Overview
The History of a Crime is Victor Hugo’s political history of the coup d’état carried out by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte in France in December 1851. Hugo writes as a fierce opponent of the seizure of power and presents the event through the testimony of people who witnessed it and the broader…
This title is catalogued in History & Civilization. Its reading profile is Medium and Moderate, with themes including learning, history, politics, ideas, darkness.
One-Page Summary
The History of a Crime is Victor Hugo’s political history of the coup d’état carried out by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte in France in December 1851. Hugo writes as a fierce opponent of the seizure of power and presents the event through the testimony of people who witnessed it and the broader political context that allowed it to happen. The book is not a neutral chronicle. It is an indictment. Hugo sees the coup as a crime against republican government and uses narrative, witness accounts, rhetoric, and moral argument to make the reader feel the shock of constitutional power being overturned.
Streets, barricades, arrests, executions, and political speeches become parts of a much larger struggle over legitimacy. The work is valuable precisely because it combines history and political emotion.
Key Themes
Learning: This title is tagged with learning as one of its main themes.
History: This title is tagged with history as one of its main themes.
Politics: This title is tagged with politics as one of its main themes.
Ideas: This title is tagged with ideas as one of its main themes.
Darkness: This title is tagged with darkness as one of its main themes.