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9781501716041

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Well-researched yet accessible, The Sober Revolution recounts the political and bureaucratic battles against surplus production, state support, and widespread alcoholism associated with `industrial' wine in twentieth-century France. With attention to mass production in Algeria and Languedoc, as well as small-scale, `artisanal' wine-making across France, Joseph Bohling tells the story of how wines d'appellation controlee came to dominate French-and European-wine production. Bohling thoroughly understands the contradictions inherent in the development of large-scale postwar agriculture, accompanied by the development of increased interest in its presumed opposite, the terroir. The book is commodity history at its best. Focusing on wine, Bohling contributes simultaneously to the history of French empire, decolonization, regions, automobile tourism, and political maneuvering in both the French National Assembly and the European Economic Community. -- Stephen L. Harp, Distinguished Professor of History, University of Akron, and author of <I>Marketing Michelin: Advertising and Cultural Identity in Twentieth-Century France</I> and <I>Au Naturel: Naturism, Nudism, and Tourism in Twentieth-Century France</I> Joseph Bohling presents a convincing contribution which will compel historians to rethink the importance of terroir as evidence of the way the French have adapted to preserve tradition in an era of accelerated change. -- John Kim Munholland, Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota, author of Origins of Contemporary Europe, 1890-1914, and historical consultant for Don and Petie Kladstrup, <I>Wine and War: The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure</I> The Sober Revolution is an essential read for scholars and wine-lovers alike. The discussions of anti-alcoholism campaigns, automobile touring and safety, and the relationship of Algerian production to the metropole are a much needed update and expansion of our current understanding of French culture and history. -- Kolleen Guy, Associate Professor, University of Texas at San Antonio, and author of <I>When Champagne Became French: Wine and the Making of a National Identity</I> This is a superb book which tracks the changing place of wine consumption in post-World War II France, from a staple of daily life often imbibed to the point of excess to a more refined product for well-heeled markets both at home and abroad. Bohling's analysis of how this `sober revolution' came about is penetrating and convincing, focused on the reform-minded efforts of a modernizing bloc of technocrats and quality wine producers, which was powered forward by the coming of the Fifth Republic and France's entry into the Common Market. -- Philip Nord, author of <I>France's New Deal: From the Thirties to the Postwar Era</I>

In this book, Joseph Bohling draws attention to the historic transition that led France to abandon its system of mass industrial production of wine to build a model of luxury wines based on the emergence of new standards promoting the differentiation of production.... Bohling unquestionably offers an unprecedented and stimulating synthesis that recalls the central roles played by the actors in the world of wine, and by wine itself, in France's political evolution, its economic and cultural development, and its place in the world. -- Christophe Lucand * Territoires contemporains * This book intersects in surprising and illuminating ways with histories of French state-building, decolonization, and Europeanization and demonstrates that globalization and localism are not always antithetical. * Choice * It is fascinating to read how politics in France have transformed the wine culture, rewriting and effectively enhancing the role of wine.... It's well worth reading Bohling's book. * Wine & Spirits Magazine * [French language review] * Le Mouvement social * Bohling's elegantly written book provides an important contribution to the field of wine studies and is likely to remain a point of reference for many years to come. It opens new avenues to engage further with France's diverse geography of drinking cultures. * European History Quarterly * Bohling's attention to the multivalent and quotidian aspect of wine culture in France is a strength of the work as he deftly moves through different types of material-touring guides, EEC laws, and health reports-to place the liquid at the center of profound social, political, and economic shifts of the Fifth Republic. Ultimately, the work contributes to study of the ramifications of the economic miracle by placing its monumental effects at every table in French households. * AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW *

