AULARD, FRANOIS-ALPHONSE

born July 19, 1849, Montbron, France died Oct. 23, 1928, Paris one of the leading historians of the French Revolution, noted for the application of the rules of historical criticism to the revolutionary period. His writings dispelled many of the myths surrounding the Revolution. Aulard obtained his doctorate in 1877 and until 1884 taught French literature in various provincial universities. In 1879 he began his study of the French Revolution; his first publications concerned parliamentary oratory: Les Orateurs de l'Assemble constituante, 2 vol. (1882; The Orators of the Constituent Assembly), and Les Orateurs de la Lgislative et de la Convention (1885; The Orators of the Legislative Assembly and the Convention). Appointed to the new chair of the history of the French Revolution at the University of Paris (1887), Aulard specialized in the scientific documentation of the revolutionary period. He edited many large collections, among them Recueil des actes du comit de salut public, 16 vol. (18891904; Collection of Acts by the Committee of Public Safety); La Socit des Jacobins, 6 vol. (188997; The Jacobin Society); and Paris pendant la raction thermidorienne et sous le directoire, 5 vol. (18981902; Paris During the Thermidorian Reaction and Under the Directory). The important periodical La Rvolution franaise was published under his supervision as well as various editions of memoirs written by men of the Revolution. He also wrote works of broader scope: Histoire politique de la Rvolution franaise, origines et dveloppement, de la dmocratie et de la rpublique, 17891804, 4 vol. (The French Revolution, a Political History, 17891804, 1910) is especially valuable for its analyses of the currents of public opinion, description of party organization, and explanation of the mechanism of government. His Taine, historien de la Rvolution franaise (1901; Taine, Historian of the French Revolution) is a critique of Taine's work. Also active politically, Aulard was a founder and president of the League of the Rights of Man, formed during the Dreyfus affair, and cofounder of Quotidien, an independent democratic journal. He presided at the International Congress of the League of Nations in Berlin (1927).