting professor at both the University of Chicago and Harvard University. During this period, he edited History magazine while publishing articles in the English Historical Review. He also contributed to the Political Science Quarterly and International Affairs journals. These editorial positions allowed him to shape historical discourse across multiple disciplines.
In 1954 Cobban delivered an inaugural lecture as Professor of French History at University College London. He used this platform to attack what he called the social interpretation of the French Revolution. The lecture was later published as The Myth of the French Revolution in 1955. This work directly challenged the orthodox Marxist school which viewed the revolution as a rise of the bourgeoisie against the nobility. Cobban argued instead that traditional landowners and the middle class sought political power rather than social transformation.
The French Industrial Revolution arrived much later during the nineteenth century. Most cities retained a majority of small enterprises rather than large factories. Cobban observed that urban poor fared worse after losing charity supplied by the Roman Catholic Church. This change occurred in 1791 when the National Constituent Assembly abolished the tithe and sold Church properties. Society still held significant inequality as many nobles retained leadership under the collective title Notables alongside the bourgeois.
Sex equality did not advance far following the revolutionary period. Women were still considered the lesser sex throughout this era. They lost rights gained during the Revolution under the reign of Napoleon I. Cobban argued that the revolution should be seen as political with social consequences rather than a true social revolution. 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.
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Common questions
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.
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.