(Oxford University Press) Covering the history of the French nation and its overseas empire since 1870, this book sets out to explore the many myths that surround this history and to uncover the realities underneath. The authors situate modern French history in transnational and global contexts, addressing in particular the themes of imperialism and immigration. Beginning with the contested emergence of the French Republic, the book discusses the country’s many turning points, analyzes its politics, society, and culture, and provides the viewpoints of men and women from many backgrounds — working class and bourgeoisie, immigrants, Catholics, Jews, and Muslims, Bretons and Algerians, rebellious youth, and gays and lesbians. Conklin is an associate professor of history at Ohio State University. Fishman is a professor of history at the University of Houston. Zaretsky is a professor of French in the Honors College and Department of Modern and Classical Languages at the University of Houston.