Public opinion in the form of new cultural institutions such as the newspaper, the novel, and the coffee house threw down the gauntlet to established 18th century regimes. This title explores the interaction of politics and culture during these final years of Old Regime Europe and shows why some regimes adapted and flourished while others died.

Introduction: The Culture of Power and the Power of Culture ; PART I. REPRESENTATIONAL CULTURE ; 1. Louis XIV and Versailles ; 2. The Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg Monarchy ; 3. The Status of the Artist ; PART II. THE RISE OF THE PUBLIC SPHERE ; 4. Communications ; 5. Markets ; PART 3. REVOLUTION ; 6. The Rise of the Nation ; 7. The British Way ; 8. The Cultural Origins of the French Revolution ; 9. Conclusion: The Power of Culture ; Select Bibliography ; Index

`Review from previous edition T. C. W. Blanning is a historian of truly exceptional range . . . His latest book is a bravura display of broad scholarship, interpretative originality, and literary panache . . . sets new standards for historical writing by demonstrating the fallaciousness of the arbitrary division between "political" and "cultural" history . . and by magnificently exemplifying the truth that neither can be properlyunderstood without the other.' John Adamson, Literary Review `'generous and absorbing'' TLS `wide-ranging and accessible book.' The Economist `'a major contribution to the debate on the [French] revolution's cultural origins . . To ascribe the French Revolution not to class but to frustrated nationalistm is both provocative and compelling, and Blanning does so with great style and readability. The book will undoubtedly have a wide impact.' Munro Price, BBC History `In this pleasantly eclectic study there are no heavily argued theses, but serendipitous facts from far and wide ... Diverse and unexpected ... a richly serendipitous quest for the Old Regime.' David Nokes, The Independent Magazine `Blanning's work rests on wide-ranging reading, and is theoretically acute . . . offers one of the best short accounts available of the coming of the Revolution . . . first-rate.' Jeremy Black, History

Much acclaimed on original hardback publication Sets the high culture of the period - literature, art, and music - alongside political developments to offer a unique account of the last years of Old Regime Europe Explores the origins of some of the modern world's most important cultural institutions: the newspaper, the lending library, the coffee house, and the novel Shows how government spin came to be crucial to a regime's success and failure long before the late twentieth century

Much acclaimed on original hardback publication Sets the high culture of the period - literature, art, and music - alongside political developments to offer a unique account of the last years of Old Regime Europe Explores the origins of some of the modern world's most important cultural institutions: the newspaper, the lending library, the coffee house, and the novel Shows how government spin came to be crucial to a regime's success and failure long before the late twentieth century