Revue d'histoire moderne et contemporaine

Revue d'histoire moderne et contemporaine
Title	Revue d'histoire moderne et contemporaine
Discipline	History
Language	French
Abbreviation	RHMC
Publisher	Presses universitaires de France
Country	France
Frequency	Quarterly
History	1910–present
Issn	0035-3264

Revue d'histoire moderne et contemporaine is a French scholarly journal devoted to modern and contemporary history. Founded in the early 20th century, it has published research on European, colonial, transatlantic, and global topics, hosting debates that intersect with studies of the French Revolution, the Third Republic, World War I, World War II, decolonization, and Cold War politics. The journal has served as a forum for historians working on figures and events ranging from Napoleon III and Adolphe Thiers to Charles de Gaulle, while engaging with research on institutions such as the Assemblée nationale (France), École normale supérieure, and colonial administrations in Algeria, Indochina, and French West Africa.

History and founding

The journal was founded amid scholarly and public debates involving personalities like Jules Michelet, followers of François Guizot-era historiography, and institutional actors such as the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Collège de France. Early issues reflected tensions after the Franco-Prussian War and debates following the Paris Commune, placing articles alongside research on the legacies of Louis-Philippe and the aftermath of the July Monarchy. Founders and early editors corresponded with figures in the networks of the Société de l'histoire de France, the École des chartes, and the Institut de France, seeking to professionalize historical practice in dialogue with archives housed at the Service historique de la Défense and regional archives in Bordeaux, Lyon, and Marseille.

Editorial scope and aims

The journal's editorial remit bridges archival research on the Ancien Régime–Revolution française transition, reinterpretations of the Napoleonic Wars and the Congress of Vienna, and studies of 19th- and 20th-century political actors such as Jules Ferry, Georges Clemenceau, Pierre Laval, and François Mitterrand. It emphasizes primary-source analysis drawn from collections like the Archives nationales (France), diplomatic correspondences involving the Foreign Office (United Kingdom), and papers relating to the Treaty of Versailles (1919), Treaty of Frankfurt (1871), and the Treaty of Paris (1815). The journal also encourages work on social and cultural history touching on movements represented by Émile Zola, Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, and institutions such as the Sorbonne and the Musée de l'Armée.

Publication and editorial board

Published quarterly by a university press, the journal maintains an editorial board composed of scholars affiliated with universities including Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Université Paris-Sorbonne, Université Lyon 2, Université de Strasbourg, Université de Lille, and international partners at institutions such as King's College London, Columbia University, University of Oxford, and Universität Heidelberg. Editors have included historians connected to the Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques and contributors associated with research centers like the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and the École des hautes études en sciences sociales. Peer review processes draw referees with expertise on topics ranging from the Dreyfus Affair and the May 1968 events in France to comparative studies involving British Empire, German Empire (1871–1918), and Ottoman Empire archives.

Notable contributors and articles

Over its run the journal published important articles by scholars who worked on subjects including Maximilien Robespierre, Louis XVI, Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolphe Thiers, Georges Pompidou, and Simone Weil. Contributions have examined the Dreyfus Affair through letters in the Mémoire des hommes collections, traced colonial policy in essays referencing Léopold Sédar Senghor and Ho Chi Minh, and interrogated collaboration and resistance with case studies of Philippe Pétain, Jean Moulin, and the Vichy Regime. Landmark articles explored the social history of industrial centers such as Saint-Étienne and Roubaix, labor movements connected to Jean Jaurès and Léon Blum, and diplomatic histories involving Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin, and the Yalta Conference.

Reception and impact

The journal has been cited in scholarship on the French Revolution, comparative studies of the Revolutions of 1848, and histories of decolonization in contexts including Algerian War of Independence, Indochina War, and postwar migrations to Paris. It has influenced debates about historiographical schools tied to figures like Marc Bloch, Lucien Febvre, Fernand Braudel, and the Annales School, while also engaging critics from proponents of political biography associated with Pierre Nora and debates in outlets such as Le Monde and La Croix. Its articles have informed museum exhibitions at institutions including the Musée d'Orsay, the Musée de l'Homme, and curated projects connected to the Year of France cultural diplomacy.

Indexing and availability

The journal is indexed in bibliographic services used by researchers working with databases that aggregate humanities scholarship and appears in catalogues of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, university libraries at Université de Bordeaux, Université de Rennes 2, Harvard University, and in the holdings of national libraries such as the Library of Congress and the British Library. Back issues circulate in microform and digital repositories maintained by academic consortia and are available through interlibrary loan systems used by departments at University of California, Berkeley, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and Università di Bologna.

Category:French history journals Category:Academic journals established in 1910