Wine invites commentary on color, bouquet, body, and finish. Will a discerning palate discover hints of mid-twentieth-century modernization, decolonization, or European integration? By tracing the advent of the French appellation system, Joseph Bohling reveals the economic, political, and imperial dimensions to wine production and consumption there. Bohling tells the story of wine as we know it. -- Richard Ivan Jobs, Pacific University, and author of <I>Backpack Ambassadors</I> This path-breaking study of France's 'sober revolution' after World War II-whereby the country, not without turmoil, reduced its alcohol consumption while catapulting its high-quality wine business into a global powerhouse-illuminates how small businesses could come to thrive in the era of decolonization and European economic integration. Joseph Bohling weaves together an innovative history of alcohol, drinking, and the anti-alcohol movement with an incisive analysis of public health policymaking and state regulation. A major contribution to the literature on France's postwar transformation. -- Herrick Chapman, New York University, and author of <I>France's Long Reconstruction</I> In this compelling book, Joseph Bohling deploys impressive research into a most delightful topic-French wine and winemakers-to upend how we understand some of the most important ongoing debates among historians of twentieth-century France. After 1945, wine matters-how much to drink, which wines to drink, where those wines came from, and who should decide the answers to such questions-proved central to big debates about whether Algeria was French, how to deal with the shame of Vichy, and how democracy and the rule of experts could be reconciled. It is marvelous history and it has much to teach us about the present. -- Todd Shepard, Johns Hopkins University, and author of <I>The Invention of Decolonization</I> Well-researched yet accessible, The Sober Revolution recounts the political and bureaucratic battles against surplus production, state support, and widespread alcoholism associated with `industrial' wine in twentieth-century France. With attention to mass production in Algeria and Languedoc, as well as small-scale, `artisanal' wine-making across France, Joseph Bohling tells the story of how wines d'appellation controlee came to dominate French-and European-wine production. Bohling thoroughly understands the contradictions inherent in the development of large-scale postwar agriculture, accompanied by the development of increased interest in its presumed opposite, the terroir. The book is commodity history at its best. Focusing on wine, Bohling contributes simultaneously to the history of French empire, decolonization, regions, automobile tourism, and political maneuvering in both the French National Assembly and the European Economic Community. -- Stephen L. Harp, University of Akron, and author of <I>Marketing Michelin</I> Joseph Bohling presents a convincing contribution which will compel historians to rethink the importance of terroir as evidence of the way the French have adapted to preserve tradition in an era of accelerated change. -- John Kim Munholland, University of Minnesota, author of <I>Origins of Contemporary Europe, 1890-1914</I> The Sober Revolution is an essential read for scholars and wine-lovers alike. The discussions of anti-alcoholism campaigns, automobile touring and safety, and the relationship of Algerian production to the metropole are a much needed update and expansion of our current understanding of French culture and history. -- Kolleen Guy, University of Texas at San Antonio, and author of <I>When Champagne Became French</I> This is a superb book which tracks the changing place of wine consumption in post-World War II France, from a staple of daily life often imbibed to the point of excess to a more refined product for well-heeled markets both at home and abroad. Bohling's analysis of how this `sober revolution' came about is penetrating and convincing, focused on the reform-minded efforts of a modernizing bloc of technocrats and quality wine producers, which was powered forward by the coming of the Fifth Republic and France's entry into the Common Market. -- Philip Nord, Princeton University, and author of <I>France's New Deal</I>

