Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-cjp7w Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-25T14:08:47.944Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

5 - The reception of the new ideal of the polity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 October 2009

Michael P. Fitzsimmons
Affiliation:
Auburn University, Alabama
Get access

Summary

It seems that one is taken up with destroying, as much as the remains of prejudices will put up with it, these former divisions of France into dioceses, governments, généralités and bailliages, which are no longer suitable to the representative order and could only maintain seeds of scission and ideas of corps and ordres.

Journal d'Etat et du Citoyen, October 29, 1789

As the year 1789 began, and a sense of the nation began to crystallize, France was gripped by the imminent convening of the Estates-General, which was universally viewed as the forum for solving the problems facing the country. The level of enthusiasm was partially sustained, however, by a misapprehension on the part of the clergy and the nobility on the one hand, and the Third Estate on the other. For their part, many within the clergy and nobility, especially the latter, interpreted the December 27, 1788, decision by the Crown to double the representation of the Third Estate as an independent action that did not necessarily amend the traditional method of voting by order. The Third Estate, however, believed that vote by head was implicit in the doubling of its representation, and most elements within it felt a sense of gratitude toward Louis for the action.

The drafting of cahiers in preparation for the opening of the Estates-General particularly encompassed many of the contradictory currents circulating in France during the early months of 1789.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Remaking of France
The National Assembly and the Constitution of 1791
, pp. 143 - 175
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×