The french revolution: Mismanaging CRisis

Professor peter mcphee, University of Melbourne

Change and crisis management is an essential skill in today’s workplace, but what can the French Revolution teach us about it?

The French Revolution of 1789-99 was a turning point in Modern history; the Bourbon regime, based on absolute monarchy, was violently disrupted by a new society. The former was a feudal system, with ‘corporate’ privileges for the church and nobility. The new regime was based on constitutional government, popular sovereignty, and equality among citizens and religions.

Many historians have argued that the French Revolution was the result of Louis XVI and his noble elite mismanaging the fiscal and social challenges confronting them in the 1780s. Professor Peter McPhee examines those challenges and the mistakes made by the regime, surmising what we can learn from them about managing change.

Professor Peter McPhee, University of Melbourne

Professor Peter McPhee is Chair of the History Council of Victoria. He has published widely on the history of Modern France, notably A Social History of France 1780-1880 (1992), Revolution and Environment in Southern France 1780-1830 (1999) and Living the French Revolution 1789-1799 (2006). His most recent book is Liberty or Death: The French Revolution (2016). Peter has served in various positions at the University of Melbourne, including as Head of the Department of History, President of the Academic Board, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and, lastly, Provost. He retired in 2009 but remains an active researcher and teacher. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2012.

You may also be interested in Professor McPhee’s talk about Back to the Workplace: Ideas from the University Sector

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