Wine invites commentary on color, bouquet, body, and finish. Will a discerning palate discover hints of mid-twentieth-century modernization, decolonization, or European integration? By tracing the advent of the French appellation system, Joseph Bohling reveals the economic, political, and imperial dimensions to wine production and consumption there. Bohling tells the story of wine as we know it. -- Richard Ivan Jobs, Pacific University, and author of <I>Backpack Ambassadors</I> This path-breaking study of France's 'sober revolution' after World War II-whereby the country, not without turmoil, reduced its alcohol consumption while catapulting its high-quality wine business into a global powerhouse-illuminates how small businesses could come to thrive in the era of decolonization and European economic integration. Joseph Bohling weaves together an innovative history of alcohol, drinking, and the anti-alcohol movement with an incisive analysis of public health policymaking and state regulation. A major contribution to the literature on France's postwar transformation. -- Herrick Chapman, New York University, and author of <I>France's Long Reconstruction</I> In this compelling book, Joseph Bohling deploys impressive research into a most delightful topic-French wine and winemakers-to upend how we understand some of the most important ongoing debates among historians of twentieth-century France. After 1945, wine matters-how much to drink, which wines to drink, where those wines came from, and who should decide the answers to such questions-proved central to big debates about whether Algeria was French, how to deal with the shame of Vichy, and how democracy and the rule of experts could be reconciled. It is marvelous history and it has much to teach us about the present. -- Todd Shepard, Johns Hopkins University, and author of <I>The Invention of Decolonization</I> Well-researched yet accessible, The Sober Revolution recounts the political and bureaucratic battles against surplus production, state support, and widespread alcoholism associated with 'industrial' wine in twentieth-century France. With attention to mass production in Algeria and Languedoc, as well as small-scale, 'artisanal' wine-making across France, Joseph Bohling tells the story of how wines d'appellation controlee came to dominate French-and European-wine production. Bohling thoroughly understands the contradictions inherent in the development of large-scale postwar agriculture, accompanied by the development of increased interest in its presumed opposite, the terroir. The book is commodity history at its best. Focusing on wine, Bohling contributes simultaneously to the history of French empire, decolonization, regions, automobile tourism, and political maneuvering in both the French National Assembly and the European Economic Community. -- Stephen L. Harp, University of Akron, and author of <I>Marketing Michelin</I> Joseph Bohling presents a convincing contribution which will compel historians to rethink the importance of terroir as evidence of the way the French have adapted to preserve tradition in an era of accelerated change. -- John Kim Munholland, University of Minnesota, author of <I>Origins of Contemporary Europe, 1890-1914</I> The Sober Revolution is an essential read for scholars and wine-lovers alike. The discussions of anti-alcoholism campaigns, automobile touring and safety, and the relationship of Algerian production to the metropole are a much needed update and expansion of our current understanding of French culture and history. -- Kolleen Guy, University of Texas at San Antonio, and author of <I>When Champagne Became French</I> This is a superb book which tracks the changing place of wine consumption in post-World War II France, from a staple of daily life often imbibed to the point of excess to a more refined product for well-heeled markets both at home and abroad. Bohling's analysis of how this `sober revolution' came about is penetrating and convincing, focused on the reform-minded efforts of a modernizing bloc of technocrats and quality wine producers, which was powered forward by the coming of the Fifth Republic and France's entry into the Common Market. -- Philip Nord, Princeton University, and author of <I>France's New Deal</I>

In this book, Joseph Bohling draws attention to the historic transition that led France to abandon its system of mass industrial production of wine to build a model of luxury wines based on the emergence of new standards promoting the differentiation of production.... Bohling unquestionably offers an unprecedented and stimulating synthesis that recalls the central roles played by the actors in the world of wine, and by wine itself, in France's political evolution, its economic and cultural development, and its place in the world. -- Christophe Lucand * Territoires contemporains * This book intersects in surprising and illuminating ways with histories of French state-building, decolonization, and Europeanization and demonstrates that globalization and localism are not always antithetical. * Choice * It is fascinating to read how politics in France have transformed the wine culture, rewriting and effectively enhancing the role of wine.... It's well worth reading Bohling's book. * Wine & Spirits Magazine * [French language review] * Le Mouvement social * Bohling's elegantly written book provides an important contribution to the field of wine studies and is likely to remain a point of reference for many years to come. It opens new avenues to engage further with France's diverse geography of drinking cultures. * European History Quarterly * Bohling's attention to the multivalent and quotidian aspect of wine culture in France is a strength of the work as he deftly moves through different types of material-touring guides, EEC laws, and health reports-to place the liquid at the center of profound social, political, and economic shifts of the Fifth Republic. Ultimately, the work contributes to study of the ramifications of the economic miracle by placing its monumental effects at every table in French households. * AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW * His well-researched and engagingly written book reveals how appellation wines, which constituted only a small percentage of French wine production in 1945, rose to prominence in the postwar period through the concerted actions of state actors seeking to wean French wine producers and consumers from plonk, or industrial mass-produced wine, in the interest of public health and economic stability. * Journal of Modern History *

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Joseph Bohling is Assistant Professor of History at Portland State University.

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