The Lumières in Global History

Abstract

The authors review T. Sarmant’s 1715: La France et le monde published by Perrin in Paris in 2017. The monograph is a new attempt to reflect on the history of France and Europe in a global context. The renewed interest in global history in France marked by the works of F. Norel, L. Testot, S. Gruzinski, etc. can be illustrated by the book under review. Sarmant broadens the understanding of European influence on the global historical process, which is especially relevant in studies of Russia’s transformations in the eighteenth century. In the work, the researcher uses the accumulated material of French historiography to create his model of the French role in the formation of the modern world. The author also shows how the world of the eighteenth century was reflected in French culture and how France and its specificities were understood in other regions of the world. The study provides interesting conceptual observations that allow us to take a new look at the known events of world history.